17 records fall as MoBay CC capture CCCJ track & field and cheerleading Champs
ANGELS, St Catherine — Seventeen records were broken two Saturdays ago as Montego Bay Community College (MBCC) won the overall title for the first time at the fourth staging of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ) track and field and cheerleading championships held at G C Foster Sports College in Angels, St Catherine.
Four athletes broke two records each — MBCC's Mickaell Moodie set new marks in the women's 100m and 200m; Safiya Clennon from the College of Arts, Science and Education (CASE) broke the records in the women's long and high jumps, while Exed Community College's Paketo Dudley broke the men's 100m and long jump mark and his teammate Danule Daley broke the men's shot put and discus throw marks.
MBCC retained their female team title and totalled 215 points to take the overall title to dethrone Knox Community College, who were second with 201 with Moneague College third with 162.
Exed Community College won the men's section, ahead of Knox CC and MBCC.
Meet director Aldene Crew was pleased with the number of records that were broken in the meet, one more than last year when it was held at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.
“We had a number of records broken again this year, and it shows that the athletes and coaches are putting in a lot of work and it is showing in the performances. As the years go by and more records fall it shows that the meet is growing in quality,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Overall, he gave the meet a high grade. “It was a good meet, first time away from Montego Bay Sports Complex and the first time at G C Foster and it seems to work for Montego Bay Community College, so maybe at least it was good for them to leave home.”
Delano Smith, coach of the winning team, said he was “overwhelmed” with the victory. “It was tremendous effort, there were a lot of challenges but we overcame them and that made it even sweeter.”
Smith had high praises for the women's team. “We had 11 females, same number as last year but they are true warriors, and hats off to them.”
Seventeen-year-old Moodie upstaged her teammate Hodecia Housen, who took the double last year, with times of 11.80 seconds in the 100m and 25.21 seconds in the 200m.
Moodie and Housen ran identical 12.22 seconds to win their respective semi-final heats but with medals on the line, Moodie took almost an entire second off both records, lowering the previous 100m mark of 12.71 second set in 2017 by Shanique McKenzie and smashed the 26.11 seconds set by Housen last year.
Dudley, a former ISSA Boys' Champs Class Two long jump gold medallist while at Jamaica College, won the 100m in a smart 10.42 seconds, beating the old 10.91 seconds held by Delano Bailey a year ago.
Earlier, he had won the long jump with an impressive 7.05m, to surpass the 6.88m set last year by Jonathon Smith, also of Exed, needing only three jumps to secure the title.
Clennon, who won three events last year, jumped 5.04m to win the long jump, extending the record of 5.00m set in 2017 by Tamoya Walters.
She not only retained her high jump title but cleared 1.62m to beat the 1.60m she set last year.
Daley threw the discus 44.70m, more than three metres past the old mark if 41.45m set in 2017 by Maurice Harrison.
Later, he smashed the old shot put mark of 12.73m set last year by Jovan Smith.
Knox CC's Bailey retained his 200m title, running 21.57 seconds to break the 21.79 seconds he set last year in the process.
Both 800m records were broken — Demoyah Bonner of Moneague College clocked two minutes 33.79 seconds to break the mark of 2:39.02 minutes set last year by CASE's Anniesha Walker, who was second in 2:36.47 minutes, also under the old mark.
Knox CC's Dwayne Moore outclassed the men's field in a smart one minute 53.82 seconds, just under the 1:53.93 set last year by Chadoye Dawson, also of Knox CC.
Exed CC's Shavaun Dawson improved on his second place in the men's high jump last year, winning the gold medal and setting a new record 1.91m, higher than the 1.90m, which was the previous best.
Another Exed CC athlete Choy Jones threw the javelin 52.33m, well over the 48.48m set last year by Knox CC's Jovan Smith when he won back-to-back titles.
All three women's relays records were broken with MBCC accounting for the 4x100m in 50.41 seconds and the 4x400m in four minutes 23.62 seconds, while Moneague College won the sprint medley in one minute 58.51 seconds.
The Exed men's 4x100m team ran 42.02 seconds under the old mark of 43.30 seconds, set by another Exed team last year.
Combined scores
Montego Bay Community College 215
Knox Community College 201
Moneague College 162
Excelsior Community College 160
CASE 152
Brown's Town Community College 95
Men's points
Excelsior Community College 160
Knox Community College 148
Montego Bay Community College 68
Brown's Town Community College 58
CASE 46
Moneague College 30
Women's points
Montego Bay Community College 147
Moneague College 132
CASE 106
Knox Community College 53
Brown's Town Community College 37
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MoBay Community College to offer Mandarin come September
WESTERN BUREAU:
Montego Bay Community College (MBCC) in St James will be offering the Chinese language Mandarin, as a course when the next academic year begins.
MBCC’s principal, Dr Maureen Nelson, confirmed the September start following yesterday’s visit to the school by China’s ambassador to Jamaica, Tian Qi.
“The course will be offered, starting in September of 2019. We signed a memorandum of understanding in December, and we are currently working on a work permit for the instructor so he can start teaching in September,” Nelson told The Gleaner.
The principal noted that Mandarin will allow students, particularly those entering the tourism sector, to have better communication with Chinese nationals.
“Because of the population increase in Chinese nationals in this area, it is critical for our students leaving the institution to be equipped, especially in the hospitality area, to communicate with these nationals, and we’re prepared to share the experience with other institutions, as well,” said Nelson.
In starting the programme in the Second City, MBCC will follow in the footsteps of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Western Jamaica Campus, which launched a Mandarin programme in association with the Confucius Institute at The UWI, Mona campus, in 2014. That initiative was done to bridge the language barrier in order to capitalise on the deepening China-Jamaica relations, which has resulted in an expansion of prospects for trade, commerce, and tourism.
During his visit yesterday, the Chinese ambassador told MBCC officials that the school’s willingness to teach Mandarin will help to cement the current relationship between China and Jamaica.
“I think the Chinese course in this college is only the beginning. You are a pioneer and contributor to our cooperation, and in the future, I hope we can attract more cultural elements to the course here,” said Tian.
“We always say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We have taken the first step, and I’d like to join hands with you, for us to grow together, he added. >>source
She's Certified!!!
With the growing need for trained workers in the Tourism Industry, Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism lauded over 200 graduates who were certified as bartenders, hospitality educators, pastry chefs and culinary tutors. Our very own Paulette Christie was among the few. On Wednesday she recieved her certificate as a culinary tutor at the graduation ceremony for students of the Jamaica Centre of Tourism.
Well done Mrs Christie #certified
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Montego Bay Community College expanding offerings to include Mandarin
MONTEGO BAY, St James —The Montego Bay Community College (MBCC) is adding a number of new courses to its offerings as it continues its drive to transform the education landscape in western Jamaica.
Dr Maureen Nelson, principal of the college, informed that among the courses soon to be offered at the 43year-old institution is Mandarin.
“We are about to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Embassy, and we are very, very excited about it because they are going to give us a Mandarin teacher, a Chinese national, who is going to teach Mandarin, making us the only one of all the community colleges that will offer Mandarin,” Dr Nelson told the Jamaica Observer West recently.
She added that the institution is currently in the process of securing a work permit for the teacher and classes are expected to begin soon.
In recent years, the college has been introducing a number of new courses, including an associate degree in funeral service and mortuary sciences and a bachelor’s degree in plant science, computer and technical studies in a bid to meet the needs of the population.
Plans are also being finalised to offer courses in stenography and to provide training for members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
At the start of the academic year in September, the college started to offer an associate degree course in criminal justice, as well as associate degree course in phycology. Those courses currently have 32 and 38 students respectively.
Dr Nelson noted that the expansion which is being undertaken through various partnerships is necessary due to the growing demand for those programmes. “We are expanding in many different areas,” a proud Dr Nelson said.
The MBCC, which opened its doors in 1975, currently has an enrolment of approximately 2,000 students and more than 65 lecturers at both its Montego Bay, St James location and its Frome campus in Westmoreland, which came on stream almost 15 years ago.
A distinguished educator for more than four decades, Dr Nelson, who is passionate about moulding the lives of students, has been the principal at the institution for just over two years.
Prior to that, she was a lecturer at the college, the coach of the netball team, and vice principal.
Dr Nelson had also taught at the Hanover based-rusea’s High School, her alma mater.
Nathan Robb, chairman of the MBCC board, whose three-year tenure ends in December, says his mandate is to ensure that the college keeps apace with the demands of education and the economy.
“I am not there to create any legacy. I am simply there to ensure that the institution that it is remains solid and grows, in keeping with the demands of the economy and education,” he emphasised.
He argued that the college, under his watch, recognises that the builders of the society are people who do not necessarily seek out the limelight, but are people who by virtue of their talent and by virtue of their genuine contribution, have long displayed an open public scrutiny and acceptance, and are people who have contributed to the development of the college.
As such, he said, last year, the college inducted Westmoreland businessman Russell Hammond; veteran reggae ambassador Dr James Chambers, better known as “Jimmy Cliff,” and environmentalist Hugh Shim, as honorary fellows.
The trio formed the fifth batch to be awarded as honorary fellows by the tertiary institution that started as an amalgamation of the sixth forms of Cornwall College, Montego Bay High and Mount Alvernia High schools.
The college, which Dr Nelson claims is now ranked as one of the best tertiary institutions in the country, last academic year recorded an average pass mark of 90 per cent in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). (source)