Hurricane Melissa a blessing in disguise

“I think am one of the happiest principals in Jamaica!” Those were the words of Edwin Allen High School Principal Jermaine Harris as he marvelled at the work done to transform the institution after it was extensively damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Though the storm left widespread destruction in its wake, Harris considers the disaster a blessing in disguise — delivering the infrastructure upgrade the 62-year-old institution had sought from the Ministry of Education for years. The Category 5 hurricane had destroyed the roofs of nine classrooms, many of which the principal said were deteriorating from a termite infestation. The school’s canteen, tuckshop, and a few administration offices were also impacted. Now, fresh paint and new roofs have revived the institution, a welcome move for the school’s principal.

Construction worker Lloyd Williams is seen completing repairs to one of the three tuckshops at Edwin Allen High School, last Wednesday. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“The grade 10 block consists of nine classrooms, and those roofs were removed as a result of Hurricane Melissa. The offices of the guidance counsellors and dean of discipline were also removed, totally. The canteen and the storeroom adjoining the canteen, those roofs were also affected, not totally, but we had leaking roofs. The entire grade seven block was also affected. And all of those areas that I mentioned are now back in immaculate condition,” said Harris. He added that the roof of the agriculture block was also repaired, the bathrooms upgraded, and the tuckshops are being retrofitted. The school is fit to reopen on September 7, with non-emergency repairs to continue into October.

Workmen complete electrical work in one of the newly renovated classrooms at Edwin Allen High School, last Wednesday. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“I am ecstatic and over the moon because when I took up leadership in 2021 and I looked at the campus, that was one of my major pet peeves. I was not pleased with the campus, because I believe that when you enter a campus it speaks to the performance, the ethos, and the culture of a school. I wanted to start improving the aesthetic so that we can have a campus that is befitting of the high-performance culture that we have at Edwin Allen High School. To see the campus looking this immaculate, I am really satisfied and I know that this will translate into the students’ behaviour and performance,” he told the Jamaica Observer on a visit to the school last Wednesday. He thanked the team at the Ministry of Education and the National Education Trust for the work done, making special mention of the contractors who worked tirelessly to restore the school before the start of the new school year on September 7. Harris said the team officially began work in January, ramping up operations during the summer break. He said the contractors worked on shifts, and even on weekends, to get the job done.

Two classrooms that were infested with termites benefit from the installation of new wooden panels. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“I wanted to make sure that we got back our buildings, because when we went on the rotation schedule it created havoc for our parents and students. Some of them even transferred as a result because we had to schedule them: three days of school for some students, two days for others, and even online. It was just not working out. I said to the contractors, ‘Hey, I need my school back for the new school year so whatever needs to be done, let’s get it done.’ They listened, and I’m really happy for what would have been achieved,” he said. According to the principal, mainly cosmetic work remains, including installing rain gutters and windows as well as some electrical work. Sourcing issues have, however, stalled the installation of windows. While massive repairs are nearing completion, Harris said the school is yet to replace computers damaged by the storm. The principal pleaded for past students and Jamaicans overall to provide assistance to replace the computer monitors, noting that the school heavily relies on them for teaching information technology.   “The computers were damaged, and other equipment was damaged as well. We have the space but we don’t have the equipment, so that will be an issue for our Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) information technology students because they have to do their school-based assessments and their practicals...The teachers were very creative last year, and we got about a 97 per cent pass mark for information technology [previously],” said Harris. “Students brought their tablets and their laptops, and they worked miracles with the little that they had, but it really stretched the teachers and the students. We are asking for support in getting back our computers — approximately 60 computers and printers. We also had a smart board that was damaged, and other accessories within the computer department that will aid in the teaching of information technology,” he added.

Several classrooms at Edwin Allen High School are without windows due to sourcing issues. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

In the meantime, he said the school will continue to strive for excellence, making use of their new and improved upgrades. “Our objective is not simply to reopen the school; we want to reopen with a safe, clean, organised and conducive environment that will allow all of our students to focus on learning and our teachers to focus on teaching. We usually use a theme to drive our operation each year, and this year we are focusing on high performance driven by innovation. “We want to encourage our staff members to innovate so that we can continue the trajectory in terms of our improvement in performance, and we can maintain our high performance in sports. We are fully committed to the school improvement plan, and with the support from all stakeholders I believe that we will achieve that high performance and we will innovate so that our children can certainly benefit from these exploits,” said Harris.