James Boyce is one smart kid. He recorded five A grades and two B grades in the recent Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) examinations and was honored during the Ministry of Education's national award ceremony. To many people that may seem like a big deal, but to the Forest Heights Academy tenth grade student, it's just another achievement on a long list of feats he has accomplished in his 15 years.

The Abaco student was chosen as national student of the year in 2008.  He was headboy at Hope Town Primary in the 2007-08 academic year.  The academically focused young man also has the distinction of achieveing honor roll status for his entire academic career to date.  While he is glad to be recognized for his hard work academically, Boyce says he is more focused on making a difference in his community.  He is passionate about making his environment a better place. Boyce spends many weekends cleaning beaches and thinking up new environmental projects to make his community of Marsh Harbour a better place.  He says putting as much energy into environmental projects as much as he does his studies is a good balance to have in his life. He attributes the love he developed for environmental issues to his mother Charlotte "Cha" Boyce.

"I was introduced to loving the environment from my mom because she was involved in this group called 'Friends of the Environment' for as long as I remember," he said.  "When I was in grade three, I started to get involved in their projects as well. I would participate in beach clean ups and scientific research projects. It was fun and it made me feel good to be a part of something so dynamic." Boyce's work for the environment, which was once confined to his weekends and summer breaks, has now spread to his everyday school life with the introduction of the recent eco-club at his school.  He was among the first to want to join. Into its second semester, the club members do more than just clean their school's yard. The members are taking steps to make their campus eco-friendly and are pushing a new recycling program.  The club recycles aluminium cans, paper and plastic.  Bottles and cans are sent to a recycling plant in the United States.  Paper is turned into mulch at a facility in Abaco. "It's such a good thing that we are all learning how the small things we do can make such a big difference," he said. With this project underway, Boyce says more ideas are brewing and the next initiative the club undertakes will be to recycle old food like fruit peels, to be used as compost for a garden the eco-club hopes to create in the future. His passion even led him to win the Abaco 2010 Wild and Scenic Student Film Contest with a short film he made on Sea Turtle preservation.  It was a project he says he enjoyed and which gave him the opportunity to highlight environmental issues that concerned him.

Boyce's ambition to make his community a better place does not stop with his environment.  He also devotes time to helping children in his neighborhood.  He coaches a junior basketball team for students in second and third grades. An interest in guitar led him to learn how to play the instrument. He also teaches others what he learns.  He also happily tutors his peers who ask him for assistance to ensure no one is left behind. Besides his love for his environment and his willingness to help his fellow man, Boyce is just like any other student who has their faults when it comes to balancing studying and social activities.  He admits that he doesn't study everyday rigorously, as there are other aspects of his life that he likes to put first at times.  Even so he believes that there is a balance to everything and over-working one area of life like the academic or social part does not work out for the overall best. "Many times I don't get to study everyday.  I usually have a lot going on, but when I do study, I really do my best.  I like to be on my own and get a few good hours in -- especially focusing on things I find challenging or I will be tested in." He admits to sometimes having to put a little extra effort in classes like English and Art which he says are his least favorite subjects.  But when he gets a good grade, he says he knows his efforts all worked out and that he worked for it. And he worked for the grades he got in the BJCs -- A in Mathematics, General Science, Health Science, English and Social Studies, and B grades in Religious Studies and Art. His grade average is 91 percent. His sister, Aly Boyce, a senior at Forest Heights Academy, also keeps him on his "academic toes".  He said her drive and academic achievements provide the perfect friendly rivalry that he needs at times to continue to strive for higher heights. With another two years in high school like most normal teenagers, he is undecided about his future aspirations, but is interested in engineering and has honed his studies to courses in the sciences like chemistry and physics. 

But in preparation, he is researching colleges and their requirements for entrance because he knows it's too late to wait until senior year to make a decision. Even though he lives on a Family Island, the youngster is a firm believer in the fact that opportunities to succeed are everywhere and that it is his duty to be aware of what is happening. "Many people may feel that we are at a disadvantage due to being on a Family Island but I don't think so -- particularly for me," he says. "I am at a good school, with a small student population and my teachers are available to me.  I also have peace and quiet to study, and I personally do what I can to stay on top of what is new and different.  It's about making opportunities for yourself when they are not readily available sometimes." He advises other students to always look out for opportunities and make the best of what they do have.  He said studying hard isn't always enough because there is more to life than books.  Boyce believes it is just as important to find something to care about in the community and strive to do what you can in those areas. He said it is also important for his peers to set goals and work hard to meet them without excuse.

His next big ambition is to reach the 100 percent mark across the board in his studies, become headboy at his school, and he also has his sights set on returning to the Ministry of Education's national award ceremony in a few years.  When he does that he says it will be for the excellent results he achieves in his Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations.  For now, he is working hard to continue to strive for more in his academic quest because he believes no achievement is ever the pinnacle.

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