St James East Central PEP toppers Lawrence and Knott honoured at scholarship awards

WESTERN BUREAU: Two pupils from St James East Central — Nicoya Lawrence of Irwin Primary School and Amari Knott of Somerton Primary and Infant School — posted the constituency’s strongest Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results for 2026 and were saluted by Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett last Friday.

Lawrence finished at 94.4 per cent as the leading PEP girl in the constituency, while Knott recorded 94 per cent as the leading PEP boy. They were part of a group of 94 students drawn from across St James East Central who were honoured for strong academic work at Friday’s 30th anniversary presentation of the East Central St James Education Scholarship Fund’s scholarship awards. The ceremony took place at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James.

Lawrence, who was head girl at Irwin Primary and will enter Herbert Morrison Technical High School, said she means to keep performing at a high level once she moves into secondary school.

“I feel happy and proud of myself. The PEP exam was not hard, but it was not easy, either, yet it was manageable,” Lawrence told The Gleaner in a brief comment.

“I plan to keep my focus and not follow anyone in doing the wrong thing, and I am aiming to become a head girl at Herbert Morrison as well.”

Her mother, Sabrina Hines, spoke of delight and pride in her daughter’s showing, pointing out that strong schoolwork has marked Lawrence’s record from grade one onward.

“I am overly excited and very proud of her. When they announced the result, it was a shock and an overwhelming feeling. But I know she has the potential for it, so it was a good feeling, and I really appreciate it and am proud of her. From grade one straight up to grade six, she has a history of excellence,” said Hines.

Knott, head boy at Somerton Primary and bound for Cornwall College, was quieter in manner but clearly satisfied when he looked back on how he had done.

“I feel excited and grateful. The exam was pretty hard, but I persevered, and I plan to keep on doing well and to achieve more,” said Knott. “I am going to Cornwall College, and I plan to become head boy there. I intend to do very well in my studies, and to impact Cornwall College.”

Amela Carey, Knott’s mother, said the outcome did not catch her off guard, given how steadily he has performed since his first years in school.

“I was expecting those results because Amari was on the honour roll from infant level coming up. He always does well, and he is a calm soul, so I was expecting his result to be good,” said Carey.

Bartlett’s education fund has served St James East Central since 1996. It first began in 1979 while he represented St Andrew Eastern in Parliament. Over the years it has supported high-achieving students islandwide. The awards programme has pressed on even after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa struck St James East Central and left many schools with serious damage to their buildings and facilities.

“The basis of my public life has been human capital development, and it is essentially all about how to make a difference in people’s lives, and I think education is the most viable route for social mobility and advancement. The St James engagement has been particularly rewarding in that we have watched the development of our children from grade one all the way to university in some instances, and into public life,” Bartlett said during Friday’s function.