ICCI - “Shaken but still standing”

ICCI staff, standing on the root of a fallen tree. (L-r) Dr
Elsa Cummings President, Vernett Bodden, Treasurer,
Jesus Valladares Ebanks, Caretaker, and Marquiss
McLaughlin, Dean

Wednesday,  November 3, 2004

The International College of the Cayman Islands, (ICCI) is trying to get back to normal, after receiving extensive damage from Hurricane Ivan. All of the six main classrooms received serious damage during the storm.

Although the buildings are badly damaged, the college has been able to start classes again. “We had to relocate to the St Ignatius High School, and are beginning classes,” said Dr Elsa Cummings, college principal.

The college, which normally takes 200 students at a time, will be able to accommodate the students at the temporary location, apart from the computer classes, which are dependant on the computers located at the ICCI building.

The computer room suffered the least damage, and all the computers are probably working, because they were covered in plastic bin-liners.

The college library has been particularly badly hit, however, Marquiss McLaughlin, the Dean of the College, said: “Roughly half the books in the collection had been ruined, about 16,000 books altogether.

It has taken 30 years to build up this collection. We’ve written to the Minister for Education the Honourable Roy Bodden, and the Leader of Government Business, the Honourable McKeeva Bush, saying that we had sustained a lot of damage, and are interested to know how the Government could help us, but we haven’t heard anything yet.”

Although the library was very badly damaged in the storm, the college is making use of a special online Library Information Resource Network (LIRN), which helps give students access to many thousands of books over the Internet.

Although upset by the extent of the damage, both Dr Cummings and Mr McLaughlin are looking to the future. “It’s time to rebuild. We’re downcast but not downtrodden; we see it as a time to move forward,” said Dr Cummings.

The ICCI radio station, with its tall transmitter, miraculously not blown down in the hurricane, has become a symbol for the ICCI spirit in the wake of Hurricane Ivan.

Standing by the transmitter, Dr Cummings and Mr McLaughlin said “Though shaken, we’re still standing.”

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