For teachers and students at two schools in Kendal, Manchester, the new school term began with more than the excitement of returning to the classroom; they will also return to classrooms made safer after Hurricane Melissa damaged their roofs.

Just days before the start of the September school term, the JN Circle Mandeville, through funding from the JN Foundation, restored sections of the roof at Kendal Primary and Infant School and repaired the roof and ceiling of Kendal Shiloh Early Childhood Institution (ECI), helping to remove safety concerns and reestablish learning spaces disrupted by the hurricane.

The infrastructure works at the schools were funded through the JN Group’s ISupportJamaica Hurricane Relief Fund and formed part of the foundation’s ongoing commitment to helping communities recover and build resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

At Kendal Shiloh ECI, the damage was severe. The school lost most of its roof, forcing teachers to move students to other areas of the institution to conduct classes.

Denisa Mollison, a teacher, said the disruption posed significant challenges to teaching but the restoration has helped the school to resume a more stable learning environment. “It has been a great help because we can go back to normal and teach them in the best way,” she said.

The institution, which has been serving the Kendal community for about 20 years, has 27 students and focuses on the holistic development of its young learners, with literacy being a key priority.

The JN Foundation’s intervention was also welcomed at neighbouring Kendal Primary and Infant School, where the hurricane damaged sections of the roof and caused box eaves to come loose.

Maxine Headley, school principal, who is also secretary of the local JN Circle Mandeville, said that while the school escaped major structural damage, the situation posed a potential danger to students.

“Although the school was not badly damaged, we had the box eaves coming down, and it was more of a detrimental effect on the children’s safety,” she pointed out.

Mrs Headley, who learnt about the JN Foundation’s support through JN Circle meetings, nominated the school for assistance. 

“For our project to be selected and the box eaves to get fixed, I am very happy, and the school is much safer now,” she said.

The nomination of Kendal Shiloh ECI came from Verna Manning, a member of JN Circle Mandeville, who said she immediately thought of the school when she learnt that assistance was available.

Mrs Manning pointed out the hurricane had left the early childhood institution in urgent need after the school lost its roof and ceiling.

“The nomination helped tremendously [in] fixing the ceiling of the school. The teachers are very grateful, students are very grateful, and also members of the school group and, in general, the Kendal community,” she related.

For the JN Foundation, the restoration is about more than repairing hurricane damage. It is an investment in the children who depend on these institutions and the communities they serve.

Omar Wright, lead, Environment and Community Development at the JN Foundation, said the organisation was pleased to provide timely assistance to the schools, particularly for the new academic year. Both schools also received assistance with back-to-school supplies from the JN Foundation.

“When a school is damaged, the impact goes far beyond the physical structure. It affects how children learn, how teachers teach and the sense of safety within the school community. We are therefore pleased to have played a part in restoring these spaces so that students can return to school ready to learn and thrive,” he said.