IN JAMAICA: Drug abuse council launches ganja education campaign

BY JEDIAEL CARTER Observer staff reporter carterj@jamaicabserver.com  Friday, July 10, 2015    

THE National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) says it is taking action to stem the prevalence of drug use among young people by educating them.

"Our primary responsibility right now is protecting young people from the negative consequences of using [drugs]," Executive Director of the NCDA, Michael Tucker told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Chairman of the board of the National Council on Drug
Abuse Dr Wendel Abel (right) present cups that promote the
 ganja public education campaign to Minister of Health
 Dr Fenton Ferguson (left) and Chief Medical Director
 Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse, while executive director of
 the council Michael Tucker proudly looks on.
(PHOTO: MICHAEL GORDON)

This comes on the heels of reports that students were ingesting marijuana in candies and the recent legislative amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act, which created several opportunities for the use of marijuana in Jamaica because of the decriminalisation of small amounts of the weed.

The NCDA, with the support of the Ministry of Health, yesterday launched a public education campaign themed "Ganja: Know the Facts, Know How to Act".

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Tucker told journalists that the campaign is expected to inform the public on the boundaries of the legislation, an individual's rights and liabilities under the Act, behavioural responsibilities in the new legislative environment and the NCDA's role in supporting and protecting vulnerable populations.

"The council will be taking a multitiered, collaborative approach to managing and preventing or reducing harm to high risk groups through a public health strategy which includes mass media, advocacy and regulations, education programming and surveillance," Tucker said.

He said that through the campaign, the council is hoping to reduce by 30 per cent the number of persons arrested for the possession of more than two ounces of ganja in public places and the caseload of criminal courts for ganja possession. He said the council was also hoping to see a decrease in the number of students ages 13-18 who start smoking ganja while still in school.

The director told the Observer that the NCDA was working outside of the public education programme to inform the youth. more

The Chinese are buying up prime Jamaican properties and buildings right across the island....There is near total ownership of former black people's businesses in Spalding, Clarendon; Christiana, Manchester; and Alexandria and Brown's Town, St Ann..

Published July 10, 2015 Jamaica Gleaner-Maurice Christie christiemaurice@yahoo.com

Dear Editor,

Dr Caroline Cooper brought out the most important story for a long while. Whether we turn a blind eye or we play hypocrites, it is staring us in the face — the increased property and community purchase by Chinese immigrants.

No longer are they temporary citizens, the Chinese are holding on to prime Jamaican properties and buildings right across the island. But Cooper is a little late with her story, as Hope Pastures is not the only area where there is a rush for properties. There is near total ownership of former black people's businesses in Spalding, Clarendon; Christiana, Manchester; and Alexandria and Brown's Town, St Ann.

While no one can deny people the right to acquire property, it smacks of the same behaviour demonstrated to the people of continental Africa in the areas of Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, where they conduct business and are now purchasing real estate for permanent abode.

While we invite and welcome foreigners, they should realise that they cannot trample on the rights of locals. Their failure to respect Jamaicans rights and privileges will only lead to a poor relationship and intolerance.

Jamaican pilot Paul Stephens from prison still in Qatari prison, says foreign Minister Senator AJ Nicholson....Stephens would have spent a total of three years and nine months

Friday, July 10, 2015    

A day after Foreign Affairs Minister Senator AJ Nicholson drew the ire of many Jamaicans over what was felt were inappropriate remarks regarding the then reported release of Jamaican pilot Paul Stephens from prison in Qatar, the authorities say they have now received official word from the Qatari Government that the Jamaican is still behind bars.

It appears that Stephens may soon be freed, however, as according to the foreign affairs ministry, at the end of last month Stephens would have spent a total of three years and nine months of his five-year sentence.

"The ministry understands that there is provision in the Qatari legal system for the remission of three months' sentence for each year to be served," the ministry explained in a release yesterday.

On Tuesday Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs Edmund Bartlett had issued a release claiming that Stephens had been freed from prison. But at that time Nicholson said he had received no such news from Jamaican embassy officials in Kuwait.

On Wednesday, Nicholson questioned what he said was unwarranted interest in the case, stating that he would not comment any further on the matter. Persons close to the case have accused the ministry of not doing enough to press the Qatari Government to pardon Stephens, but some have cautioned against Jamaica appearing to take a particular posture in a case in which a person has been convicted of sexual molestation of a minor.

The ministry made it clear yesterday that it: "Does not presume to make a judgement as to the guilt or innocence of any Jamaican national."

It also said it understood that others may choose to offer opinions in that regard. more

BOMBSHELL: Unprecedented Hack Of U.S. Gov't Files Gets Even Worse...Hackers Stole Social Security Numbers From 21.5 Million People In Recent Data Breach, U.S. Says

Reuters Posted: 07/09/2015 3:53 pm EDT 

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - Data breaches at the U.S. government's personnel management agency by hackers, with suspicions centering on China, involves millions more people than previously estimated, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said data stolen from its computer networks included Social Security numbers and other sensitive information on 21.5 million people who have undergone background checks for security clearances.

That is in addition to data on about 4.2 million current and former federal workers that was stolen in what the OPM called a "separate but related" hacking incident. Because many people were affected by both hacks, a total of 22.1 million people were affected, or almost 7 percent of the U.S. population.The breach had already been considered one of the most damaging on record because of its scale and, more importantly, the sensitivity of the material taken.

Those exposed included 19.7 million who applied for the clearances - current, former, and prospective federal employees and contractors - plus 1.8 million non-applicants, mostly spouses or co-habitants of applicants, the agency said.

Lawmakers from both parties demanded OPM Director Katherine Archuleta's removal. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, said President Barack Obama "must take a strong stand against incompetence in his administration and instill new leadership at OPM."

"The technological and security failures at the Office of Personnel Management predate this director's term, but Director Archuleta's slow and uneven response has not inspired confidence that she is the right person to manage OPM through this crisis," added Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner.more

Is an Anti-Cancer Drug Growing in Your Front Lawn? Dandelion Plant.

Michelle Schoffro Cook July 9, 2015    

If you walk past my home, you might notice the dandelions that grow rampant on the front lawn. While neighbors continue to douse the yellow flowers with pesticides, like Monsanto’s Round-Up, which has been shown to cause cancer, I prefer to let the resilient and prevalent flowers grow. That’s because, in addition to dandelion’s excellent nutritional benefits, it is increasingly being shown in research to have potent anti-cancer properties.

Dandelion Plant

One of the most exciting studies about dandelion’s anti-cancer abilities was published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada in conjunction with the Windsor Regional Cancer Center, tested the effects of an extract of dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) on melanoma—an aggressive form of skin cancer. The scientists found that after 48 hours of exposure to the dandelion extract, cancer cells begin to die off. The study also found that dandelion was effective on cancer cells that were resistant to chemotherapy.

Other research published in the International Journal of Oncology suggests that the humble dandelion—the weed so many people hate—may offer new hope in the battle against cancer. The researchers tested various parts of the plant, which they made into herbal teas and assessed the effects on both breast and prostate cancers. They found that a tea made from the leaves decreased the growth of breast cancer cells while a tea made from the root blocked the ability of cancer cells to invade healthy breast tissue and healthy prostate tissue.

In another study published in the online medical journal PLoS One, researchers found that an extract of dandelion root was able to selectively and efficiently kill cancer cells without toxicity to healthy cells. They concluded that dandelion root and other natural medicines have “great potential, as non-toxic and effective alternatives to conventional modes of chemotherapy available today.”

According to a study published in Molecular Carcinogenesis, one of the ways that dandelion root seems to work is by making cancer cells more vulnerable to being destroyed through the body’s natural process known as apoptosis, which causes cancer cells to self-destruct. The study also found that dandelion root seems to increase the effectiveness of other cancer treatments used alongside it. more

THE GLEANER MINUTE: Gays pressure music fest ... 'It was a joke' ... Asafa defeated

THE GLEANER MINUTE: Christie blasts PM ... Bill Cosby statue removed ... Webb in fraud case

South Carolina House Approves Bill To Remove Confederate Flag From Statehouse Banner Could Come Down Within Days (VIDEO)

 AP By JEFFREY COLLINS Posted: 07/09/2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — More than 50 years after South Carolina raised a Confederate flag at its Statehouse to protest the civil rights movement, the state is getting ready to remove the rebel banner.

The Flag

A bill pulling down the flag from the Capitol's front lawn and the flagpole it flies on passed the South Carolina House early Thursday morning. It should get to Gov. Nikki Haley's desk before the end of the day.

The governor promised to sign it quickly, but didn't say exactly when. That's important, because the bill requires the flag be taken down within 24 hours of her pen hitting the paper and shipped to the Confederate Relic Room. more

Ask the US Embassy? Can I add my child to my immigrant visa petition?

 Wednesday, July 08, 2015 

Q: My husband filed a petition for me to immigrate back in 2013. I have not had my interview yet and recently had a baby. Can I add the baby to my filing?

A: Congratulations on the birth of your child! The answer to your question is "it depends". There are two groups of family-based immigrant visa categories -- IR and F. IR stands for immediate relative and these cases are filed by US citizens on behalf of their spouses, children under 21 and their parents. The F visa category is for family preference cases. These cases are filed by both US citizens and in some cases legal permanent residents (green card holders) on behalf of their children, spouses and siblings.

If your husband is a US citizen, your petition falls into the category of IR. Children cannot be added to these cases. However, your husband can file a separate petition for your child.

Please note: If your husband is the father of your child and was a US citizen at the time of your child's birth, your child may already be a US citizen. You can get more information at : http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/abroad/events-and-records/birth.html and http://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-parents.

* If you think the baby might be a US citizen you should plan a visit to our American Citizen Services section.

* If your husband is not the biological father of your child, he will need to file a separate IR stepchild petition for the baby.

* If your husband is a legal permanent resident (F visa category) he may be able to add your child to your petition. Please contact us at KingstonIV@state.gov so we can further advise you. more

IN JAMAICA : Counterfeit US$50 notes in circulation.... The notes bear the serial number MB25837080A

Wednesday, July 08, 2015    

THE police have arrested four people in connection with the use of counterfeit US$50 notes in Highgate, Port Maria, Oracabessa, and Gayle in St Mary.

The notes bear the serial number MB25837080A and are being used mainly in supermarkets, petrol stations, and at places of entertainment in the parish, the police said.

The public has been urged to be cautious of people who attempt to use US$50 notes to carry out transactions and to make proper checks to ensure that the notes are legitimate.

At the same time, the police have appealed to people with information that can lead to the apprehension of other perpetrators in the counterfeit scheme to contact the St Mary police at 994-2452, 994-9873, police 119 emergency number or the nearest police station.

Pres. Obama thanks Tony Rebel for sending him a copy of his song, Blackman Redemption.

BY HOWARD CAMPBELL Observer senior reporter  Thursday, July 09, 2015    

Producer of the single Blackman Redemption, Donovan
 Germain (left) and deejay Tony Rebel at the Jamaica
 Observer’s headquarters on Beechwood Avenue
 in Kingston. (Photo: Antonio Graham)

UNITED States President Barack Obama has thanked deejay/social activist Tony Rebel for sending him a copy of his song, Blackman Redemption.

In a letter dated June 11, Obama said, 'I was moved by your generosity'.

Throughout the three-paragraph letter, the US leader refers to the veteran entertainer as 'Patrick' (Rebel's given name is Patrick Barrett).

The letter bears his signature.

Rebel left a copy of the song at Jamaica House in Kingston where Obama -- the US's first black president -- held bilateral talks with Jamaican government officials on April 9.

Inspired by Obama's historic victory in the US presidential election on November 4, 2008, Rebel and producer Donovan Germain recorded Blackman Redemption at the latter's Penthouse studio in Kingston.

Set to the music of Bob Marley's song of the same name, it also features singjay Queen Ifrica and singer Nikki Burt.

‘It’s the media’s fault’, says Chronixx In an interview with Billboard.com

Thursday, July 09, 2015 

CHRONIXX has addressed his controversial 'waste man' remark about United States president Barack Obama.

In an interview with Billboard.com, the singer said the media is to blame for misrepresenting his Instagram post, made during Obama's visit to Jamaica in April.

Chronixx / Obama

"The post was more about Marcus Garvey as a leader of the black movement. The media has a way though how to fix things to their own benefit. They use little points from what you say and take it and put it as headline. So they might take the most insignificant aspect of a whole reasoning and use that as the headline," he said.

The Instagram rant was triggered by what Chronixx considers the US government's failure to clear National Hero Marcus Garvey of mail fraud in that country.

Garvey was deported to Jamaica in 1927 after serving four years in a Federal prison for mail fraud. Some historians and scholars argue that his imprisonment was politically and racially motivated.

Chronixx was roundly criticised for describing Obama as a 'waste man', street slang for a person lacking ambition.

BRIGHT AS A BULB in JA: 21 Students Score 100 Per Cent In All GSAT Subjects, Schools Named....See the list here

In this file photo a student at Duhaney
 Park Primary School in St Andrew
 prays during devotion before sitting GSAT

July 9, 2015-Jamaica Gleaner

The wait to find out who will me named top boy and girl is almost over for the many students who received perfect scores in this year's sitting of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

Director of Communications at the Education Ministry, Byron Buckley says the announcement is expected to be made later this week. Buckley says with so many students achieving tops scores in the placement exam this year, the selection process was harder than expected.

Director of Communications at the Ministry of Education, Byron Buckley (AUDIO)

Meanwhile, the ministry says 21 students scored 100 per cent in all subjects -12 from primary and nine from preparatory schools.

They attend the following schools:

1.      HOLY CHILDHOOD PREPARATORY & ACADEMY

2.      WOLMER'S PREPARATORY

3.      UNITY PRIMARY (2)

4.      THE QUEEN'S PREPARATORY (2)

5.      ST. RICHARD'S PRIMARY

6.      BURNT SAVANNAH PRIMARY

7.      CORINALDI AVENUE PRIMARY

8.      MANDEVILLE PRIMARY & JUNIOR HIGH

9.      MONA  PREPARATORY

10.   UNITED LEARNING CENTRE

11.   STS PETER & PAUL  PREPARATORY

12.   BRIDGEPORT PRIMARY

13.   VAZ PREPARATORY

14.   JESSIE RIPOLL PRIMARY (2)

15.   ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PREPARATORY

16.   ENSOM CITY PRIMARY

17.   HALF-WAY TREE PRIMARY

18.   MANNINGS HILL PRIMARY

The Ministry says it will not disclose the names of the students at this time. However, the scholarship awardees are scheduled to be announced next week. Close to 40,000 students sat this year's Grade Six Achievement Test.

RBN USTREAM Broadcast (BELOW)    LISTEN & WATCH BROADCAST LIVE 24/7

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        FOR USTREAM VIEWING CLICK ON PLAYER BELOW    

To listen, click PLAY icon above then unmute speaker icon at bottom left on player after a brief commercial. 

You may also listen commercial FREE by clicking ON AIR-Listen LIVE AUDIO BOX above or TUNE-IN LINK or call in on Tele at 213-401-0061. Studio line is 770-744-2154. Enjoy the sweet music.To chat , please sign in with your Chatango account.Please support the scholarship program by considering to donate at least $10.00 at www.PALAS1.org. Thank you very much

ST, CATHERINE, JAMAICA: Truck spills oil, crushes bus in nasty Port Henderson crash (VIDEO)

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, July 07, 2015 

A section of Port Henderson Road in Portmore, St Catherine, was closed off for hours yesterday after a truck carrying fuel slammed into a parked Hiace bus and overturned, spilling thousands of litres of oil along the roadway and into the sea.

It was still unclear up to press time last night what caused the crash, but residents reported that about 7:30 am the truck, which was transporting fuel for the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, was travelling along the busy thoroughfare when it might have got out of control.

The mangled remains of the bus that was crushed by a
 trailer that crashed along Port Henderson Road yesterday.

"I just opened my door and come out to the front when all of a sudden I saw this trailer coming at a high speed; when me see what was happening I tried to go across the road," said Orane McKoy, a 35-year-old fisherman.

"While the truck was speeding down the road me see the back start to wrap around to the front and from me see that me know it was going to crash," said McKoy

He said he managed to run to safety as the truck later slammed into a bus that was parked along the roadside.

Yesterday, Richard Lindo, the 69-year-old owner of the bus, said he was inside his shop, which is located close to the road, when he heard a loud explosion.

Overturned 16 wheeler

"When I came out to look I could not believe what I saw," said the obviously distraught shop operator who placed his hand on his head as he looked at the mangled remains of his vehicle.

He was, however, happy that no life was lost.

"If this incident had happened on any other day it would have claimed the lives of large groups of persons," said Lindo. He said where the bus was parked has been a popular spot where fishermen hang out in the days. more

CAUGHT: Cosby 'Fessed Up -- In 2005! : Bill Cosby Admitted To Drugging Woman with Quaaludes In 2005 Deposition

Associated Press Posted: 07/06/2015

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bill Cosby admitted in 2005 that he got quaaludes with the intent of giving them to young women he wanted to have sex with, and that he gave the sedative to at least one woman and "other people," according to documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

Bill Cosby

That woman and a second woman testified in the same case that they knowingly took quaaludes from him, according to the unsealed documents.

The AP had gone to court to compel the release of the documents from the deposition in a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by former Temple University employee Andrea Constand — the first of a cascade of sexual abuse lawsuits against him. Cosby's lawyers had objected on the grounds that it would embarrass their client.

Cosby settled that lawsuit under confidential terms in 2006. His lawyers in the Philadelphia case did not immediately return phone calls Monday. Constand consented to be identified but did not want to comment, her lawyer said Monday.

Cosby, 77, has been accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct, including allegations by many that he drugged and raped them in incidents dating back more than four decades. Cosby has never been criminally charged, and most of the accusations are barred by statutes of limitations.

Cosby, giving sworn testimony in the lawsuit accusing him of sexual assaulting Constand at his home in Pennsylvania in 2005, said he got seven quaalude prescriptions in the 1970s. The lawyer for Constand asked if he had kept the sedatives through the 1990s — after they were banned — but was frustrated by objections from Cosby's lawyer.

"When you got the quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?" lawyer Dolores M. Troiani asked.

"Yes," Cosby answered on Sept. 29, 2005.

"Did you ever give any of these young women the quaaludes without their knowledge?" Cosby's lawyer again objected, leading Troiani to petition the federal judge to force Cosby to cooperate.

Cosby later said he gave Constand three half-pills of Benadryl, although Troiani in the documents voices doubt that was the drug involved. The two other women who testified on Constand's behalf said they had knowingly been given quaaludes. more

AUSTIN, Texas : Three-Year-Old Boy Dies After Accidentally Shooting Self...A grand jury will investigate the case (VIDEO)

Reuters Posted: 07/06/2015 5:08 pm EDT 
AUSTIN, Texas, July 6 (Reuters) - A 3-year-old Texas boy who shot himself at a Houston-area home over the weekend died on Monday from the wound, officials said.

The boy's grandparents were babysitting him and had put him down for a nap. They later heard a gunshot and found the boy had shot himself, police said.

"When they went in to check on him, he had apparently located a .380 semiautomatic pistol that was in the bedroom and had apparently accidentally shot himself in the head," Sergeant Ben Beall of the Harris County Sheriff's Office was quoted as saying by broadcaster KHOU.

A grand jury will investigate the case that took place in Spring, north of Houston, to see if anyone will face charges over the incident. more
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Eric Beech)

THE GLEANER MINUTE: Flooding in Clarendon ... JUTC oil tanker overturns ... Serena beats Venus

Busy Signal arrested, released in T&T after failing to repay over US$37,000 due to a local promoter

Monday, July 06, 2015  

DANCEHALL artiste Busy Signal was released after being arrested in Trinidad Saturday night after failing to repay over US$37,000 due to a local promoter for the past two years.

Busy Signal

According to the Trinidad Express website , the singjay was arrested at his hotel shortly before he was slated to perform at Together As One concert. The entertainer was hauled before the Port of Spain High Court following an emergency hearing with Justice Rahim, who issued the warrant for Busy Signal's arrest.

The article stated that Busy Signal (given name Reanno Gordon) was paid US$37,088 in 2013 to perform at a concert for Peppers Entertainment in May of that year. Both the promoters and the entertainer had agreed to postpone the concert with the money that was paid to Gordon going towards his performance fee for the rescheduled event. Documents said that Gordon did not deduct this sum from a future concert and also did not repay the money.

Busy Signal

The promoter's attorneys Michael Rooplal and Carina Jailal had filed an application for a fugae warrant pursuant to the Absconding Debtors Act. The claim was based on Gordon's failure to return monies owed.

The promoters claimed for damages for breach of contract in the sum of US$37,088 and for interests and costs.

The entertainer was released after he entered into a consent order to pay US$15,000.

The balance is to be paid in the next 30 days. Gordon who was represented by attorney Fareed Ali.

IN JAMAICA: Exchange guns for education : Murdered soldier’s friends starting foundation to turn youth away from crime. WHAT DO YOU THINK? WILL IT WORK?

Monday, July 06, 2015

FRIENDS of Vaughn Moore, the soldier who was gunned down in the volatile community of Central Village earlier this year, are moving to launch a foundation to honour the life and work of the man who gave more than 15 years of service to his country.

The foundation will seek to target youth in inner-city communities who are involved in a life of crime,” Owen Smith, Moore’s lifelong friend, told the Jamaica Observer over the weekend.

Smith said that Moore, who was also property manager at Devon House, was a person who would always put service above self. He said members of the foundation hope to encourage youngsters who are armed with guns to hand them in to the authorities.

“In return, we are seeking to put up funds to get the carriers of these destructive weapons enrolled in various educational programmes. It is like a gun amnesty, but our aim is to not just call for the guns, we are seeking to make a change in the lives of those carrying the guns,” said Smith, who is the manager of the Jamaica Observer’s Transport Department.

Police report that on May 20 Moore was shot dead by gunmen in the community where he grew up. He had returned to the area to visit his mother.

Smith said Moore was the kind of person who always tried to help the youth, especially those in his community. “He was a hero, a leader both at community level and national level,” said Smith. “He was a disciplinarian who was willing to go the extra mile to help others.”

Smith said this was why steps were being taken to make the VAMOS (Vaughn Al Martino Moore Our Son) Jamaica Foundation a reality. “Discussions have started with representatives of the Jamaica Defence Force and other authorities about the initiative,” Smith said. more

Police: 22 y-o Devon Staples shoots off firework from top of his head, dies

CALAIS, Maine (AP) — A young man who was drinking and celebrating the Fourth of July tried to launch a firework off the top of his head, fatally injuring himself, authorities said Sunday.

Devon Staples and his friends had been drinking and setting off fireworks Saturday night in the backyard of a friend's home in the small eastern Maine city of Calais, said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety. Staples, 22, of Calais, placed a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off, he said.

The firework exploded, killing Staples instantly, McCausland said.

His death is the first fireworks fatality in Maine since the state legalized fireworks on Jan. 1, 2012, authorities said.

Calais is on the Canadian border near New Brunswick.

State fire marshals were also investigating several other Fourth of July fireworks accidents involving injuries in Friendship, Jefferson, Lebanon and Woodstock. They said most of the accidents involved burns and eye injuries. McCausland said further details were expected to be released later Sunday.

In 2011, lawmakers voted to repeal a 1949 law banning fireworks, reasoning the industry would create jobs and generate additional revenue.

IN JAMAICA (GOOD HEART) : Math whiz and Campion College Bound, 12 y-o Mikhail Morris wants to help students pass the subject

BY DENISE DENNIS  Sunday, July 05, 2015    

He's just a few months shy of his 12th birthday, but Mona Heights Primary student Mikhail Morris is already quite clear about the career he wants to pursue.

Mona Heights Primary School head boy Mikhail Morris (centre)
 shares a moment with his grandmother Loretta Graham and his
 younger sister Kalila Morris, following his graduation ceremony,
on Thursday. Mikhail is on his way to Campion College as
a result of his outstanding performance in the Grade Six
Achievement Test (GSAT).

Concerned about the challenge that mathematics poses for many of his peers, Mikhail said his dream is to become a teacher of the subject.

Mikhail, who is hailed by his teachers as a top student, is regarded as a math whizz. In fact, he scored 100 per cent in mathematics in the 2015 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

"In the future, I would like to be a math teacher because I am very good at the subject," the confident young man told the Government's news agency, the Jamaica Information Service.

"I know that a lot of people do not do well in this area, so I would want to assist them with it," he added.

The head boy impressed guests at the school's graduation ceremony last Thursday, July 2, where he eloquently delivered the valedictory address.

His father, Clyde Morris, who is an information technology (IT) professional, said he knows that some persons would question Mikhail's desire to be a teacher, but as parents, they encourage him to do what he loves.

"We are not stressing him about that, because if that's what he loves, that's what he loves. He could become a math professor, you never know. We know there is so much that he can do," Morris said.

Mikhail Morris (centre), Mona Heights Primary School
 head boy and top-performing Grade Six Achievement
Test (GSAT) student, shares a moment with his proud
 parents Clyde Morris and Mitzie Graham-Morris, at his
 graduation ceremony on Thursday.

In addition to his perfect marks in math, Mikhail scored 100 per cent in English Language, Social Studies, and Communication Task, and 98 per cent in Science. These impressive scores earned him a spot at his secondary school of choice, the prestigious St Andrew-based Campion College.

Mikhail was also a member of the Mona Heights Primary Junior School's Challenge Quiz team which placed third in the competition. He had responsibility for the mathematics questions.

"We are very proud of him. We knew he was going to do well on the GSAT," Morris said.

He described Mikhail as quiet, disciplined and very focused on his school work.

"When he has work to do, you don't have to tell him to do it. He will pressure you to help him with it if he can't complete it himself," Morris said. more