NewzA Sandals Foundation-led restoration of schools across Jamaica’s western and northern parishes affected by Hurricane Melissa is being described as a rebirth. Valued at just over $214 million, the works have given students a fresh start to the 2026/2027 academic year — spanning full structural rebuilds, re-roofing, solar power, and water security upgrades at schools across the affected parishes. Within hours of Hurricane Melissa’s passage on October 28 Sandals Foundation mobilised an immediate response — conducting cleaning and clearing operations at 17 schools across the affected parishes.
Drawing on the expertise of local and international partners including Team Rubicon, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mercy Chefs, and Sandals and Beaches Resorts team members, the coordinated effort focused on salvaging resources, pest and rodent control, installing temporary roofing, providing meals, and setting up tents as temporary learning spaces to bring a sense of normalcy to students in the storm’s immediate aftermath. That emergency response laid the groundwork for a far larger undertaking: rebuilding schools stronger than before. Restoration at Culloden Infant School in Westmoreland leads the effort at a value of $100.572 million.
The school underwent a comprehensive structural rebuild — including the reconstruction of internal walls, new windows and doors, more resilient re-roofing, two modular classrooms, electrical rewiring, and the installation of six water tanks — alongside new solar-powered energy. Students now enjoy a new, fully outfitted library made possible through partnership with non-profit Good 360 of the United States. Finishing touches — fresh paint and artistic murals throughout the school — complete the transformation, giving students a bright, welcoming space to which they can return.
Culloden Infant School Principal Michelle Whittingham said the transformation is beyond expectation. “Looking back from Hurricane Melissa, I’m just so overjoyed. When I came here after the storm and saw the devastation, I wondered and prayed if we could ever come back.
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,” she said. Kings Primary and Infant School in Westmoreland, which also serves as an emergency shel…
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