NCB Foundation’s $6m support helps restore Santa Cruz Prep
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Annaleah Russell, a Grade 6 student at Santa Cruz Preparatory School, presents NCB Financial Group Chairman Michael Lee-Chin with a painting of the institution during a recent event marking the N.C.B. Foundation’s support for post-Hurricane Melissa repairs to the school. Contributed photos
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Annaleah Russell, a Grade 6 student at Santa Cruz Preparatory School, presents NCB Financial Group Chairman Michael Lee-Chin with a painting of the institution during a recent event marking the N.C.B. Foundation’s support for post-Hurricane Melissa repairs to the school. Contributed photos
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Damage to the Grade 3-6 block at Santa Cruz Preparatory School following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. Contributed photos
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The restored Grade 3-6 block at Santa Cruz Preparatory School. Contributed photos
Students at Santa Cruz Preparatory School regained access to classrooms and other learning spaces damaged by Hurricane Melissa after an approximately $6-million restoration project funded by the N.C.B. Foundation.
The project repaired damage caused by the hurricane in October 2025, including sections of the upper-school building, which houses grades one to six, the Robert Stubbs Computer Lab and the Kindergarten Stimulation Centre.
The repairs were carried out by Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), one of the funding and implementation partners of NCB’s Building a Better Jamaica Fund. The N.C.B. Foundation also donated an air-conditioning unit to improve comfort for students and teachers.
Principal Heather Stubbs-Gooden said the restoration has returned important facilities to daily use.
“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, chief executive officer of the N.C.B. Foundation, said the work was driven 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 project forms part of the wider recovery efforts undertaken through NCB’s Building a Better Jamaica Fund.
Following Hurricane Melissa, the N.C.B. Foundation and its partners mobilised more than $500 million to assist communities across Jamaica.