Montserrat Secondary School

Montserrat Secondary School
Location
Salem

Montserrat
Coordinates16°45′23″N 62°13′05″W / 16.7565°N 62.2181°W / 16.7565; -62.2181
Information
TypeSecondary school
MottoQui Non Proficit Deficit
(He who does not progress, regresses.)
Established1938
PrincipalCheryln Hogan
EnrollmentApproximately 340 (in 2016)[1]
AffiliationGovernment of Montserrat

The Montserrat Secondary School, often referred to for short as MSS,[2] is the only secondary school which also has students younger than 16, on the island of Montserrat.[3] The school's campus is in Salem on the western coast of the island. Prior to 2004 it was responsible for Montserrat's sixth form education (post-16); currently Montserrat Community College (MCC) offers Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) sixth-form classes.

History

It was established by the 1938 merger of a government boys' secondary school, Montserrat Boys Grammar School and a private girls' secondary school.[4] Originally not all Montserrat citizens had the right to a secondary education, and the school chose which students were admitted. A May 2011 Montserrat government report said that the school "produced excellent results and enjoyed national esteem" at the time.[5] Wealthier families were the main clientele of MSS.[4]

There were 64 students in 1941. In 1955 its senior/modern school opened and in 1971 its junior school opened. The May 2011 government report said that the new divisions "did not substantially alter the elitist nature of the school."[6] The school has had multiple locations before settling in Salem.[4] In 1986 secondary education became universal in Montserrat, and the report said that as well as the 1997 Soufrière Hills volcanic eruption, which reduced the student population altered the school's culture.[6] As a result of the establishment of universal secondary education, MSS established three branch junior school campuses in Dagenham, Salem, and Thompson Field.[4]

In the pre-1997 period it was the sole school with upper secondary education, with its senior secondary division being the Montserrat Senior Secondary School,[7] and its junior secondary being a lower section.[8] The campuses together had 1,043 students in 1988.[9]

The volcanic eruption and population loss resulted in the dissolution of MSS's sixth-form college; Montserrat Community College took over sixth-form studies after opening in 2004.[10] The school has a single campus in Salem. By 2011 the teacher population had a lack of stability, contrasting with local-origin teachers of previous generations. In addition multiple "behavioral problems" had occurred "for several years". In 2011 there were 300 students; some of the school's students had English as a second language as they were immigrants.[6]

Campus

It occasionally closed during ash falls as it is in the volcano's ash shadow.[11] A report from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) said that the school is a long distance from the major settlements in northern Montserrat.[12]

Principals of the Montserrat Secondary School, 1928 – present

  • H. G. Carrington (1928–1957)
  • Vincent Bennett Browne (1957–1968)
  • Mr Holden
  • Mr Hoppy
  • Charles T. John (1976–1979)
  • Peter White (1979–1990)
  • Oeslyn Jemmotte (1990–1993)
  • Lucy Fenton (1993–1995)
  • Camela Watts (1995–1998)
  • Kathleen Greenaway (1998–2004)
  • Glen Francis (2004–2006)
  • Alric Taylor (2006–2009)
  • Cherlyn Hogan (2009–2020)
  • Tony Allen (2020-2023)
  • Cherlyn Hogan (2023–present)

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ "2015/2016 Montserrat Secondary School Academic Year Report by MSS Principal, Mrs Cherlyn S. Hogan". MNI Alive. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  2. ^ Bird, Rebecca (26 February 2025). "Action taken on 'long-ignored' sexual misconduct problem at Montserrat school - Montserrat Focus | News". Montserrat Focus | News. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Montserrat | School leadership | Education Profiles". education-profiles.org. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d "ABOUT US | MSS ASSOCIATION". mssassociation.org. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "MONTSERRAT SECONDARY SCHOOL REVIEW REPORT." Government of Montserrat. May 2011. p. 6.
  6. ^ a b c "MONTSERRAT SECONDARY SCHOOL REVIEW REPORT." Government of Montserrat. May 2011. p. 7.
  7. ^ "Report of the Technical-Vocational Education and Training Reconnaissance Mission." UNESCO. p. 3 (PDF p. 9/14). Retrieved on 27 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Report of the Technical-Vocational Education and Training Reconnaissance Mission." UNESCO. Annex 1 p. 3 (PDF p. 13/14). Retrieved on 27 November 2017.
  9. ^ Hunter, Brian (editor). The Statesman's Year Book: 1992–93 (29th edition). Springer Science+Business Media, December 29, 2016. ISBN 0230271219, 9780230271210. p. 968.
  10. ^ "History." Montserrat Community College. Retrieved on November 27, 2017.
  11. ^ "Development proposals for: Lookout Primary School, Brades Primary School, Montserrat Secondary School, 2008 MNT 09." Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved on November 24, 2017.
  12. ^ "Development Proposals for: Lookout Primary School Brades Primary School Montserrat Secondary School 2008 MNT 09." Department for International Development UK. p. 5 (PDF p. 8/73). Retrieved on November 24, 2017.
  13. ^ Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, pp. 26–28
  14. ^ Montserrat, Donaldson Romeo. "Donaldson Romeo Montserrat". Donaldson Romeo Montserrat. Retrieved 12 February 2026.

Further reading

  • John, C.T. "The Montserrat Secondary School Cadet Corps." 1988. In: Fergus, H. (editor). The Royal Montserrat Defence Force, 1848–1998: A Force for Good. Royal Montserrat Defence Force. p. 36-38.
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