IN JAMAICA: 12 y-o Adrian Rhoden is the 2014 Butterkist Math Champion....he was awarded a cash prize of $50,000

By AINSWORTH MORRIS Career & Education writer  Sunday, July 06, 2014    

FOR a moment Adrian Rhoden thought he was dreaming when it was announced that he was the 2014 winner of the Butterkist National Primary Schools' Mathematics Competition, but he was soon brought back to reality by the joyous screams of his teacher and coach Sandra Needham-Ellis.

Adrian Rhoden is the overall champion in the 2014 Butterkist
National Primary Schools’ Mathematics Competition.

The 12-year-old from Chetwood Memorial Primary could barely contain his excitement as he jumped for joy and declared, "I knew that I could have done it because I have been good at maths along with others subjects at school."

Needham-Ellis told Career & Education that she was confident that Rhoden would bring home the trophy for Chetwood Memorial Primary for the very first time.

"I am elated. My expectations of him were very high and I am happy that he won," she said.

Rhoden scored the highest average of 87.5 per cent of all the students who entered in the competition from 350 schools islandwide.

The youngster, who heads to Cornwall College in September, was awarded a cash prize of $50,000 at a ceremony at Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston on June 20.

Meanwhile, Rahiem Lampart from St Aloysius Primary School; Samoy Gordon from Spaulding Primary; Arrielle Bell from St Richards Primary; and Aleigha Reynolds from Black River Primary were the second, third, fourth and fifth-place winners respectively, with averages of 86.5 per cent, 85.5 per cent, 81.5 per cent and 80.5 per cent. more