Clapham Primary School Back into Their Own Building
By: , September 15, 2026
Photo: Mark Bell
Principal and grade-six teacher at the Clapham Primary School in St. Ann, Jody Somers (left), shares in conversation with Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe (second right); Principal, Green Pond High School, Oraine Ebanks (second left), and Director, Corporate Banking, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), Barrington Watson, during the CIBC Caribbean-National College for Educational Leadership handover ceremony of cheques to principals affected by Hurricane Melissa, on July 21.The Full Story
Principal and grade-six teacher at the Clapham Primary School, Jody Somers,
is very elated to be back on to the school plant for the new academic year, despite ongoing restoration work to repair damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.
The institution lost much of its roof, following the hurricane’s passage in October 2025.
As a result, the school, which serves students from the rural communities of Clapham, Riverhead and Moneague in St. Ann, was housed inside the neighbouring St. Paul’s Anglican Church building.
“We are [back] in our building now. I’m excited! I’m happy! Relieved, because the space was not adequate. At least now the students are in their own space where they are comfortable and they can move around freely,” Ms. Somers told JIS News.
“We have one big building where we use chalk boards as partitions. 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. Most of our damage started from Hurricane Beryl, and then Melissa just elevated it,” she further explained.
She also mentioned damage to school documents, due to water seeping through cracks in the walls.
Ms. Somers said the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information sent contractors to conduct repairs, and while work is still ongoing “for the most part, the work is almost complete”.
Like many others, Ms. Somers is looking on the brighter side of what is to come for the school as they continue to rebuild.
With renovations now taking place, she is hoping for a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) lab.
“If not a building, at least a 20-foot container. I even know the price, $520,000 [for the container]. I did the research. We have computers. I have tablets. The students are also exposed to CodeMonkey. Technology-wise, we have things in the school. We have our smartboard. We [now] need the space,” Ms. Somers said.
“You have students who are creative but if they have a designated area that they could go to do different activities, make the different creations, it would be central. Being in the classroom, so many things can happen, but when you have a space where they can go and the things are there, they could utilise them. If I could get some help, I would appreciate it, but we are thankful to everyone who has been helping and supporting,” she added.
The school is located within a mining community, and Ms. Somers reasoned that a STEM lab would assist students to prepare for the jobs that the bauxite companies will offer in the future.
Clapham Primary School is a multigrade institution, where a single teacher instructs students from different age groups, grades and abilities in the same classroom.
In the last academic year, Ms. Somers taught grades five and six, but for this school year, she will be focusing only on grade six.
She also disclosed that grade-one students will be taught separately, and that grades two and three will be merged. Students in grades four and five will also be taught together.
Ms. Somers told JIS News that balancing being a headmistress and a grade-six teacher, was not an easy task but is one she is enjoying.
“I have good time management to be honest. I delegate as much as possible. I network as much as possible. I take work home and try to get them done. I also come early in the mornings, and I try to work early in the mornings before we start and after school,” Ms. Somers stated.
The Principal credits her 16 years of experience at a previous multi-grade school, Alderton Primary School, for her smooth transition at her current school.
“When I came here, it was when I taught my first single grade in 2023. I’ve even done grades one, two and three together. The multi-grade school is more rewarding. You’ll learn a whole lot, because you have to be on every committee at the school [given the small size of the population],” she stated.
“For me, a multi-grade school is a close-knit family. Everything that is happening, you are in the know. You get to learn not only the teaching-learning part but you also get to learn the administrative parts too,” Ms. Somers added.
