Send 175 Students to High School in Belize

Dear OA Friends and Donors, 

As one of OA's Founders, I am forever proud of the resilience of OA's teachers and students. Despite being displaced for five months because of severe campus flooding, learning never stopped.  Students continued to win national awards. We celebrated our 16th graduating class and our first alumna to become a doctor of dentistry!

You, our generous donors, keep students' hopes and dreams alive. Your donations made campus renovations possible. By discontinuing the use of the ground floor and moving restrooms and offices upstairs, students were able to return to upper-floor classrooms.

Now we need to complete construction of two classrooms before the rainy season begins in September. We would love your help to spread the word so all of our students can remain on campus! 

The cost of each classroom is $45,000 USD. We have almost raised enough for half of one so far. Every donation helps!

See the flooding and hear from students in this video.

Students did not let the challenges slow them down. Check out some of their awards: 

• Central American Youth Ambassador: Selected through a rigorous national process, Nathaniel represented OA as one of eight Belizean Central American Youth Ambassadors. The U.S. Department of State exchange program included three weeks of immersion in the U.S. 
• Children’s Parliament: OA students Nathaniel, Ayiannie and Diane submitted winning applications to earn their spaces in Belize’s Children’s Parliament. Joined by three OA alumni, Jamilah, Kiana, and Jaslyn, the students convened at the National Assembly to debate real issues facing the country. 
• Girls in ICT: Diane, Geanne, Evarista and Keilin won second place at the national Girls in ICT event based on their performance in technical sessions involving cryptography and drone flight coding.
• Basketball Regionals & National Tournament: The male team won first in district and second in regionals. Four players were selected to play in the national basketball championship: Gevan and Angel for the male team and Jiselle and Jazz for the female team.  
• Certificates: 93 Students earned industry-recognized certifications in Culinary Arts, Scuba Open Water, Electrical, Woodworking, First Aid & Health Education, Fish & Coral ID, Mixed Media Art, Cosmetology, Crochet & Embroidery, and Football.

Graduation season brought excitement for our seniors and alumni:  

• 39 students celebrated graduation from OA in June. 
• OA alumna Dr. Daniela Novelo earned a doctorate in dentistry from Universidad Anáhuac Mayab.
• OA alumna and Vice Principal Leyvi Florian earned a Master of Education in Education Leadership from Galen University. 
• Alumni topped their classes and earned Associate’s Degrees on the mainland: 
• Lily: 4.0 GPA and #1 in her class, Business Administration with focus in graphic design. 
• Breyannie: Honors, Business Administration with focus in Economics and Accounting. 
• Sophie, Dean’s List, Prelaw. 
• Izayil: Hospitality and Tourism Management.  

Thank you for your presence on our journey. We could not do this important work without you!

With gratitude, 

Heidi Curry

Founder, Ocean Academy

Links:

• 2025 From Flooding to Rebuilding
• Ocean Academy Facebook
• Ocean Academy Website