The 11-year-old Head Girl of St George Primary School, Skai Cox, who placed seventh islandwide and emerged as the top female performer at her school in this year’s 11-Plus examination, said she was always confident that Harrison College would be her next destination.
“I wasn’t really too nervous,” Cox recalled of the examination period. After the test, she said she was simply “happy to have that off my schedule”.
Her performance added to a strong showing by St George Primary School, which produced two students in the island’s top ten.
Preparation for the examination involved Saturday lessons and additional classes during the Easter vacation.
“Well, I started doing lessons on Saturdays,” she said, adding that students also attended lessons during the Easter break.
Now preparing to leave the school where she served as Head Girl, Cox acknowledged mixed emotions.
“Well, I’m sad. I’ll be leaving some of my classmates behind and my old teachers,” she said. “I’m also excited.”
When asked what excites her most about Harrison College, she simply replied: “Well, probably getting to meet new people.”
The accomplished student is no stranger to balancing responsibilities. Outside of academics, she is a competitive swimmer with the Alpha Sharks Swim Club, a member of the school’s chess team, plays volleyball, and has represented the school in bodybuilding competitions.
Mum Katrina Holder said the family was determined to ensure that academics did not come at the expense of her daughter’s other interests.
“We were very supportive of Skai,” she said. “Skai always did well at school, but we decided to let her take some lessons on Saturday morning just to help with the preparation for the exam itself.”
Holder noted that while her daughter was not enthusiastic about extra lessons, she remained committed.
“She wasn’t a fan of going to lessons, but she still went.”
The proud mother credited a St George Primary Class Three teacher for helping with that preparation and said her daughter approached the examination calmly:
“She wasn’t nervous or anything like that. She just wanted to get it over and done with.”
Holder believes maintaining balance was key to her daughter’s success.
“We were not the type of parents that said she had to drop things to focus solely on the 11-Plus,” she explained. “I wanted her to be able to balance — still going to swim sessions, still competing, still going to Brownies, and still focus on academics.”
That balanced approach extended to celebrating the result. Instead of an elaborate outing, Cox opted for a simpler reward.
“We wanted to take Skai out to dinner, but Skai decided that she wanted to just have three scoops of ice cream because she’s never had three scoops in one go,” Holder said with a laugh.
The determination to attend Harrison College was also entirely her daughter’s own.
“Skai always had it in her head that she wanted to go to Harrison’s College,” Holder said. “She always said, ‘I do not know what my second option would be. I just know I have to get to Harrison’s College.’”
Even when encouraged to consider alternatives, the youngster remained unwavering.
“Mommy, it is going to happen. I am going to Harrison’s College.”
Dad Courie Cox said the result reflected years of discipline and commitment.
“I’ve just been impressed, really, with Skai’s dedication and commitment to her work,” he said.
While proud of the academic achievement, he pointed to her all-round development as equally important.
“She’s been a national swimmer on the Barbados team,” he said, adding that she has also danced, competed in sports and maintained a healthy social life.
“She’s a very well-rounded student. She’s always happy. She’s always ready. There’s never a dull moment with Skai.”
Cox also praised the role St George Primary played throughout his daughter’s educational journey.
“I want to really give a massive shout out to St George Primary School,” he said. “From the time she was in kindergarten, every single teacher that she had, they were all impressive, their dedication, their commitment, their professionalism.”
He reserved special praise for Class Four teacher Kathy-Ann Spencer, describing her contribution as “the icing on the cake.”
Despite the achievement, the father said he reminded his daughter that success requires continued effort.
“Just because she’s going to Harrison College does not mean she’s going to be successful in life,” he said. “You still have to go to school and you’ve got to put in the work.”
For Holder, the lesson extends beyond examination results.
“I would like to tell them it’s all about balance,” she said when asked what advice she would give other parents. “There’s no need to take away one over the other. You just have to be there to support them in everything that they do.”
(LE)
