As a brilliant 11-year-old with her eyes set on a future in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), Alyssa Burgher will be attending Campion College in the coming academic year. 

She was among the many who sat the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations and yielded positive results. 

Burgher, who recently matriculated from the Holy Childhood Preparatory School scored highly proficient in all subjects in PEP.

Her school yearbook shows a smiling Burgher who aspires to become a biochemist. 

“In the future, I’d like to be doing anything that involves mixing chemicals,” she said confidently in an interview with Our Today, with the support of her mother who jokingly shared that Burgher likes to investigate the states of matter and executes experiments at her mother’s expense.

“So, [in May], I took some sugar, I put it in a plate with piped water, warmed it up in the microwave and then I put it in the freezer, and went somewhere for three hours. When we came back, I checked it and it thickened, so I was really happy,” she said, explaining one of her experiments. She also added that she enjoys lessons in History.

As for her success in PEP, Burgher credits the achievement to her hard work and the support she received from her school and her parents, specifically, her mother. 

“I had a lot of fun while studying because our academic advisor would come to us every morning with these past PEP and Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) papers and drilled us until our brains were mush and we couldn’t think anymore. She would give us two more papers and when she finally saw that our brains were literally liquid, then she would say we could have a break,” Burgher shared.

“Plus, I had extra classes with my teacher at the school and after extra classes, I would get picked up. I had to read at my mother’s office and when I got home, I read for about 15 minutes and that was it for the day. I could rest, I could go on my phone, and I could watch TV,” she added.

On her part, Melissa Haynes, Burgher’s mother, reiterated what her daughter said and included her perspective. 

Haynes said that she initially enrolled her daughter into an extra lessons class and a few months later, was encouraged by Burgher’s grade teacher for her to stay back after school, do additional work but consider it as “an extension of the school day”.

“I was hesitant because I knew that it was a lot for Alyssa because I already enrolled her in an extra class. However, I agreed and it initially worked out well. When we got to the end of March, when she completed the Performance Task exams, I realised that Alyssa was suffering from burn out. She was exhausted and mentally drained. She was fatigued. She had done the Ability Test in February, so it was exams back to back and she was tired,” said Haynes.

“So, I made a decision, which I thought was a little risky, to pull her from extra lessons and I decided to work with her myself. So, she’d be picked up from school and do her homework as well as some extra reading while at the office with me. I told her, ‘listen there is no way you’re going to get the content unless you read’. So, each day, when she got to my office, she did just that. Even when she got to school early, she would read her notes – especially for Social Studies, because she did not like the subject,” added Haynes, who highlighted that the extra reading paid off because “her score was perfect”. 

“I would quiz her and I would get past papers and ask her questions. If there was something that she didn’t understand, I would take the time to just go through it with her until she got it. That’s how I prepared her,” explained Haynes.

As any good mother, Haynes shared how Burgher always “had her water and her fruits” among other important aspects of her diet.

“Her diet was important and it wasn’t just about studying for PEP, there was a good balance. So, if she was finished with her reading, she could go and watch Netflix. She could play a game for about an hour or so, and then go to bed. So, I definitely allowed her to have free time. It wasn’t just study, study, study. She had to have that good balance of recreational time with study time. I incentivised it as well. After each exam, I had to reward her. She had to get something special just for pushing through and doing her best on the exam. At that point, we wouldn’t have known what the results would be, but it was an incentive for her pushing through, showing up for her exams, and knowing that it was something to celebrate,” said Haynes.

Learning of the results

Burgher’s mother confidently shared that she was overjoyed at her daughter’s results. 

“I was at work and everyone who has a child who sat PEP was trying to access the platform, so the system kept showing an error message, plus I was anxious. So, it was very nerve wracking. I knew that Alyssa had done well. I was confident. It’s just that we wanted confirmation. We had a strong feeling that she would have been placed at Campion, but we were still anxious to get the confirmation,” she said.

“The results were out at 2 o’clock and at that time, I was on the system but I initially couldn’t see the result. I was so anxious that I scrolled past the school of choice. I eventually found it. I was so happy. I was overjoyed, even, and I wanted to share the news with her. But I was at work and she was at school,” she added. 

Haynes said she tried to tell her daughter the good news by calling her teacher but that route was not successful. 

The day went by quickly and Haynes had to pick up Burgher from school. 

“I went there quickly and had her dad on video call because he wanted to see her reaction. I had to bear in mind that Alyssa was very anxious watching me come because her classmates already knew their results and she didn’t know hers. So, when I saw her, we told her the good news and she screamed, then she started to cry and jump. It was a mixture of emotions. For me, I was just overjoyed knowing that her hard work definitely paid off,” said Haynes.

Jermaine Burgher, young Alyssa’s father, “has always been very supportive. He has always encouraged her, especially in her weak areas,” said Haynes.

“She had a little weakness in Math and he was always there encouraging her when she felt unsure about certain topics. He told her that these are the subjects that he likes. ‘You’re my daughter, so it means that you can do it too.’ So, he was really pushing her and motivating her,” shared Haynes, who explained that her daughter saw significant improvement in school after bouncing back from the negative impact of COVID-19. 

The future biochemist shared that she was just relieved and that her back felt light as if a load had come off. 

Burgher, who is also a Christian relied on her faith during the PEP preparation and wait-time for results. 

“We spoke positive things over her life. Each morning when we prayed, we would declare that she was going to Campion in 2023. So, I think our faith in God definitely helped us through this time,” her mother said.

Heading into a new stage of her life and academic journey, Burgher shared that she hopes to do well in school and be more quiet.

Her mother, however, said that she expects her daughter to have more focus and continue to do well and perform even better.

Additionally, “I expect that she will find other interests, not just academic, but that she will become more rounded, that she will develop more into a greater sense of self while she is there. 

Learning by observation and action

Haynes, who structures her own time well and leaves little space to waste, attributes some of her daughter’s discipline to watching what she does. 

“Believe it or not, our children are learning indirectly from us. I remember when Alyssa got to grade one. I didn’t have to tell her to do her homework. In fact, because she knew that once homework was done, she could play, she would make sure to get her homework completed even before I picked her up from school,” she said. 

“Alyssa structured herself and I realised that it was a reflection of me. Even with her reading in the mornings. That’s something that I do. I am at my best in the mornings. I think I retain a lot more at that time and so, she did the same. She’s at school early anyways, so she made good use of that time in preparation for PEP,” she added.

Additionally, Burgher participates in acts of volunteerism with her mother, who is the president elect for a local Optimist club, the Royal Optimist Club of Kingston (ROCK).

The 11-year-old, who shared that she enjoys swimming, riding her bicycle, reading, and watching TV is ecstatic about starting her new journey at Campion College.

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