Mario James, Gleaner Writer

With all the hoopla about the girls outperforming the fellas on the 'intellectual muscle' circuit, our latest scholar evens the scales a little.

A member of the St George's College fraternity, Charles Frost is from a single-parent family and wears locks, which are more than a fashion statement. He told Saturday Life that he subscribes "to aspects of the Rastafarian faith".

Highly introspective, the more abstract the thought process is, the easier he seems to sift out the truth in such arguments. A challenging childhood has added a level of reality to his burgeoning maturity. Questions on his religion were fielded with surprising deftness and skill as he drew references from his already learned mind.

To say he's on the razor's edge of learning would be an understatement in the face of 11 distinctions in Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams - and he's also notched a 'one'in communications at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level.

Seeking the cure for cancer

St George's principal, Margaret Campbell, says Charles wants to find the cure for cancer. While most might find such a statement commonplace - and some folks might find this goal unattainable - Charles has the kind of quiet, unassuming demeanour that oozes confidence.

Physics, biology, chemistry, English literature, English language, mathematics, office administration, religious education, Spanish, information technology, and electronic document preparation and management - he got distinctions in all of them. Charles also passed communications studies - a CAPE subject mainly sat by 12th- and 13th-graders - when he was in fourth form!

While his education is his main focus right now, he does enjoy a good game of badminton. He is also on the STGC's badminton team. He has been on the St George's quiz team since fourth form and was quiz team captain in grade 11.

The most important lady in Charles' life is his mother, Janet Cummings, a social worker. Her outlook on life is unique, to put it mildly. Charles credits his mother for his depth in general knowledge and says the books in her library and her shielding him away from distractions have honed his star quality.

Of his study tactics, he says, "Reinforcement while the matter is fresh means that the information is retained easily and, come exam time, much less revision is necessary, primarily because the work has already been done!"

mario.james@gleanerjm.com