Alyssa Grouby and sisters Habeeba and Maryam O’Neill are starting the new school year with a different attitude towards their education. Alyssa, an 8th grader at John H. Woodson Junior High, Habeeba, an 8th grader at Elena Christian Junior High (ECJH), and Maryam, 9th grade, formerly of ECJH, returned to St. Croix recently after a three-week residency at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. They were among hundreds of middle school students from around the nation and other countries who took college courses this summer courtesy of the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins University.
Students in the CTY program at the university concentrated on a single subject. “In my class we explored the different ways to view things as right or wrong,” said Alyssa Grouby who took a course in ethics. “It helped me understand new things and just showed me how much fun learning new things can be.”
In addition to spending two hours straight in the classroom, the CTY students also found time for social engagement. “My fellow students were very nice and approachable and even though you might not like to talk much, there will be someone who will come up to you and begin talking to you,” Grouby said. “I made friends, one from Spain and another born in Africa but lives in the U.S. A lot of students there were from several nationalities but live in the U.S.”
Despite her exceptional experience at Hopkins University, Alyssa remains calm and plans to return to John H. Woodson Junior High School with her usual courteous demeanor. “I wouldn’t have it as a big thing but when I get back to school I will mostly focus on my work so I can get better grades than I got last year,” she said.
The O’Neill sisters were also excited and inspired by CTY’s summer program. Maryam also took the ethics class, while Habeeba’s concentration was creative writing. They explained that they had eight hours of intensive training each day in the classroom, only breaking for lunch and study hall. “Having 8 hours of class seems a lot, but it was very interesting,” Maryam said. “I think if I didn’t have eight hours of it (ethics course), I couldn’t have learned as much as I did.”
Both O’Neill sisters had roommates who were from Baltimore. “I really bonded with my roommate,” Maryam said. “It was interesting. I made friends waiting in the salad lines which I did on several occasions. Everyone there was really accepting and socially polite.”
Habeeba said her overall experience “was very, very good.” “I think I made better friends up there than I made here (at home) because they (CTY students) really understand me,” she said. “On the bus to the campus, though, we rode with other students who were like 16 and to hear them converse was shocking. We said wow! They are very bright and it was intimidating, and I thought to myself I want to go home. Then I met with other students my age and I felt okay.” Habeeba, now 13, asserts that she was the only 12-year old at the summer program.
The three girls along with Ryan Hodge who didn’t make the trip because of conflicts in his schedule earned entry into John Hopkins summer program after scoring high on CTY’s Talent Search test administered in March. About 78 other V.I. students also took the test.
CTY’s Talent Search program was introduced into the public schools this year by Education Commissioner Dr. LaVerne Terry and funded by an anonymous donor. All three girls extend a heartfelt thank you to the donor who made their unprecedented summer educational experience possible. The talented junior high students are encouraging more Virgin Islands students to take the CTY test as they also look forward to participating in the program next year.
The O’Neill’s parents in extending gratitude to the sponsors of the CTY program in the Virgin Islands said, “We thank both anonymous donors for their generosities, the V.I. Department of Education and Commissioner Terry, and all their teachers/staff at ECJH and Pearl B.Larsen Elementary schools. We are sure without their help the girls wouldn’t be at where they are right now.”
Yolande Greene, manager for Education’s Advance Placement/Gifted and Talented Program, said she was pleased that CTY’s Talent Search was added to the department’s outreach programs.
“We applaud Commissioner Terry for introducing CTY’s Talent Search in Virgin Islands public schools and for acquiring a donor to ensure that our gifted and talented students will have early exposure to academic rigor and thereby given a better chance to succeed in their educational endeavors.”
