Principal says slain schoolboy was promising student

"A whole ball of energy" was how Principal of the Denham High School Yvette Richards-Thompson described her late student Amari Coley.

The 11-year-old was stabbed to death with a tail comb by a female student of another institution on Tuesday afternoon.

"We first met him when he came to register and we decided to enrol him immediately into summer school. He was a whole ball of energy and by the time summer school ended, he was on top of his game. I was told that he gave trouble in primary school and you know boys will give talking sometimes. But you could see the transformation from when we met him in summer and now," Thompson said.

According to the Denham Town police, a team was on patrol when they saw a group of persons gathered along the intersection of West and West Queen street. They were told that Amari was in an argument with the suspect and he punched her in the head. The teenage girl then used a plastic comb with a metal end to stab Amari repeatedly in the chest. He was assisted to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead close to 5 p.m. The metal part of the comb was removed by the doctor during the operation and handed over to the police. The suspect is currently in police custody.

When THE STAR visited Denham Town yesterday, the atmosphere was sombre. Lunch was in session but there were no joyful giggles, chatter or playful children. A group of students and teachers attached to the Inter School Christian Fellowship walked around with plaque cards and prayed. Thompson stated that Amari, a first form student, was well loved by his teachers and peers.

"He was always excited about school and he was very loving to his teachers. He took set on them and as far as he was concerned, the grade seven and eight supervisor was his mother. His teachers supported him in their own way. He had a cut on his foot and one of his teachers bought him a cream because his mother didn't get paid as yet. Yesterday (Tuesday) the form teacher treated the entire class with pizza, and of course, Amari got his share and come back to the window to collect an extra slice," she said.

Thompson said that Amari was improving academically and was extremely proud of his academic growth.

"Last week, he got 87 per cent on a integrated science test and he was just really happy and he went around and got extra stickers for it. We had very high hopes for him and it is just sad that his life was taken in this manner. The worse part is that it is not one life that was lost, but two, because it is another child who committed this act. She now has to live with the fact that she took a life," Thompson said.

The senior educator said she plans to meet with authorities at the institution that the girl attends to ensure that there is no tension.

"We know emotions are high, so I am going to meet again with my students and we have to guide these emotions. A lot of times, the challenge is that persons expect them to deal with stuff like this, but they have feelings and they are children. So we are going to ensure that they got all the support they need," she said.

The Education Ministry is expressing sorrow over the tragic stabbing death. It also expressed deep concern about an incident at Oberlin High School in St Andrew West Rural, where a female student was attacked by another female student at the school's entrance, also on Tuesday. The student suffered multiple facial injuries and is currently receiving medical care.