Alron Harry tops Common Entrance

Ecstatic, but not surprised.

This is the general sentiment expressed by the Harrys of Bonhomme, as they join the youngest member of their family, Alron, in {{more}}celebrating his outstanding performance in the 2011 Common Entrance Examination (CEE).

Alron, a pupil of the Kingstown Preparatory School, is the top student in the national examination, with an average of 95.16 per cent. In joint second place are Sai Bhavesh Tadepalli of the Sugar Mill Academy and Eric Febuary of the Richland Park S.D.A Primary, with 94.35 per cent.

In an exclusive interview with SEARCHLIGHT last Saturday evening, two days after the results were released, the Harrys exclaimed that they had absolute faith that their 11-year-old would do well, having consistently excelled at his academics throughout his years at primary school. They, however, left room for disappointment.

“I wasn’t feeling surprised, because I know this guy can do anything. He has a positive attitude that can spur him on to do anything,” said Alron’s father, Albert Harry, a graduate teacher attached to Student Support Services. The elder Harry was chairing a meeting when he received the news of his son’s feat. His wife, Claire Harry, an accounts clerk at WINFARM, was at home when a neighbour broke the news to her.

She said two weeks before the CEE she was at home, when Alron came to her with great confidence saying: “‘Mommy, I need you to help me with my speech.’ I said speech for what? And he said, ‘speech for the media.’ I thought it was for English, but he said, ‘I have to arrange my speech because I am coming first for Common Entrance.’”

The Harrys said Alron’s declaration was brushed aside and he was instantly told to concentrate on revision.

The Harrys said Alron was so confident that he would place first, that the morning of the CEE, he posted on the Internet, ‘I am going to reign supreme over my opponents’.“Some people might attribute that to being boastful, but he is funny,” said Albert.

Albert lauded Claire for preparing their son adequately for his examinations. “She is the Minister of Education,” said Albert, with a smile as he highlighted the important role she played.

“As he entered into Grade Six, I told him he has to be mindful of the fact that he is preparing to enter secondary school. So then he has to put a little bit more effort into his work and ensure he does his homework and other assignments on time. …He comes home; he has an assignment for next week, he starts in now,” said Claire, noting that she also prepared her son by using past Common Entrance papers that came during the last six years, and had him work on them over and over “until he was able to get 100 percent for all of them.” She also got help for him in the area of composition.

“Coming down to the exam, I had him working in terms of time to see how quickly he could complete a paper,” said Claire.

Albert, a strong believer in Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, said he always encouraged his children, Claral, Alroy and Alron, to use their various intelligences. He said he tried to get them to be involved in sports and music, but Alron has applied the principle to his life more than any of his siblings. Albert said the theory has helped to sharpen his son’s brain. “I believe that worked for him.”

“He was playing pan, keyboard; he plays pan three days a week, keyboard once per week, and he is involved in athletics and soccer. He was doing all those things up to the Thursday before Common Entrance. As a matter of fact, the Thursday night before Common Entrance, he came home nine o’clock,” said Albert.

While Mathematics is Alron’s favourite subject, English is his most challenging, especially in the area of poetry. Fortunately for him, the poetry that came in the examination was in the form of a song.

The Harrys said Alron is the most jovial member of the family, but when it comes to his school work, he takes it seriously.

Suggesting parental tips, the Harrys encourage parents to get their children involved in sports and music at an early age, as well as church activities. They also suggest that parents allow children to express themselves freely, while not allowing them to be rude. Parents are also being encouraged to allow their children to lead as normal lives as possible.