10-year-old Abasi making academic strides
Published:Saturday | July 1, 2023 | 12:37 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
ABASIEKEME MORRISON’S Nigerian first name, meaning ‘God is able’, epitomises the youngster’s ongoing academic journey.
The 10-year-old, a student at Hagley Park Preparatory School in St Andrew, is now breathing a sigh of relief following the recent announcement of the results of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations.
He has demonstrated his ability to perform academically at the highest levels and has been named the top performer for PEP and general academics at his school.
As indicated on his student placement report, he also performed better than 97 per cent of all test takers on the Ability Test. His overall performance has resulted in him passing for his second-choice school, Ardenne High.
He will also serve as valedictorian at his school’s graduation ceremony to be held on July 2 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
Morrison participates in a variety of extracurricular activities like violin and piano lessons, studies three languages – Mandarin, French, and Spanish, plays sports like tae kwon do, chess, tennis, and swimming, and is a member of the school’s quiz team.
As a well-rounded student, Morrison, who is affectionately called ‘Abasi’, said it was crucial for him to understand the significance of finding a schoolwork-life balance.
By creating a timetable, he has been able to study efficiently while also making adequate time for recreational activities, he said.
Abasi informed The Gleaner that his first choice was to attend Campion College, and that he thought he could’ve done better on his examinations to achieve this. Nonetheless, he stated that he was very proud of his performance and was now looking forward to new beginnings at Ardenne High.
His father, Amazu Morrison, stated that although he would have preferred his son to be awarded his first-choice school, he was confident that where he was placed is where he was destined to be.
“My whole belief is that God knows what’s best and he is getting to go to this school that is best for him,” the elder Morrison said.
Gifted and intelligent
In an interview with The Gleaner, Dr Paulene Gayle Betten, principal of Hagley Park Prep, described Abasi as an “exceptional student”, who was very “gifted and intelligent.”
She said that he has always been attentive in class and had an inquiring mind, a trait which she hopes he will carry into high school.
Young Abasi aspires to become a marine biologist and his favourite subjects are mathematics and science. Through his own experiences, he has learnt how crucial it is to recognise the type of studying methods that best suited him.
“How I got to this point wasn’t by studying, studying, as in reading through a textbook and going through the entire thing. For many people, this [can be] boring and most of the time you have to start over and over again because you don’t remember what you just read,” he explained.
“So, what I would advise [students] to do, would be to ... turn [studying] into an educational game,” Abasi offered.
The elder Morrison detailed how his son has always been driven in his academic pursuits and would organise his own study groups with his peers, search for his own material to review outside of class notes and textbooks, and was not reliant on his parents for help.
Sharing this view his mother, Patrina Thomas-Morrison, informed The Gleaner that her son has always been a very focused child when on his own terms.
“I say [this] because he was relatively very relaxed during the preparation process. He doesn’t like to feel flustered, he doesn’t like to feel overwhelmed, [and so] he goes at his own pace,” she said.
She then encouraged parents to adopt an approach of ensuring that their child is not pushed into studying for prolonged periods as this can cause burnout and result in the kids being less likely to retain the material.
“They need to recognise the signs of that. When they become very lethargic, very uninterested in the work or they’re falling asleep a lot, low energy, those kinds of signs kind of give you some indication that they’re just really spent,” she added, stating that every child is different and what may result in one child’s success might not be the case for another.
Along with studying at home, Abasi, she said, would also spend many evenings in extra lessons and most of his Sundays over several months at school with his fellow schoolmates participating in PEP marathons hosted by their teachers, Mrs Russell and Mrs Balfour, to whom the family is extremely grateful.
Proud and happy
She explained that the family’s reaction to his achievements has been joyous as all his relatives are proud and happy for his successes.
“Everybody is of the view that they know he could do it and one of the things that most persons, including the teachers and the principal at his school, would say, is that he is younger than all of the students in his class ... so it’s an accomplishment for him at his young age,” she noted.
Thomas-Morrison and her husband said that they were looking forward to offering the necessary support needed for when he transitions to grade seven and how high school would foster his overall growth and development.
“He’s still 10, he’s going to be 11 years old in the next two weeks, so he’s still not at the level of focus that would be ideal. So as he grows and becomes more focused I look forward to see what he’ll become,” the elder Morrison said, adding that he knows that his son holds great potential and that he is looking forward to seeing it realised in his life.