Math teacher is new St Mary Festival Queen

Twenty-four-year-old mathematics teacher Gabrielle Cole (Miss Tacky Falls) is Miss St Mary Festival Queen 2022.

Cole was chosen on Saturday night at a ceremony at St Mary's Anglican Church Hall in Port Maria, after beating four other contestants. She also captured sectional prizes for poise, performance, popularity on social media, and cultural awareness. First runner-up was Iyana Henry (Miss Rio Nuevo Battle Site), a 24-year-old student at The Mico University College, while Jody-Ann Howell, 20, a nursing student at Northern Caribbean University, was second runner-up. Caroletta Thompson (Miss Castleton Gardens) won for congeniality and Sidonie Cunningham (Miss Galina Lighthouse) for community involvement. From the onset the crowd cheered most loudly for Howell, then Cole, with the other three contestants getting their fair share of support.

During the talent section, Howell again got the loudest response with her monologue, What Do I Desire with Cole's dub poem, Success is a Must, also eliciting good feedback.

Henry, who sang Got To Change, Cunningham's speech Syreena and Caroletta Thompson's speech Yam Grad also drew favourable responses.

The evening wear category offered a step up in proceedings with five fabulous creations by Dermoth Williams Couture, using a range of colours including fuchsia, yellow, black, white, and royal blue. The contestants all wore their dresses well.

The defining category, however, was the onstage interview, in which Cole shone as she gave her views on how Jamaican culture can be taught and passed down. From there, her win was never in doubt. The quirky, witty and bubbly lady in royal blue came through and was crowned by 2021 queen, Claudia Campbell.