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School days: Students regroup, learn from Hurricane Ike
  
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By ROYCELYN BASTIAN
It was almost like the first day of school when students in the Spring Independent School District returned to class Sept. 25.
But this time, many of them did not have stories of fun that they could share, but the experiences they had during Hurricane Ike.
“It was kind of weird not being in school and with no power; it was kind of boring,” said Alex Zimmerman, a fifth-grader at Reynolds Elementary. The student said he spent more time outside playing football.
At Reynolds Elementary, principal Carolyn Mays and her staff met prior to school re-opening to assess the needs of the employees and students. The school sent letters home to parents to find out what the students’ needs were and to provide a list of resources for the families, Mays said.
“It was just like the first day of school and although my students enjoyed being off, I could tell they are happy and were ready to come back to school,” she said. “Of those who did not come back, we have contacted their families to see what their needs are and what we could do to help them.”
The principal and team leaders also extended that same hand to staff members who had property damage and are still without electricity. Even though there are some teachers without power, Mays is grateful that they are at school ready and willing to put their students’ needs first.
“I have at least 18 staff members who still do not have electricity and they have been wonderful. They are truly storm troopers,” Mays said of her staff and of her students who are still with power. “This has been a great team effort.”
At Wells Middle School, teachers and staff have developed a plan to help students learn about the hurricane and to give them an opportunity to openly share their experiences with their peers.
“When the students came back to school, we began to incorporate our team building program, Capturing Kids’ Hearts, to find out their needs and to allow them to incorporate their experiences in the classroom,” said Barbara Leland, principal.
In the language arts classes, students are pair sharing, which means they are talking to one another and writing in their journals about what happened.
“In the science department, our students are using the scientific method in rebuilding homes using play-dough or clay, toothpicks, Q-tips, straws and craft sticks. Once their home is built, it is placed in front of fans to see how durable it is,” said Kelli Smith, science teacher and department chair. “This gives them an opportunity to learn what happened during the hurricane and the winds associated with it.”
In addition to incorporating the storm into the students’ education, the school collected and assessed its resources to help students and their families. Donations went to provide meals, clothing and hygiene products to students, and the school opened its doors to families.
“We have so many washers and dryers at the school that we allowed families to come in and do laundry and access our computers to contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),” Leland said. “Our goal is to put our students’ needs first and to help them make the transition back to school.”
To help aid families after Hurricane Ike, all Spring ISD campuses will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students.
According to Regina Curry, associate superintendent of public relations and technology, the school district is 70 percent economically disadvantaged and many of the students may have been without breakfast or lunch for the two weeks they were out.
“We are giving away free breakfast and lunch to all students for two weeks, which will give those who need it enough time to apply for free or reduced lunch,” Curry said.
The district is also working with many organizations in the community such as Northwest Assistance Ministries to help provide necessary items to students, families and staff who are in need.
With two weeks of school missed due to the storm, Spring ISD will have to decide how or if they are going to make those days up. Currently the district is waiting on a decision from the Texas Education Agency.
“In an emergency board meeting, the board of trustees will decide to adopt a resolution to apply to the TEA for a waiver for missed days as well as paying staff for missed days of work due to the hurricane,” Curry said.
The emergency board meeting was held Sept. 30.
Lack of electricity was not the only problem that many campuses in Spring ISD faced. Hurricane Ike’s Category 2 winds were responsible for downed trees and power lines at the schools.
Across the district, roofs on portable buildings on campuses were blown off and a portion of them had to be repaired before school re-opened Sept. 25.
“When the roofs were damaged, the computers were ruined once the water got in,” Curry said. “When we assessed our damages, we had to work hard and fast to clean it up, pull out all of the items and throw away those that were no longer useable.”
Construction projects also faced the hurricane’s wrath as the new supply service center facility reported roof damage that has to be repaired. The new facility will house all of the district’s service departments such as the maintenance, transportation, operations and safety. Other reported damages were awnings between the portable and permanent buildings were blown off and will have to be replaced, the athletic fields had to be cleaned up, many marquees were destroyed and fences were damaged due to fallen trees and power lines.
Once electricity was restored to the campuses and buildings, the district had to deal with mold, mildew and begin the process of cleaning up and repairing damages so that students could come back to school.
“When the lights came back on, we were able to assess the damages and decide what needed to be repaired or thrown out,” Curry said. “In just a few cases, food had to be thrown away and some books in the libraries or around the school are no longer useable.”
In addition to fixing damages and getting power restored, Spring ISD is working with the county to get aerial sprays to combat the growing problem of mosquitos and other insects that are now around the schools.
But this time, many of them did not have stories of fun that they could share, but the experiences they had during Hurricane Ike.
“It was kind of weird not being in school and with no power; it was kind of boring,” said Alex Zimmerman, a fifth-grader at Reynolds Elementary. The student said he spent more time outside playing football.
At Reynolds Elementary, principal Carolyn Mays and her staff met prior to school re-opening to assess the needs of the employees and students. The school sent letters home to parents to find out what the students’ needs were and to provide a list of resources for the families, Mays said.
“It was just like the first day of school and although my students enjoyed being off, I could tell they are happy and were ready to come back to school,” she said. “Of those who did not come back, we have contacted their families to see what their needs are and what we could do to help them.”
The principal and team leaders also extended that same hand to staff members who had property damage and are still without electricity. Even though there are some teachers without power, Mays is grateful that they are at school ready and willing to put their students’ needs first.
“I have at least 18 staff members who still do not have electricity and they have been wonderful. They are truly storm troopers,” Mays said of her staff and of her students who are still with power. “This has been a great team effort.”
At Wells Middle School, teachers and staff have developed a plan to help students learn about the hurricane and to give them an opportunity to openly share their experiences with their peers.
“When the students came back to school, we began to incorporate our team building program, Capturing Kids’ Hearts, to find out their needs and to allow them to incorporate their experiences in the classroom,” said Barbara Leland, principal.
In the language arts classes, students are pair sharing, which means they are talking to one another and writing in their journals about what happened.
“In the science department, our students are using the scientific method in rebuilding homes using play-dough or clay, toothpicks, Q-tips, straws and craft sticks. Once their home is built, it is placed in front of fans to see how durable it is,” said Kelli Smith, science teacher and department chair. “This gives them an opportunity to learn what happened during the hurricane and the winds associated with it.”
In addition to incorporating the storm into the students’ education, the school collected and assessed its resources to help students and their families. Donations went to provide meals, clothing and hygiene products to students, and the school opened its doors to families.
“We have so many washers and dryers at the school that we allowed families to come in and do laundry and access our computers to contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),” Leland said. “Our goal is to put our students’ needs first and to help them make the transition back to school.”
To help aid families after Hurricane Ike, all Spring ISD campuses will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students.
According to Regina Curry, associate superintendent of public relations and technology, the school district is 70 percent economically disadvantaged and many of the students may have been without breakfast or lunch for the two weeks they were out.
“We are giving away free breakfast and lunch to all students for two weeks, which will give those who need it enough time to apply for free or reduced lunch,” Curry said.
The district is also working with many organizations in the community such as Northwest Assistance Ministries to help provide necessary items to students, families and staff who are in need.
With two weeks of school missed due to the storm, Spring ISD will have to decide how or if they are going to make those days up. Currently the district is waiting on a decision from the Texas Education Agency.
“In an emergency board meeting, the board of trustees will decide to adopt a resolution to apply to the TEA for a waiver for missed days as well as paying staff for missed days of work due to the hurricane,” Curry said.
The emergency board meeting was held Sept. 30.
Lack of electricity was not the only problem that many campuses in Spring ISD faced. Hurricane Ike’s Category 2 winds were responsible for downed trees and power lines at the schools.
Across the district, roofs on portable buildings on campuses were blown off and a portion of them had to be repaired before school re-opened Sept. 25.
“When the roofs were damaged, the computers were ruined once the water got in,” Curry said. “When we assessed our damages, we had to work hard and fast to clean it up, pull out all of the items and throw away those that were no longer useable.”
Construction projects also faced the hurricane’s wrath as the new supply service center facility reported roof damage that has to be repaired. The new facility will house all of the district’s service departments such as the maintenance, transportation, operations and safety. Other reported damages were awnings between the portable and permanent buildings were blown off and will have to be replaced, the athletic fields had to be cleaned up, many marquees were destroyed and fences were damaged due to fallen trees and power lines.
Once electricity was restored to the campuses and buildings, the district had to deal with mold, mildew and begin the process of cleaning up and repairing damages so that students could come back to school.
“When the lights came back on, we were able to assess the damages and decide what needed to be repaired or thrown out,” Curry said. “In just a few cases, food had to be thrown away and some books in the libraries or around the school are no longer useable.”
In addition to fixing damages and getting power restored, Spring ISD is working with the county to get aerial sprays to combat the growing problem of mosquitos and other insects that are now around the schools.
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