Myles Whittingham sets standard for PEP excellence at Montego Bay Christian Academy

WESTERN BUREAU:

Eleven-year-old Myles Whittingham, a student of Montego Bay Christian Academy (MBCA) in St James, made an enviable addition to his scholastic history by attaining the school’s highest Primary Exit Profile (PEP) result for 2025 with a placement score of 394.4, the highest recorded score in western Jamaica.

Whittingham, who will be matriculating to the Herbert Morrison Technical High School in Montego Bay come September, told The Gleaner that he was well-prepared to sit the PEP examinations, in which he attained an ability test score of 99 and was ranked as ‘highly proficient’ in the language arts, social studies, science, and mathematics tests.

“I was happy, very happy, that I got a 99 percentile range. The exam was kind of what I expected, from what we studied. We did a lot of performance tasks, curriculum-based tasks, and we also did a lot of ability tests on Saturdays,” said Whittingham.

“I studied at home, and I had a teacher whom I had to liaise with on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays and other days, I could do my hobbies, and I usually like to play video games most of the time; plus I also like football, and I sometimes play basketball at home,” Whittingham added.

His mother, Serena Lue-Whittingham, said she and the rest of their family were confident in her son’s ability to do well.

“I am extremely proud of him, and a lot of the focus and foundation that the school has given him, as well as his teachers, his principal, and us as his family, is on having the right attitude and the right focus,” said Lue-Whittingham. “We knew he had the right foundation and the right attitude, so we were not worried about him, and we did not want to create extra pressure because we knew he had what it took to do well.”

Whittingham’s latest achievement adds to his various other accomplishments during his time at MBCA, including membership in the school’s Chess Club and Challenge Quiz Club, as well as past participation in the Math Olympiad.

FAMILY BRIDGE IN SCHOLASTIC EXELLENCE

In addition, Whittingham’s placement at Herbert Morrison serves as a family bridge in scholastic excellence, as he will be following in the footsteps of two of his brothers who are already attending that school, while leaving behind another brother still attending MBCA.

Carissa Perry, Whittingham’s grade-six teacher, credited her student’s success to his ability to learn quickly about concepts with which he may not initially be familiar.

“Myles is a young man who works very hard, and I can call on him to mark my books and correct something for someone else. One of his skills is his ability to figure out things he does not know, and he has the gift to sit down and reason well,” said Perry.

MBCA principal Renee Winkler likewise acknowledged that she had always expected Whittingham to do as well as he did in the PEP exams.

“He is a great kid, and we have enjoyed having him here. I was not surprised when I got the papers with all the scores, and I said, ‘I knew he could do it.’ He is very

well-rounded, and we are very proud of him,” said Winkler.

As for Whittingham, although he still has not yet determined what career path he wants to pursue in the future, he still had sound advice for students ahead of their exams.

“When you are trying to get a good grade on PEP, just focus and keep doing what you have to do. Make sure you know everything, and study really hard, and do not slack off or procrastinate,” said Whittingham.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com