MARTHA BRAE, Trelawny — Despite an estimated $400 million in damage to William Knibb Memorial High School during the passage of Hurricane Melissa, classes are set to resume on Monday under emergency arrangements with the Ministry of Education to provide eight tents to serve as temporary classrooms, after eight of the school’s nine buildings were severely affected.

Principal Linvern Wright said the reopening will begin cautiously on Monday with grade 11 students and sixth formers, while the remainder of the school population are expected to return by Thursday.

“We are taking in grade 11 [students] and sixth formers on Monday and phasing in the others,” Wright explained last Friday.

“We are supposed to get eight tents from the ministry, which really represent eight classrooms. So we will have things covered to be able to bring everybody by Thursday,” he explained.

The school, which accommodates approximately 1,100 students from grade seven to sixth form, suffered widespread destruction when the hurricane tore through the parish, ripping roofs from most buildings and destroying critical infrastructure.

“It was significant. Significant! Out of nine buildings we had damage to eight, which lost roofs, windows and furniture — a number of things,” the principal said.

Temporary repairs are also being carried out to ensure safety while permanent reconstruction plans are finalised.

“So what we’re really doing to get the children back on Monday is to use 3×8 ply and tarpaulins. So, we cover it first with 3×8 ply, then cover it with tarpaulins and ensure that it is flat so [that] even if rain falls, the water goes off. So it’s not just pure tarpaulins we’re using,” Wright explained.

He added that the school is working with an electrician to safely restore power to sections of the compound.

“Electricity [is] in the area but we are trying to get the electrician to set us up so that we can put electricity safe[ly] into some parts of the building so that we don’t have to go the route of the generator. Water is here. The canteen will be up and running,” he shared

The damage to the school’s infrastructure extends beyond classrooms. Wright disclosed that the administration block also lost its roof, forcing staff to put important documents outdoors to dry.

The preliminary estimate from the Ministry of Education, which puts the damage at over $400 million, includes the destruction of windows, doors, electrical and technological infrastructure, and fencing.

“All our fencing has to be redone. The estimate for the fencing itself is about $2.8 million,” he said.

Wright noted that the emotional toll on the school community has been profound.

“It has affected everybody in different ways,” he said, pointing to parents who lost homes, belongings, loved ones, and employment, particularly due to hotel closures in the parish.

“Many of them have lost their jobs…how do we get more students on PATH [Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education] for them to have lunch when they come to school — because maybe it’s the only meal they’ll have for the day,” he reasoned.

He stressed that although conditions will not be ideal, students returning to school is essential for their well-being and academic recovery.

“So for us, we have to reopen for everybody. So…they are not going to be 100 per cent comfortable but we hope they’ll be 100 per cent here…even just for the social and psychological well-being,” Wright argued.

As president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, Wright said schools across Trelawny are working toward reopening using different strategies, but the ultimate goal must be full return once safety is assured.

“I think everybody will be reopening — it is just the modality that they will be opening in…but, ultimately, once we can do it safely we should get everybody back in — because the long-term effects of not having them in are dire,” he said.

“When they are not in, in the earlier stages, there are significant gaps in learning that you can’t compensate for…so you really have to try to get the time in with them at the stages they should get in [so as] to ensure that down the road, whatever they are expected to learn, they will have learnt,” he said.

Up to late Friday afternoon, groundsmen continued clean-up activities as staff worked to remove remaining hazards, including loose zinc sheeting and storm debris, in preparation for the students’ phased return.

WRIGHT…we are taking in grade 11 [students] and sixth formers on Monday and phasing in the others