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When it did flood, I think it was the
24th when our school actually got flooded.
It was very sad and as I said
about a third of our staff
were affected by the flood.
So we stayed in close contact during
the summer, about what was going on,
who was affected.
We did have a couple of
professional development opportunities
to get together and I think that was
necessary for our staff to be able to
cry together, laugh together,
before we started the school year.
When the sirens went off
I was actually walking down my block and
talking to our custodian.
And our custodian was flooded twice.
He was flooded in April and now flooded again.
He is very devastated.
And, it almost makes me cry now,
I was crying, and he said don't worry, it's ok.
I said I'm not crying for me, Jim,
I'm crying for you. And just,
but he has been the most positive person to
everyday, it is what is.
He's in a FEMA trailer now
on his property and it's
gonna be ok, we're gonna get,
we're gonna get through this.
But on September 1st when we first got
into the structure, just to watch it happen,
over the summer to see the portables come in,
and the workers that have been here doing this.
It's like a miracle. Just to see
the structure that we have, at first when I
heard that they were going to be
portables, 20 portables, I thought
free standing portables, kind of like what is
on our lot already, and I thought,
well how are we going to do this?
How are we going to make this work?
And then when you see it come together,
when it's actual buildings and then
the breeze-way connecting it,
it was wonderful.
When we had our open house
we still did not have electricity
and families came in and
I think they were going really?
you're gonna start school in here on Tuesday?
And they couldn't really see a lot,
and then when they came here on Tuesday,
it was just amazing because
It had looked like we had been planning for months.
But that was not without
around the clock effort from September 1st
thru the Labor Day Weekend.
Thru the staff, other teachers and
other district people that came in and helped,
it was awesome.
And to hear the parents now, they
are so happy to see the structure
that we have. They know it's a good setting.
They wanted to come back here
because they appreciate our staff.
They know the teaching staff is wonderful
and just the comradery that we have
and the educational environment
we have is so wonderful.
That's why it's important
I think for us to be on the grounds.
It was almost like a way to really heal
and bring to we're back together
to be able to be together on this site.
Even though we see the school back there,
the kids will tell me, usually wants to,
I miss the old school. And I tell them I do too.
But we know we'll get back in there, so
you know, it's unfortunate, we couldn't change the flood
but we can change what happens from now on.