IT has been an emotional few weeks for staff and students at Oracabessa Primary School in St Mary since a part of the institution was gutted by fire.

It has been particularly hard on students who have been constantly asking questions about the buildings which are no longer standing.

“The students who used the area were impacted so they went through a series of counselling sessions. They keep looking at the area and asking who set the classroom on fire? Did they burn up in there, and stuff like that,” Acting Principal Winsome McFarlane Forbes told the Jamaica Observer.

The area destroyed by the fire in February was being used as the school’s specialised reading and physical education facility.

“There are so many students who need that special attention because they are way behind on their reading, so I have some emotions to know that all their materials were destroyed. Great things would’ve happened in this area, but we give God thanks that no lives were lost, but it is teaching us a lesson to be resilient,”said McFarlane Forbes.

“Even the PE [physical education] teacher is without an office space right now. Some equipment has to be stored in my office,” added McFarlane Forbes.

She said her determination now is to ensure that her students are receiving the attention they deserve. Two classrooms at the institution have since been repurposed to accommodate specialised reading students.

“These students really need the attention so it is our duty to ensure that we deliver for them,” said McFarlane Forbes as she pointed out that she is hopeful that the National Education Trust at the Ministry of Education will deliver on its promise to fast-track the reconstruction of the area so the school can be return to normal.

McFarlane Forbes noted that equipment the school purchased recently to use at its sports day was from a donation of $170,000 it received from Golden Eye Foundation because its sporting gear and equipment were destroyed in the fire.

“Thank God for the foundation because they have helped us so much; I don’t know what we would’ve done without them,” said McFarlane Forbes hours after the school received an additional donation of $1 million from the foundation.

“I’m really happy for the latest donation because it will help us to replace more of the stuff that we have lost. Some more sports gear and equipment along with some reading kits for the special education students, because they are the ones who are mostly at a loss,” said McFarlane Forbes.

In the meantime, Travis Graham, executive director of the Golden Eye Foundation, told the Observer that it is committed to the rebuilding of the school, having witnessed the devastation caused by the fire.

“It [the fire] was a big hit because the school’s special education unit and PE room burnt down. So we went into fund-raising mode and raised the first of two contributions,” said Graham.

He said having learnt of the education ministry’s plans to rebuild the destroyed buildings, he entered into discussions with the acting principal and agreed to repurpose the funds.

“We will replace tablets and stationery that were destroyed in the fire. Those along with fixing the surveillance system, etc, but I don’t think $1 million can do that so we will make another donation soon,” Graham added.

The Golden Eye Foundation strives on community engagement and development. Over the years, through its Community Educational Support Programme, it has made significant contributions to institutions in Oracabessa.

“We have been working closely with all the schools in Oracabessa to include the primary school, so we have a long standing relationship with Oracabessa Primary, even more so because the school is very close to the property and a lot of the staff at Golden Eye are past students because they are from the community,” Graham stated

“We have assisted the primary school with its computer lab, that was done through partnership with ISSA Foundation. We provided fibre optics for the entire school and we also partnered with the Airport Authority [of Jamaica] to pave the driveway for the school,” added Graham.

Fire destroyed a three-room building at the school in February. The building housed a special education class, and the physical education department. The loss was estimated at over $5 million. No one was injured in the blaze and the cause has not yet been determined.