FIFTY students from St Elizabeth were this year rewarded for their outstanding performance in M&M Jamaica Limited’s annual math competition.

The top five math students from each of the 10 schools in the parish that participated in the competition were identified and presented with a bursary valued at $6,000 each.

Recipients of the bursaries, presented earlier this year at Beadle’s Hall in Santa Cruz, included:

* Camille Moultin, Camoy Sinclair, Tashoy Williams, Priscilla Brown, and Lafaine Fagan of Newell High;

* Handel Bennett, Michael Rowe, Phillip Ebanks, Warren Clarke, and Nduka Uchemdi of Munro College;

* Dowega Hylton, Venisha Perry, Felika Hunter, Bridgette James, and Sherice Ross of Black River High;

* Analecia Smith, Jevauni Francis, Akeem Smith, Annamarie Reid, and Adjani Francis of Balaclava High; and

* Paldroy Witter, Shackara Donaldson, Kimilee Gayle, Latoya Daley, and Natalie Powell of BB Coke High.

The other awardees were:

* Peta-Ann Sawyers, Amelia Dunkley, Shadae Smith, Shenice Miller, and Ashli Thomas of The Hampton School;

* Lorendana Reynolds, Malga Levy, Andre Ambersley, Jamarley Palmer, and Shanique Downer of Lacovia High;

* Kemar Bellanfante, Amoy Dayes, Natesha Lewis, Davina Bowlin, and Fay Williams of Maggotty High;

* Keena Senior, Shanisa Jones, Kemelia Lyons, Sugel Malcolm, an Marc-Shane Lyttleton of St Elizabeth Technical High; and

* Richard Wallen, Amekia Williams, Rochelle Romans, Lissandra Robinson, and Kacia Smith of Lewisville High.

Guest speaker at the awards ceremony Reverend Karen A Redwood, employment facilitation officer at HEART Trust/NTA in Manchester, had words of encouragement for the students.

“You should not allow your past circumstances to deter you from attaining your full potential,” she said.

Richard Mullings, director of M&M Jamaica — an engineering and project management company — echoed Redwood’s sentiments, urging students to grasp every opportunity they were given.

“In the last few months, we have seen the triumph of the Schools Challenge Quiz and the Boys and Girls Champs contrasted against multiple tragedies resulting in the deaths of young people from suicides, homicides and fatal injuries due to reckless driving and many other incidents,” he said.

“Death is the ultimate loss of opportunity. With life, even the most wayward of students can become a scholar and a champion. Even the lowliest of criminals can seek redemption once he is alive. We the living have an obligation to grasp opportunity; it is a duty we owe to those who have suffered and died before us, those who — through unfortunate circumstances — are no longer able to utilise their opportunities,” Mullings added.

The M&M Mathematics Competition was started by M&M’s chief executive officer Donald Mullings 12 years ago, to enhance math education in his home parish of St Elizabeth while emphasising the importance of good math skills at all levels.

Competition co-ordinator Dr Randolph Watson views the contest as a strategic alliance ultimately aimed at improving students’ overall academic performance. He regularly meets with teachers from the participating schools to discuss problems, if any, that are being faced and to collectively review potential solutions in an effort to maximise the benefits of the competition and fulfil the overall goal of encouraging students to aim for excellence.