Hampton School

 As I am honest, I will say up front that I hated most of the years I spent at Hampton School in St. Elizabeth.

When I was growing up, Hampton supposed to be one of the most prestigious schools in Jamaica, and since it was only about a mile from my home in Malvern, my fate was sealed before I was even born💫

When I attended however,  it was more like a prison or the secluded covent in Britain that your read about, than a school. 😡

 I will be honest though in that I loved the last two years of my life there (in sixth form), as we commuted daily to share classes with the boys at our brother school, Munroe College 🥰. (Oh boy, weren't those days exciting! One day I will tell you about them.)

It was my dislike for all things Hampton though why I washed my hands off that institution on leaving, and never got involved in the "old girls" affairs. (HOGA, Hampton old girls association is the name of the past students' group). (ME OLD? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING.😉

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I learned about the situation below recently and had to get involved. 

The information came via a video about conditions in Woodlands, St. Elizabeth and its environs,  which suffered badly with the passing of hurricane Melissa. The video was forwarded to me by my cousin Everett Smith, a Florida based attorney who was born in Woodlands.

 It's about a Hampton girl whose home was upended by hurricane Melissa. This further added to her misery as a day girl who had to use public transportation daily from the border of Westmoreland/St. Elizabeth to get to Hampton School. This distance means she has to leave her home in the wee hours of the morning in the dark and return at nightfall. That sounded appalling, especially as it related to her safety as a young woman.

Besides, what time would that leave for her to study, was my other reaction and how could she deal with personal issues such as bathing etc when the very bathroom of her home no longer exists?

 These are what motivated me to contact Sonja Pringle, an active HOGA mrmber, to see how we could help. I am happy to see the ball got rolling quickly, thanks to the hard working Dawn Ebanks, president of HOGA.

 Let's all rise to the occasion.

You see whether we like the school, me or not, there are situations that call for immediate action.

I am therefore calling on all who read this blog to assist this young lady. No donation will be too small and a spreadsheet will be sent to everyone showing all donations and expenditure. 

 Thank you. And please share this blog with friends/schoolmates who have a heart.🤎

,.....................,,.......................................

The young lady's name is: Anna Marie Wright. 

Donations are to go to:

Zelle. Jordannem.ebanks@gmail.com. 

PayPal. Jordannem.ebanks@gmail.com. 

Update from Dawn Ebanks 08/15/2026

Spreadsheet not opening on my phone but anxious to share contributions so far: 

1. Karan $10,000

2. ⁠Anonymous $10,000

3. ⁠Annette $40,000

4. ⁠Sonia us$100

5. ⁠Sharon us$50 

6. ⁠Joan us$200

Total j$60,000

Total usd$350 j$54,250 

Total J$114,250

Ps. Google Hampton School, St. Elizabeth if you require any other info.

A WhatsApp group chat called "Tatewood student" has also been established. (Tatewood is the name of a large property in Woodlands).

Link: https://youtu.be/wtmUzaCD-g4?is=w39LMukggbYC4z9u.

Negril revisited

As a child, I visited Negril in Westmoreland, Jamaica many times with my parents, brother and cousins, as it has the most beautiful white sand beaches and cool, clear, warm water and on the west end, people were having fun jumping off various rocks into the clear blue waters. 

You see, where we lived in the neighboring parish of St. Elizabeth, had nothing comparable.

At that time, Negril was a little sleepy fishing village.

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Somehow in the 1960's, rich hippies from the nearby USA, heard about it and propelled by the thought of being able to freely enjoy some top quality ganja (marijuana) while lounging on the beach or jumping off 40 foot high cliffs into the clear water below, started to visit. 

The  Negril lighthouse

People from all over the world are still enjoying themselves, jumping off the high cliffs into the clear blue waters today.

Then they were accommodated in nothing but thatch huts, offered by extremely hospitable people.

  The existence of this new hot spot near the USA spread rapidly  and soon people from all over the world started to find their way to the exotic village. 

That was the genesis of tourism in this most prized section of Jamaica and today, almost all the land on the 7 mile section of the beach is lined with bars, hotels, restaurants while the cliff side is abuzz, offering everything including high end accommodation, non-stop music, partying and fun for people of all ages.

The late great Peter Tosh who also hailed from Westmoreland, strongly advocated for the legaling of marijuana and numerous paintings of him with his mantra " Legalize It" are prominent on the wall at Ricks Cafe.

I had not visited the cliff side for more than a decade and was really impressed with what it had become.

Ricks Cafe which established itself    

beside the jumping spot 50 years ago, has been expanding  exponentially too.

 That's the party center of the West end.

Boats bring visitors from the beaches to the cliff side to jump off the rocks.

They come from land and sea to party.

Negril is definitely now on top of its game and I loved the vibes.🥳