BARRETT TOWN , St James – RENALDO Ruddock, a 10-year-old student at the Barrett Town All-Age School in St James could hardly contain his joy when it was announced that he was the first beneficiary of the Dudley Miller Educational Enhancement Scholarship.

Despite tremendous odds, the youngster was able — through creative means — to secure the textbooks needed to prepare himself for last year’s Grade Four Literacy Test.

And for his resourcefulness, Renaldo was recognised by his school at its Peace Day function on Tuesday, where four justices of the peace in the Barrett Town community of St James, as well as eight ‘Peacemakers’ from the state-run educational institution were also recognised.

Seeing that his parents could not afford to purchase the textbooks that he badly needed to adequately prepare himself for the test, Renaldo, who resides in the Lilliput area of the parish, decided to ‘throw hands’ in a partner in his community.

‘Throwing’ $40.00 per day from his already meagre lunch allowance courtesy of the Government’s Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), the youngster was able to save enough money to purchase the books and to give his unemployed mother one thousand dollars.

“I decided that it was the best thing (throwing the partner) I could do, because I did not want to beg anyone money to buy them, so seeing that my mother could not afford to buy the books, I decided to throw the partner because I really wanted to pass my Grade Four Literary Test and to help my mother,” Relando explained.

Tashinna Fowler-Powell, the school’s guidance counsellor, said Renaldo — now a Grade 5 student — who had a “remarkable journey last year” did very well in the test.

She said after hearing “the extraordinary” student’s story, a decision was taken to make him the first beneficiary of the Dudley Miller Educational Enhancement Scholarship.

“On hearing his story told by his then class teacher, Dr Doreen Miller Diagne, the daughter of Dudley Miller, — a past chairman of the school, who is now deceased — decided to lift the student so he will in return come to know the value of lifting others, as he works for self-improvement,” explained Fowler-Powell.

Later this year, the guidance counsellor said, more beneficiaries of the scholarship will be announced.

Meanwhile, the four JPs recognised by the school for their outstanding contribution to the community were: former councillor for the Rose Hall Division Harold Henry, Oliver Palmer, Norman Lara, and Sandra Miller-Hall.

Those recognised for being Peacemakers in their respective classes were: Gabriel Gillings, Raycine Williams, Tashana Ramsay, Fernando Lewis, Kerrick Foster, Adena Dowman, Roger Campbell, and Dwight Anglin.

The Barrett Town Police Station was also singled out for special recognition during the ceremony.