
There was once a Biblical garden of Eden whose location remains a mystery!
Young Michael Kariuki, a jovial, confident, inquisitive, amiable, and avid book lover, was brought to another type of garden by his parents a couple years ago.
His first day in the Sunrise Children Garden School (Sunrise C. G. School) must have stirred some not-too-pleasant emotions, unlike his last ones after the release of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam.
According to him, his has been a lovely journey of discovery and triumph at the Sunrise School.
In this serene garden of a school, surrounded by hundreds of other equally hopeful young ones, he thrived through the years until he emerged among the best in the just concluded KCPE examination.
Not given to selfish wonderings, Kariuki is quick to note that his story was the story of his entire class, even the Sunrise School community.
Listening to Kariuki, whose dream is to become an engineer, and his mentor, who is also the head teacher in the school, Mr. Silas Ndwiga, you discern a correlation between factors that often go undetected in the making of excelling students and achievers.
The working of the words of the school’s mission statement, “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn away from it,” is evident in every word or expression as one interacts with the students or staff of the school.
Their triumph in the concluded KCPE exams was no accident, going to the efforts that all stakeholders have made.
Sunrise Children Garden School performed impressively in the 2022 KCPE exams.
Mr. Ndwiga, the head teacher, traces this performance to the initial vision of the school’s founders, Dr. and Mrs. Gitau.
They dreamed of meeting a need by founding a learning institution where academic excellence went hand in hand with a truly holistic approach tailored to impact the whole person for life.

They desired to gift society with godly, excelling, and well-adjusted children whose faith in God endured throughout life: spiritually, physically, and socially, nurturing children to be great citizens of Kenya who fit into society and globally.
Their final product is a confident, ambitious child with a foundation in God’s word, ready to conquer any mountain in Kenya and abroad.
If you do that, it will be good for us all.
They are well on course in their vision if the KCPE results and the prevailing mannerism and worldview of their students are anything to go by.
A garden-like, conducive and practical learning environment, Kariuki reminisces, has brought out the best of him.
He nonchalantly says his academic triumph, reflected by the 411 marks that he got, out of the possible 500, is not detached from the beautiful values such as respect, collaboration with students, the love of others, and God, among many other virtues that the school has instilled in him.
He says this is the environment he will miss, which has enabled him to concentrate and cooperate with students and staff in his studies.
The school, situated in Nairobi’s Donholm’s Savanna estate in the Embakasi East constituency, shined brightly as ten of its students scored over four hundred marks.

Twenty-nine others got an impressive range of between 350 and 399 marks, while 17 others managed 300 and above.
Only two students scored below three hundred marks, meaning the entire 2022 class is eligible for onward transmission to high school.
Mr. Ndwiga, eyes shining with passion and determination that has seen him work around the clock to ensure the right learning environment, affirms that academic success must always consider other factors, such as holistic mentorship for a child’s balanced development and a combined approach by all stakeholders.
Dr. and Mrs. Gitau’s founding desire to address what they saw as a creeping, moral and social emptiness in children, he emphasizes, inspires every staff member who boards the Sunrise school’s educational train.
Education, the focused head teacher maintains, is and remains the best strategy for constructing an upright child, adult and society.
This thinking fully informs the school’s deliberate and systematic routine that incorporates God’s word in its day-to-day activities.
A day at Sunrise, says the teacher, is not fulfilled until God’s word is shared through various forums such as the morning assemblies, staff devotions, pupils’ weekly scripture verse memorization, discussions and bible studies.
He says this is one of the secrets behind the school’s success in churning out stable and strong students who are still doing well in their pursuits out there.
To prepare the young students for future leadership and other duties, the head teacher says students themselves are allowed to elect their class and other representatives in an open and free democratic exercise.
They freely elect their school President, his Deputy, Governors, Senators and MPs, who are elected to lead and represent their classes.
Elections to these students’ esteemed offices, unlike Kenya’s general elections, take place at the beginning of every academic year and the student body satisfactorily settles down to continue with their studies.

Michael Kariuki, the student who came second with 411 marks, after Muli Tessy Nduku, was once an MP for his class, is full of praise for his parents and teachers for giving the students enough space, attention, love and care, even assisting them in their co-curriculum activities.
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Such experiences, he says, have allowed him to learn to swim, skit and understand the art of getting along well with parents, siblings and all people.
The Scholar Media Africa wishes Michael Kariuki, the Sunrise Children Garden School family and every other KCPE graduate a merry Christmas and God’s blessings as they prepare to kick off their next educational pursuit in the new year.
Congratulations to my nephew Michael.