Longwood basic school in Black River still rebuilding after Beryl and Melissa

The Longwood Early Childhood Institute in Black River, St. Elizabeth, remains in crisis long after Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa tore through the parish, with staff appealing to the public for help to restore the basic school.

The institution sits on the grounds of a ruined church in Black River. Teacher Shade Malcolm Atkinson said Beryl stripped the roof from the building, and Melissa left the campus in ruins. "We lost everything," she said. After Melissa, classes shifted into the lunch area.

For a Labour Day project, the Transport Authority re-roofed that lunch space. Atkinson said the arrangement falls short because every child is now taught in a single room. The school needs at least two more classrooms, a bathroom for teachers, and additional furniture for pupils and staff. "We are pleading to wider Jamaica for any assistance we can receive in building back our school to the place where it was," she said.

The Manchester Police Youth Club recently presented a $300,000 cheque raised from a 5K run and walk to support repairs.

Teachers say storm trauma still shapes daily life. When rain begins, some children become upset, cry, and ask to go home to their parents. Staff described pupils reliving moments when roofs failed, homes flooded, and families sat without furniture in the dark. On wet days, buckets are placed inside to catch leaks, classes are moved, and the school sometimes closes to protect children from illness.

Enrollment has slipped as families seek better-equipped options. The roll stood at 40 before Hurricane Beryl in 2024, fell to 35 ahead of Hurricane Melissa in 2025, and now stands at 26 pupils crowded into one small classroom with limited funds.

With June bringing dry, intense heat and no electricity on site, lessons are often held outdoors. Parents are asked to send extra water. Small rechargeable fans offer little relief, so teachers give frequent breaks and monitor hydration. Despite its own damage, the school is also hosting 12 grade-one pupils from the nearby Black River Primary and Infant School while that institution undergoes major repairs.