An Obscured Scientist

By Harpreet Kaur
Always dressed in a white lab coat, Dr. Devasia John is easily spotted in Room 323 preparing and organizing the labs for the science students to do.


Although he’s just a lab specialist in Jamaica High School Dr. John has been involved with many activities in his past. He first started his career in 1963 as a fulltime research scholar in India. In 1971, Dr. John became the head research officer in Ayurvedic Research Institute. Later in 1993, Dr. John became a biology, chemistry, AP chemistry, physics, AP physics and Earth science teacher at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, New York.

After being transferred to Jamaica High School, Dr. John sets up and cleans the labs done by the science students. During his free time, Dr. John goes beyond his required duties and helps the Science and Language Departments by taking some time off his busy scedule to help out the new teachers with their classes. “I help them to face the students in the class," said Dr. John. "Some teachers call me the teacher’s teacher.”

" He's a great improvement over the previous lab specialists," said Mr. Pecorino, a Physics teacher. " I enjoy his sense of humor."

"He can be really helpful, his strength organization is very good," says living enviornment teacher, Ms. Kaalund with a quiet laughter. " He distributes the books, fixes things that are broken which is no necessary for his job. Also he prints out the labs, and checks for supplies of the lab materials."

Dr. John believes that “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This is one way in which he tries to motivate the students whenever it’s possible. He is discouraged by the fact that many students don’t put as much effort in school but in things that shouldn’t be focused on.

“My advice to students is that they most follow the examples of our great leaders who have shown us the path to a bright future,” is one piece of advice Dr. John would like to tell the students of Jamaica High School.