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In September 2022, we told you that St Mary's was crumbling. One of the city's most historic schools was condemned and the students had to be relocated to the Samuel Haynes Building. They've since gotten wooden buildings to house some of the students, but the situation is still not ideal since many of the kids are still not on campus.
However, things may be looking up. Courtney Menzies visited the school yesterday and has this update.
It's been over a year since St Mary's Primary School was condemned and declared unfit to house its students. And up to now, the children who are using it are still learning to adjust to the new circumstances. According to the acting principal, the older kids are still not on campus and it's been putting a lot of stress on both the students and the admin.
But come next year all of the children will finally be able to be on one compound.
Carol Flowers, Acting Principal, St. Mary's Primary School
"It has been a great challenge being back and forth, having issues with being in between, to deal with issues on board compounds, paying bills on board compounds. So it's a lot. So we are ecstatic that construction has started and we are hoping that by January everybody will be on the same compound. So we are hoping that pray God no hurricane or anything to slow down the process that we are all we all will be here on in January."
Reporter:
"It's a building that will house how many classrooms?"
Carol Flowers, Acting Principal, St. Mary's Primary School
"Four classrooms, Standard three to six will be in these classrooms that they're building."
Reporter:
"Currently they are at the Samuel Hayne's Building?"
Carol Flowers, Acting Principal, St. Mary's Primary School
"Samuel Hayne's, Yes."
Reporter:
"How has the adjustment been for the students to be in a new environment or in even in these new classrooms?"
Carol Flowers, Acting Principal, St. Mary's Primary School
I mean, it has its challenges. I mean, there were excited at first, but we have to be dealing with heat with so many different things. I mean, I've just been to one. There was no because first we had to at every level. Now it's only one. We had to cut off the enrollment numbers. So our numbers have dropped have dropped drastically based on where we are with the buildings that we have."
Reporter:
"Has there been any indication of what will happen to the the main building?"
Carol Flowers, Acting Principal, St. Mary's Primary School
"We have not heard anything as yet. we we had submitted plans to SIF to see if they would rebuild the building. But so far we haven't got any indication of when that will happen."
And yesterday, the Fort George area rep said he's been working with the Education Minister to ensure St Mary's come back is better than ever. In the meantime, though, he said the children have managed to keep their grades up.
Henry Charles Usher,Area Rep, Fort George
"It's something that the Minister of Education and myself as the area rep are working on. Unfortunately, the school is still in a state where they need to send the students to different locations to have classes. While there is a plan in place to rebuild the school, make it even better so that all of the students can be housed and schools right there at the location."
"I haven't seen the quality of education drop. As a matter of fact, they are resilient students. In the Fort George division at St Mary's. They've actually embraced this challenge and they're doing well. I don't see any drop off in terms of what is being produced and when they go to high school, they're producing in high school as well. So I think it's important to to appreciate and to recognize that resiliency.
While last year, the school had 250 students, they've had to cut their enrollment numbers, and currently only have 202.
