RISHONA Bell had proven herself to be an ace student during her days in kindergarten, so when she nailed her Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations this year it came as no surprise to her parents and the teachers at Lannaman’s Preparatory School in St Andrew.

Rishona and her two best friends from Lannaman’s, Arianna and Talia, will attend Immaculate Conception High in St Andrew come September.

The three, and head boy Kiery Henry, ended their tenure at Lannaman’s as the cream of the crop in PEP, having achieved averages ranging from 95 to 100 per cent. Kiery will be attending Campion College come September.

According to Annett Pryce-Bell, Rishona’s mother, her success can be attributed to a combination of factors, including good parenting, good tutoring, and using the Jamaica Observer’s Learning Corner publication to study.

Rishona, who was head girl at Lannaman’s, told the Observer that she was elated to have been placed at Immaculate, which was her first choice.

“I am feeling really happy that I accomplished this. I worked very hard for this; I went to extra classes and I studied at school with my friends. I am feeling exceptional,” said Rishona who turned 12 this month.

She said that when she gets to Immaculate she plans to “do swimming while being on the honour roll”.

Though she has many more stages to pass through, Rishona was happy that she was one step closer to achieving her dream of becoming a doctor.

“I want to help sick people when I grow up. My inspiration for that is that I saw where a lot of people died during COVID-19 and my aunt is a doctor in Canada. She inspires me,” Rishona said.

Her mother added that although parental support was always prominent, Rishona took on a lot of the studying responsibilities on her own.

“She does her schoolwork and she is not a lazy child. She did summer school and extra lessons and she is always in the books. Also, I easily got the Learning Corner from the Observer on Thursdays and I made Rishona do the work from it. I would recommend that other parents use it to help their children,” said Pryce-Bell.

Trudy Hardy, principal of Lannaman’s Preparatory, said Rishona was a model student from the very first day she set foot in kindergarten.

“Rishona has been coming here from kindergarten, and she has excelled right through. When she transitioned to grade one she was the valedictorian, and right throughout she has been top student. It makes me very, very proud to know she started here as a baby and is excelling.

“Her overall deportment and development is good. She not only excels in academics, but she participates in extra-curricular activities like dancing and track and field. She is disciplined and always well prepared for school. I would like for her to continue to strive for excellence in all things, as our motto states,” said Hardy.