A Hurricane Took the School’s Roof. An Anglican Church Became Its Classroom

• Hurricane Melissa badly damaged Clapham Primary School in St Ann
• Classes moved into the St Paul’s Anglican Church building during repairs
• The school has returned to its own building as work nears completion
• The principal has priced a 20-foot container STEM lab at $520,000

When Hurricane Melissa damaged Clapham Primary School in St Ann in October 2025, the school did not close. It moved into church. Classes were relocated to the St Paul’s Anglican Church building while repairs were carried out, the Jamaica Gleaner reported in September 2026.

The school serves children from Clapham, Riverhead and Moneague and had already been hit by Hurricane Beryl. Principal Jody Somers, who also teaches grade six in the multi-grade school, described the damage. “We lost [zinc] sheets for our kitchen, storeroom [and] guard room but, for our main building, we had water that came in through the different little cracks and that created a whole lot of water damage to our furniture,” she said.

With Ministry of Education contractors completing most of the reconstruction, the school is now back on its own campus. “We are [back] in our building now. I’m excited! I’m happy! Relieved, because the space was not adequate,” Somers said.

She is already planning the next step: a dedicated STEM laboratory. The school has computers, tablets, a smartboard and CodeMonkey access, but no room set aside for them. “If not a building, at least a 20-foot container. I even know the price, $520,000 [for the container],” she said. “If I could get some help, I would appreciate it, but we are thankful to everyone who has been helping and supporting.”

The Clapham story shows how much Jamaica leans on church buildings in an emergency. A sanctuary is not designed as a classroom, and the principal’s relief at leaving it says as much, but it kept children in school while their own building was repaired. Across the island, church halls regularly serve as shelters, schools and meeting places when public buildings fail.

For congregations, that is a case for maintaining buildings to a standard that can take on those roles, with sound roofs, safe electrics and usable toilets. For donors, including diaspora groups looking for practical projects, the principal’s container lab is a reminder that modest, clearly priced building investments can make a lasting difference to a rural school.

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