Sandals spends $214m rebuilding schools after Melissa

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Sandals Foundation has invested more than $214 million in restoring schools damaged by Hurricane Melissa, with two institutions in Westmoreland accounting for nearly $192 million of the spending.

The spending went beyond repairing hurricane damage. Some schools received solar-energy systems, expanded water storage, electrical upgrades, and other improvements designed to better withstand future disasters.

Culloden Infant School attracted the largest investment, receiving $100.57 million for a major rebuild. A further $91.5 million was spent on Kings Primary and Infant School, which also serves as an emergency shelter.

Together, the two projects account for about $192 million of the Sandals Foundation’s more than $214-million school-restoration programme following Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025.

At Culloden Infant, internal walls were rebuilt, windows and doors replaced, and the roof restored. Two modular classrooms were added, the electrical system rewired, six water tanks installed, and solar power introduced.

A new library, outfitted through a partnership with United States non-profit Good360, was also added.

For principal Michelle Whittingham, the school that students have returned to bears little resemblance to the one left devastated by Melissa.

“When I came here after the storm and saw the devastation, I wondered and prayed if we could ever come back,” Whittingham recalled. “Today, the school is much better than it was. We have gotten more. More things have been put in place, and I can’t wait to welcome our children back to continue their early-childhood education.”

Kings Primary and Infant also underwent extensive repairs, including work to walls, windows and doors, as well as the installation of more resilient roofing.

Six water tanks were added, while the school’s computer laboratory and library were restored and equipped with solar power.

The $91.5-million project was backed by partners including Air Canada Vacations, Food For The Poor-Canada and InterCaribbean Airways.

Principal Marcia Tatham-Miller said the improvements extended beyond the physical rebuilding of the school.

“The restoration work done at our school has helped to bring much renewed energy, confidence and hope for our children and the wider community,” she said.

“You have helped us to rise from the devastation stronger, more determined to give every child at Kings the opportunity to learn, grow and excel.”

Similar restoration and resilience work was carried out at five other schools across western Jamaica.

Whitehouse Early Childhood Institute in Westmoreland received reroofing, tiling and electrical upgrades, while Petersville Early Childhood Institution was reroofed.

At Flanker Primary in St James, bathrooms used by grades one to three were rebuilt and reroofed. Whitehouse Early Childhood Centre received roof-sealing work.

Cove Primary in Hanover benefited from new solar-energy technology through a joint rehabilitation project involving the Sandals Foundation and American Friends of Jamaica.

The reconstruction programme followed an emergency response launched within hours of Melissa’s passage. The foundation began clearing and clean-up operations at 17 schools across affected parishes.

The effort drew support from local and international partners, including Team Rubicon, UNICEF and Mercy Chefs, as well as team members from Sandals and Beaches resorts.

Crews salvaged school resources, carried out pest and rodent control, installed temporary roofing and learning tents, and provided meals as schools worked to resume operations.

The wider rebuilding programme was later developed in consultation with the Ministry of Education and guided by the National Education Trust.

Sandals Resorts Executive Chairman and Sandals Foundation President Adam Stewart credited corporate and travel partners with helping to fund the recovery.

“Our resilience as a nation stands tall alongside our strong culture and our influence as a people,” Stewart said. “We are incredibly grateful to our corporate and travel partners, who did not hesitate to respond during this challenge.”But Sandals Foundation Executive Director Heidi Clarke reserved most of the praise for educators who kept schools operating while grappling with the aftermath of one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit western Jamaica.

“We’ve done our best to rebuild stronger, help schools build to code, and strengthen the resilience of our learning institutions, but our principals are the true heroes,” Clarke said.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com