SPHS returns to normalcy after undergoing emergency repairs

On Wednesday, January 10, the San Pedro High School (SPHS) returned to normalcy after months of operating on a shift system because of much-needed maintenance in certain areas of their main building.
The update was welcomed by both teachers and students who had been juggling attending classes at different times, and some were even forced to take online lessons. The emergency renovations occurred in the high school’s staff room, conference room, computer and science laboratories, and sports room. While most of these were completed by the time classes resumed in the second week of January, Principal Emil Vasquez said the science laboratory still needs repairs. However, the school is ready to host the entire student body.
The repairs started shortly after August 1, 2023, when Principal Emil Vasquez discovered the damages. He found that the staff room ceiling had collapsed. As a result, several rounds of evaluations started, ending with a report from structural engineers suggesting that even though the building was not unsafe, these crucial areas needed repairs immediately: staff and conference room, IT laboratory, sports room, and science laboratory.
The school rolled into a shift system offering classes in the morning for junior students and in the afternoon for senior students. This was necessary as many classrooms were near the areas needing urgent repairs, leading to limited space available to accommodate the 600+ students. To meet the costs of the repairs, SPHS received assistance from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology. However, this was not enough; the community high school had to host fundraisers and receive generous donor donations. The estimates for the renovations were quoted at BZ$350,000. After a telethon held on October 27, 2023, the school raised over BZ$200,000. Some of the big contributors included Caye International Bank, who also created a GoFundMe page for this high school.
With this collective assistance, SPHS has completed most of its renovations. The school looks forward to continuing to upgrade its facilities for the safety of the students, teachers, and staff. Principal Vasquez thanked all the support the community high school has received. He said that while the repairs were done promptly, the school still needs more resources to finish the reconstruction of the Science laboratory. This is another crucial area of the high school that was deemed unsafe by the structural engineers when they were evaluating the building.
As such, the school still welcomes assistance. Those wishing to donate to this worthy cause can either contact SPHS via telephone at +501-226-2045, visit their offices on Seagull Street in Boca del Rio, or make direct contributions through the GoFundMe link at https://shorturl.at/cksNV.