Two current Wolmer’s Boys’ School students and one recently placed by the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) have been awarded scholarships totalling $120,000 by the AQuA Foundation, whose executive director is Nigel Pennycooke, a past student.
The boys are Kyle Williams and Ajani Clarke, who will be moving on to grade nine next month. The other youngster is Daniel Campbell, formerly of Allman Town Primary School, who will take up his place at Wolmer’s, his first choice, when school begins in September.
Pennycooke, a real estate developer and financial consultant who resides in Florida, started the foundation in 1996 as a charitable entity to support community development through the funding of education, community health and public safety initiatives. Its most visible programmes were scholarship awards to promising high school seniors in the US for use at tertiary institutions.
However, it was always his aim to extend the scholarship programme to Jamaica, particularly to his alma mater, after whose motto “Age Quod Agis” the foundation is named.
According to Pennycooke, “the objective is to assist motivated (and needy) students from challenging backgrounds to pursue dreams of higher education and impact Jamaica’s national development”.
Having attended the high school from 1970 - 1975, Pennycoke said his years at Wolmer’s were the most formative of his life and feels indebted to the institution for his achievements. In 2002, he made a personal contribution to the school in the amount of US$15,000.
Both Clarke and Williams were seelcted based on their consistent academic performance, good discipline and on the recommendation of the guidance counsellor at Wolmer’s. For his part, Campbell, who was head boy at Allman Town, achieved highly creditable scores in the GSAT examinations earning a perfect score in science, 97 per cent in mathematics, 96 per cent in social studies, 97 in language arts and 11 out of 12 for Communication Task.
Pennycooke hosted all three boys at a recent luncheon in their honour at the Altamont Court Hotel at which he encouraged them to continue to pursue excellence. He said they should consider the awards “income from their very first job” and, as with any job that is valued, they should work hard to keep it. He also promised a “bonus” at the end of the school year if they finish in the top 25 per cent of their class.
In addition to deportment and classroom performance, each boy is expected to complete a community service project as requirements of the award.
AQuA Foundation Executive Director Nigel Pennycooke (in back) with scholarship recipients (from left) Ajani Clarke, Kyle Williams and Daniel Campbell following a luncheon in their honour at the Altamont Court Hotel last week.
Source: Jamaica Observer