SHERRI-ANN Peckham is not your average teenage girl.
She's a risk-taker with an unwavering belief in the power of prayer - and those who know her respect that about the 16-year-old.

That's why when she boldly decided to sit 12 CXC subjects in the May/June Examinations earlier this year no one tried to dissuade her. In fact, with her academic track record from Belair Preparatory leading to the hallowed walls of Manchester High, family, friends and school staff were rooting for her to "mash up" the exams by passing all 12 subjects with distinctions. Peckham did not disappoint. And these days, Manchester High is a joy-filled place with the school principal, teachers and students as young as first-formers all singing the praises of their newly crowned academic star - who they say has significantly raised the bar for academic excellence at the renowned institution.

Peckham and her mother, Dorette Nelson (far left) pose for our cameras with principal Jasford Gabriel (centre), vice-principal Joy Westcarr and other CXC top achievers at Manchester High. (Photos: Gregory Bennett)

Peckham, a petite, soft-spoken and neatly attired straight-A student, scored distinctions in Mathematics, English Language, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Human and Social Biology, Principles of Business, Accounts, Social Studies, Spanish, French and Information Technology.

"My approach to my school work has a lot to do with studying really hard and praying before I study. And I think that helped me a lot. Whenever I get my notes I go home and I read them over so they stay fresh in my mind. God has been really good to me," said Peckham, who initially wanted to sit three additional subjects. "I love my mommy, too. We are very close and I always want to make her proud. So that motivated me even more to do my best."

Peckham's mother, Dorette Nelson, one of two vice-principals at Manchester High, said the special mother-daughter bond they share also played a part in Peckham's immense academic success.

"We have always been very tight. We share our intimate secrets. We are best friends and we consult each other on just about everything. There were signs from she was very young that she was going to be special. From as young as age three she always took an interest in books," Nelson told the Sunday Observer, from behind her desk in her neatly organised office. "I am extremely proud but not surprised. She has always been very devoted and organised when it comes to her school work, and her devotion to God is very strong."

From all accounts, Peckham was raised in a household that facilitated her thirst for knowledge but also encouraged a relationship with the church. As such, Peckham is an occasional youth preacher at the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) Seventh-day Adventist Church.

"She doesn't even like all the attention she has been getting since the news of her exam results came out. She's very humble and doesn't feel she should be glorified. She says all the praises should go to God," said Nelson, a business teacher, who helped tutor her daughter for the Principles of Business test.

Peckham's close friends and schoolmates are filled with admiration and, according to staff members, her hard work and dedication have inspired a legion of lower-school students.

"The first-formers, especially, are really motivated and I feel that from now on most of our students will be going that route of academic success," Nelson remarked, adding that she has already sensed a dramatic shift in student attitude.

For principal Jasford Gabriel, Peckham's success marks the dawn of a new age at Manchester High, whose Latin motto, when translated means "Excellence in Performance". As a result, he said there are plans in place to help boost the performance potential of students.

"Sherri-Ann's performance has significantly raised the bar for academic excellence at the school. Our teachers have consulted and are ready to go the extra mile to prepare students. We pride ourselves on the level of education and extracurricular activities we provide here," said Gabriel, who took over the reins of headmaster in May 2006. "We are currently working on an after-school supplementary programme geared towards assisting those students who are scoring less than 60 per cent in Mathematics and English. They will be placed in the programme with teachers assigned to work with them."

In the meantime, Peckham - who scored 96 per cent overall in her Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) back in the day - is determined to keep following her dreams, which she hopes will lead to a successful career saving children's lives.

"I have always wanted to do medicine. When I was in fourth and fifth form, I used to volunteer at the paediatrics ward at the Mandeville Hospital. I love kids and I want to make them comfortable. So I plan to go to UWI and then maybe go to an Ivy League university afterwards," she told the Sunday Observer.

The medicine bug seems to have bitten her fellow CXC top achievers at Manchester High, as Taivia Johnson, Felecia Hunter, Shashane Wallace, Nicola Ewen and Matthew Blackwood - who are all 16-year-olds actively involved in various clubs and societies - want to save lives too.

"The interest in medicine has always been there, and I just love doing science," explained Blackwood, who got seven distinctions and a credit.

Now lower-sixth formers, Peckham and her colleagues are turning their focus on their advanced studies, hoping to top or even match their previous academic triumphs.

"Of course, I am aiming for the 'ones' in CAPE and, hopefully, I will get a few scholarships too," said Peckham, who is tackling five subjects at the sixth-form level.