Students at Santa Cruz Preparatory School have regained access to classrooms and learning spaces damaged by Hurricane Melissa, following an approximately J$6 million restoration project supported by the N.C.B. Foundation.

In October 2025, the hurricane damaged the roof of the Upper School building, which serves Grades 3 to 6, as well as sections of the Robert Stubbs Computer Lab and the Kindergarten Stimulation Centre. The repairs were executed by Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), one of the funding and execution partners of NCB’s Building a Better Jamaica Fund. In addition to the repairs, N.C.B. Foundation also donated an air-conditioning unit to help make the school more comfortable for students and teachers.

For Principal Heather Stubbs-Gooden, the repairs mean the school can put spaces used every day back to work.

“These are spaces our students and teachers rely on. Having the roof repaired and the computer lab and stimulation centre restored makes a real difference to what we can offer our children each day,” Stubbs-Gooden said. “We are grateful to the N.C.B. Foundation, Global Empowerment Mission and everyone who helped our school recover.”

Perrin Gayle, CEO of the N.C.B. Foundation, said the project was guided by the school’s needs following the hurricane.

“When we spoke with the school, it was clear how much these facilities mattered to students and teachers,” Gayle said. “The Upper School needed a sound roof, students needed access to their computer lab, and the youngest children needed their learning space restored. We were pleased to work with Global Empowerment Mission to get that work done.”

The restoration forms part of the NCB Building a Better Jamaica Fund’s wider recovery efforts. Following Hurricane Melissa, the N.C.B. Foundation and its partners mobilised more than J$500 million to support communities across Jamaica.