A proactive measure to accommodate students and staff with disabilities is being lauded at Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester.

An elevator has been installed at the school to allow access to the four floors of an 11-classroom block.

“The block is outfitted with an elevator for students and staff members who may have challenges, so from the first floor right up to the fourth floor the elevator [is utilised] and it is operated by members of staff. We don’t allow students to access it on their own,” Principal Hidran McKulsky said during the official opening of the classroom block on Monday.

The project was completed through the Ministry of Education and the National Education Trust (NET) at a cost of $192 million. Additionally, the roadway leading to school was restored at a cost of $22.1 million.

McKulsky, in commending the ministry and NET, welcomed the expenditure of just over $200 million at the institution. Executive director at NET Latoya Harris-Ghartey said, meanwhile, that the investment signifies the ministry’s committed investment in the school.

“[The ministry] also committed a tidy sum towards our restoration effort as it relates not only to pre-Hurricane Melissa conditions, but to a stronger experience,” McKulsky said in reference to the rebuilding works done after the passage of category five Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025.

The newly constructed classroom block has a staff room on the ground floor and each floor has restrooms for students.

“The classrooms are outfitted with a cooling system, and the natural air coming from the outside. In the past, stakeholders complained about schools not being built with adequate ventilation. This is a model building. Air passes through the classrooms, so students are in a better position to function because they are not experiencing extreme heat,” said McKulsky.

“We also have the fire system being outfitted throughout the building, and an emergency lighting system. We have adequate sockets and the white board that teachers use is lit, so students seated in the classrooms will have improved visibility where work on the board is concerned,” he added.

He said the opening of the classroom block, although it was delayed due to the hurricane, was done simultaneously with Holmwood Technical’s 90th anniversary celebrations.

“Today is not just the opening of the classroom block, but also the day when we as a school celebrate our 90th anniversary,” McKulsky said before the lighting of a symbolic torch and the unveiling of a new sign for the school.

The contractor for the project was C&D Construction and Engineering Limited.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Observer was told by a reliable source that a similar project has been completed at Mount Saint Joseph High School in Mandeville, with the installation of an elevator on a newly constructed classroom block which is expected to be officially opened soon. A chairlift was also installed at Sydney Pagon STEM Academy in St Elizabeth last year.

The elevator installed at Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester.(Photo: Kasey Williams)

The newly constructed 11-classroom block at Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

Principal at Holmwood Technical High School Hidran McKulsky holds a lit torch as a symbol representing the school’s 90th anniversary on Monday.(Photo: Kasey Williams)

Stakeholders look at the new Holmwood Technical High School sign unveiled on Monday as part of the institution’s 90th anniversary celebrations. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

Stakeholders interacting in one of 11 new classrooms at Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester. (Photo: Kasey Williams)