‘At the border of damage and mess’

A story of faith and perseverance was shared by Collin Hall, principal of Priory Primary School in St Ann, who told the Jamaica Observer last Wednesday how the institution has managed to push on for the best interests of the more than 600 students enrolled, despite not recovering fully from the ravaging of the category five Hurricane Melissa on October 28 last year. Hall took the Observer on a tour of the school, to point out infrastructure that was damaged during the hurricane, that is yet to be repaired. “We are at the border of damage and mess.

We are the ones you would consider to be just at where Melissa started to do her bad work. I want you to see the extent of the damage. All of these windows need replacing.

The roof of the grade six building was affected as well. Hopefully we’ll get that done before September,” Hall explained. A tent that was used as classrooms following severe damage to infrastructure at Priory Primary School in St Ann (Photo: Karl Mclarty) The principal pointed to a block at the school that was under construction.

The three classrooms located on that block, along with the guidance counsellor’s office, did not withstand the test of Melissa. “This is our grade three, and grade one classrooms. The guidance counsellor’s office was down at the end of the block.

The entire thing was destroyed by Melissa,” he said. “It was damaged from Hurricane Beryl in 2024, but Melissa came and finished the job properly. They had to take down the entire building and start from scratch, pretty much.” A block which houses classrooms and an office at Priory Primary School in St Ann that is undergoing construction ahead of the resumption of classes in September.

(Photo: Karl Mclarty) Hall expressed that based on his estimation and from the feedback given by other principals, only schools in western Jamaica possibly suffered worse damage than his school and other institutions in St Ann. “This block that you see over here is the grade four block in yellow. All the windows on that side were affected.