20/11/2025
Munro College has again been damaged by Hurricane Melissa, however, not as extensively as we were last year by Hurricane Beryl. The impact has affected not only the physical structure of our beloved school but also the extensive community from which our students are drawn.
The Damage and Its Effects
Classrooms, boarding facilities, the library, teachers cottages, and recreational facilities have been severely compromised. Essential educational resources were lost, and the infrastructure now requires significant repairs to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment for current and future students.
Old Pearman Calder building which housed classrooms on two floors and the IT Department on the ground level lost its roof and lots of water damage to classrooms and most critically, extreme damage to the IT Department.
The campus is supplied by gravity-fed water tanks and we have lost all eight 800-gallon tanks and the connection system on the roof of Dickenson Sangster.
Sections of the old Coke House building were also damaged, causing water to flood the dining room and the loss of about 75% of the dining room furniture that was recently acquired.
Other buildings had similar damage including:
-The Biology Lab Building
-The Old Library that houses the Junior IT Lab
-Sections of the Chemistry lab building
-The music room on the main auditorium
-A significant number of windows blown out on the first form block
-Damage was also done to four Teacher’s cottages, ranging from mild to severe. Teachers had to move out of these cottage spaces
Munro has always been a beacon of hope, nurturing generations of students and fostering academic excellence. In the aftermath of the hurricane, the sense of normalcy and continuity that our alma mater provides is threatened, impacting both students and faculty alike.
The Ministry of Education should cover the cost of some buildings and equipment, so the MCOBA need your support to fund the following priorities:
• Repair the roof top and replace the water system at Dickenson Sangster Building
• Replace and upgrade the Solar panels and inverters to give adequate power to the campus
• Repair at least three teachers’ cottages (lumber, zinc, screws and nails)
• Repair and complete upgrade of electrical wiring system across campus (need wires, 2ft/4ft led tubes, dusk to dawn solar lamps etc.)
• 40 Desk top computers with monitors to retrofit the IT Lab
Any contribution, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference in our recovery efforts.
Financial donations can be made directly to, Munro College Old Boys’ Association, National Commercial Bank, Duke Street, Chequeing account – 062188006 , OR for US$ deposits- National Commercial Bank, Duke Street, Savings, Account number: 065458594, account name- Munro College Old Boys Association or, our website at http://www.mcobjm.org )our restoration fund, and we welcome any other forms of assistance, including materials or volunteer labor.
Our collection point in Kingston is The MCOBA Office, 110 Old Hope Road Kingston 6.
Please contact of Funding coordinator Robert “Bobby” Stephens at 876-909-6338 or [email protected] if you need more details and to send him copies of deposit receipts so we can track and report on our contributions and what the funds have been used to acquire.
Our alma mater has stood as a pillar of our community for many years. With your help, we can restore its legacy and ensure it continues to serve future generations. Thank you for your support.
Together, we can restore, rebuild, and rise stronger than before, after Hurricane Melissa!!!!
Victor Tomlinson
President MCOBA
