The Montserrat Secondary School, often referred to for short as MSS, is the only pre-16 years of age

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

on the island of

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

. The school's campus is currently located in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

. Prior to 2004 it was responsible for Montserrat's sixth-form education (post-16); currently

Montserrat Community College Montserrat Community College (MCC) is a post-16 years of age community college in Salem, Montserrat, offering Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) courses (sixth-form college and associate degree),Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is an examination board in the Caribbean. It was established in 1972 under agreement by the participating governments in the Caribbean Community to conduct such examinations as it may think appropriate an ...

(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. Originally not all Montserrat citizens had the right to a secondary education, and the school chose which students may be admitted. A May 2011 Montserrat government report stated that the school "produced excellent results and enjoyed national esteem" in that time.MONTSERRAT SECONDARY SCHOOL REVIEW REPORT
" Government of Montserrat. May 2011. p. 6. Wealthier families were the main clientele of MSS. There were 64 students in 1941. In 1955 its senior/modern school opened. In 1971 its junior school opened. The May 2011 government report stated that these new divisions "did not substantially alter the elitist nature of the school."MONTSERRAT SECONDARY SCHOOL REVIEW REPORT
" Government of Montserrat. May 2011. p. 7. The school has multiple locations before settling in Salem. In 1986 secondary education became universal in Montserrat, and the report stated this, as well as the 1997 Soufrière Hills volcanic eruption, which reduced the student population, altered the school's culture. As a result of the establishment of universal secondary education, MSS established three branch junior school campuses in Dagenham, Salem, and Thompson Field. 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, and its junior secondary being a lower section. The campuses together had 1,043 students in 1988.Hunter, Brian (editor). ''The Statesman's Year Book: 1992–93'' (29th edition).

Springer Science+Business Media Springer Science+Business Media, commonly known as Springer, is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical (STM) publishing. Originally founded in 1842 in ...

, December 29, 2016. , 9780230271210. p
968
The volcanic eruption and population loss resulted in the dissolution of MSS's

sixth-form college A sixth form college is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A Levels, Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) and the International Baccalaureate Di ...

;

Montserrat Community College Montserrat Community College (MCC) is a post-16 years of age community college in Salem, Montserrat, offering Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) courses (sixth-form college and associate degree),English as a second language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EF ...

as they were immigrants.

Campus

It occasionally closed during ash falls as it is in the volcano's ash shadow.Development proposals for: Lookout Primary School, Brades Primary School, Montserrat Secondary School, 2008 MNT 09.

Government of the United Kingdom ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal coat of arms of t ...

. Retrieved on November 24, 2017. A report from the UK

Department for International Development , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...

(DFID) stated that the school is a long distance from the major settlements in northern Montserrat.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.

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-present)

Notable alumni

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

, a

calypsonian A calypsonian,Definition of CALYPSO
soca music Soca music is a genre of music defined by Lord Shorty, its inventor, as the "Soul of Calypso", which has influences of African and East Indian rhythms. It was originally spelt "sokah" by its inventor but through an error in a local newspaper ...

ian named Alphonsus Celestine Edmund Cassell, who is regarded as the first superstar of soca from

.Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, , pp. 26–28 *

Donaldson Romeo Donaldson Romeo (born 1962) is a politician from Montserrat. He is currently a member of the Legislative Assembly of Montserrat and served as the island's Premier from September 2014 until November 2019. Having formerly worked as an artist and ...

, the second

Premier of Montserrat The Premier of Montserrat is the head of government of the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of Montserrat on behalf of the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently King Charles III. The current Pr ...

. * Sheree Jemmotte-Rodney, the current acting

Attorney General of Montserrat The Honourable Attorney General of Montserrat, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is the chief legal adviser to The Crown and the Government of Montserrat. In addition to providing legal advice to government departments and various stat ...

References

External links

MONTSERRAT SECONDARY SCHOOL REVIEW REPORT
" Government of Montserrat. May 2011. {{authority control Secondary schools in British Overseas Territories Schools in Montserrat Sixth form colleges in British Overseas Territories Educational institutions established in 1938 1938 establishments in the British Empire