Jomar Clue credits parenting strategy for PEP success
Near-perfect scores earn youngster admission to Glenmuir High
Published:Friday | July 19, 2024 | 12:06 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
Jomar Clue, the top-performing grade six student at Glenmuir Preparatory School, attributes his near-perfect scores in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations to his parents’ strict rule of “no phones or gadgets on weekdays”.
His overall score of 391.7, out of a possible 400, has earned him a place at the nearby Glenmuir High School in May Pen, Clarendon.
Jomar’s mom, Alethea Clue, told The Gleaner that she was elated, excited, and thankful to God that the strategy she and her husband, George, implemented paid off.
“In terms of balancing, he has a very rigid pattern at home ... . In terms of the telephone and games, he does not get that in the week, so he knows that in the week, it is homework, it’ is assignments, extracurricular activities at school,” Alethea said.
“In terms of his gadgets, he will get those on Friday evenings, and they’re taken back at 9 o’clock, and he’ll get them back on Sunday [morning], and the gadgets will be taken again on Sunday evening so that he can focus on school Monday to Friday,” the mom said of the strategy.
“That kinda gives him a sense of discipline and balance, so he looks forward to getting the gadgets at that time and then limiting the distraction from the outside. I ensure that that is done, and I did that for all the children,” she said.
For George, the rule worked as it helped their son to know the difference between “work time and playtime”.
The father is ecstatic, primarily because Jomar balances football well with academics.
“He’s an excellent child in my view. He did very well, especially in grade five and grade six because in grade five, he scored 78.9 out of 80,” George told The Gleaner.
“He also knows the value of teamwork [through sports],” he said.
For Jomar, he believes the extra online and face-to-face PEP classes helped him to succeed.
A shy boy of few words, Jomar told The Gleaner that he was surprised to emerge as the top-performing PEP boy at Glenmuir Preparatory. Despite leading his grade five class in PEP, he faced stiff competition from another student who aimed to surpass him. Ultimately, however, that student scored two points lower than Jomar.
“It’s a really good feeling,” he said of coming out on top. “It feels very nice.”
As fate would have it, his grades also made him the top performer among all the students placed at Glenmuir High School this year.
Consequently, he had the honour of carrying the torch at the high school’s recent Torch Lighting Ceremony.
Jomar said he aspired to follow in the footsteps of his elder siblings, Tianna Clue and Jovan Clue, who both previously passed for Glenmuir High School and helped him with his studies.
“It’s an institution I’ve always wanted to attend. My siblings went there and my father. Also, the place is very nice. It has a lot of space. It has extracurricular activities. Overall, it’s a good school,” he told The Gleaner.
At his graduation, Jomar also received trophies for Invaluable Contribution to Football, the Chad Hanson Trophy for the Most Involved Student, and Top Speller.
Besides football, Jomar was also involved at school in karate.
He wants to become an engineer to help build Jamaica and reduce potholes across the country, which he labelled as eyesores.