Fifth-form pupils at St Vincent’s top secondary school have become nomads, moving to a new location on Monday, January 24th.
The GHS will be conducting hybrid classes from Monday, February 24th, to Friday, February 28th, 2025. According to a release by school authorities, this means that the school will engage in both online and face-to-face teaching.
For First to Fourth Formers, online instruction will continue for all students in these forms for the upcoming week. For Fifth Formers—Students in the fifth form will return to face-to-face instruction as they complete their CSEC syllabi.
According to a private communication obtained by the St Vincent Times, students are to report to the media centre located at the back of the Arnos Vale Sports Complex at 8:15 a.m. for the start of classes.
“We have ensured that the facility has been thoroughly cleaned and furniture has been transported and arranged in preparation for classes. Please pack water, snacks, and lunch, as tuckshop facilities will not be available starting Monday.” Security will be at the new location,” the memo stated.
Classes for students were disrupted on Wednesday, 19 February, due to the presence of fleas in a majority of the classrooms, as well as water woes on the compound.
According to a student who spoke with St. Vincent Times, the early dismissal is due to a flea infestation in most of the classrooms.
The situation with the temporary schools on the defunct runway is not new and goes back to April 2024, when both GHS and Thomas Saunders were closed for several days due to an infestation of fleas.
The presence of stray dogs in the vicinity has resulted in a persistent flea infestation affecting both GHS and Thomas Saunders Secondary, culminating in multiple closures over the years.
In its release, the school stated that they initially sprayed the compound on Thursday, February 20th, 2025. Unfortunately, the initial spraying was ineffective. We will use a different chemical for another treatment this coming week.
The situation appears to have left authorities clueless as to a proper fix.
