Mt St Joseph Prep suspends classes in wake of fire
Published:Monday | February 27, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Dave Lindo, Gleaner Writer
MANDEVILLE, Manchester:
Today, being Monday, is a regular school day for many institutions across the island. But, for Mt St Joseph Preparatory in Mandeville, it's not business as usual.
Fire gutted a section of the school on the weekend, forcing the administration to suspend classes for all students, except for those in grade six who are preparing for the Grade Six Achievement Test next month.
The blaze began shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday, destroying two kindergarten classes, a computer room and a staff quarters, which housed six people. Firefighters had to rescue three people who were at the staff quarters at the time of the fire.
When The Gleaner visited the school yesterday, teachers, parents, students and past students were seen busily cleaning the burnt-out areas.
"Many of us as past students have our children coming here, so we have to give a helping hand," Julian Simmonds told The Gleaner.
Heartened by support
Principal Jem Stanley was appreciative of the support.
"It has been just overwhelming the support that we have got throughout the whole ordeal,"
Stanley said the school board met with the staff and members of the Home School Association and came to a decision that school would not be held for students from kindergarten up to grade five due to safety concerns.
"With electrical wires needing to be secured, and other dangers posed by the effect of the fire, we wanted time to sort all of that out before we have regular school," Stanley explained.
The 48 kindergarten students, whose classrooms were destroyed, will be temporarily relocated to the Mercy Hall on campus.
Deputy Superintendent Julian Davis Buckle of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, who is a member of the Home School Association, said that investigation is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire.
Plans are being put in place to raise funds to rebuild the areas destroyed by the fire.
"We will be setting up a bank account as well as start a campaign on the social media networks, including Facebook, to garner help for the school," Davis Buckle said.