Schools Return After Hurricane
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Area schools are beginning to return to the classroom after closing because of the destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene.
Wheeler County Schools is the first school system within the area to open their doors to students, as classes resumed on Monday, October 7. Prior to the school’s reopening, the administration shared a heartfelt message with the community, saying, “We will have hot meals, love and support waiting on students as they arrive. We will also have extra counselors on campus. If parents prefer to keep their students at home, we support you and will not count those students absent next week. Our prayers and thoughts are with all of you during this most difficult time.”
The district has even opened the school’s two showers to elementary school students who may still be without power. Any students that plan to utilize the shower must have a letter from their parent giving permission for the task, and must bring a towel, washcloth, and a change of clothes. School officials will not be helping students to bathe, but welcome parents of younger children to come help their student take a shower.
Any parents of Wheeler County Students that are in need of any supplies are encouraged to contact the school administrators, as the district has several items that can be delivered or picked up by parents.
In an effort to make the return to school fun for young students, kindergarten teachers decorated the halls for students’ return, as they attempted to help lift the spirits of the students.
Treutlen County Schools
Treutlen County Schools returned to the classroom on Wednesday, October 9, on an adjusted daily schedule.
Because of the amount of debris throughout the county roads, the school will not begin each morning until 9 a.m., with bus pick-up within the unincorporated county areas at 8 a.m. and in-city bus pickup will begin at 8:30 a.m.
“We recognize the ongoing challenges many families are facing, and absences will be handled with compassion. If your child cannot return on this date due to a lack of power or other factors, please reach out to your child’s school,” Superintendent Susan Stone remarked. “Together, we’ll overcome these challenges and move forward, showing the strength of Viking Nation and what it means to be Treutlen Strong!”
Stone said that if further adjustments need to be made to the school schedule, parents will be notified of these changes as soon as possible. Montgomery County Schools Students are slated to return to Montgomery County Schools on Thursday, October 10, as the district stated that students nor staff would be penalized for absences.
“Our prayer is that each of you is persevering through this time. We recognize that this has been difficult on so many levels for all of us. We hope you have been able to feel the care and love we have tried to share over the last 10 days! We are looking forward to normalcy!” Superintendent Ronda Hightower emphasized. “Thank you for allowing us to serve you over the last several days. We do understand that some may still be facing difficulties related to the storm. Our desire is to put our eyes on as many of our Eagle Family as we can and provide for needs as we are able.”
The school system plans to review the state of the county on Tuesday night, October 8, to determine whether this plan of return will move forward.
Robert Toombs Christian Academy Robert Toombs Christian Academy will also welcome students back to school on Thursday, October 10, and encourages all who may have issues returning to class to contact the school’s front office.
Headmaster Scott Tuck said he has been encouraged by the outpouring of love and support throughout not only the community, but fellow schools within the state, as Piedmont Academy and other institutions have came to provide supplies to Robert Toombs Christian Academy students and families.
“We are excited to see everyone back here on Thursday!” he assured.
Vidalia City Schools
Students within the Vidalia City School Sys tem plan to return on Thursday, October 10, as the district is currently working to ensure safety for all students and staff members.
According to Superintendent Sandy Reid, all buildings and facilities on campus have been inspected and are safe for a return to the classroom. Bus drivers are also practicing their routes in both their personal vehicles and buses to ensure that these routes may be completed safely even with the complications that debris and utility trucks may cause.
The return is also contingent on the arrival of a food supply load, which is expected to come on October 10. “Unfortunately, because of the power outage, we did lose some of our food supply. We have another truck coming, but want to make sure that we are able to feed these students and give them a good meal,” she added.
Reid said that she has been encouraged at the amount of students and staff that have participated in volunteering activities throughout the community during this time of need. “It does not surprise me because I know we have amazing students and staff – but, I certainly am proud and inspired by their kindness and love for the community,” she emphasized.
The superintendent shared that if there are any changes in the school return schedule, parents and families will be notified as soon as the decision is made. She said that any students with situations that make them unable to return to school should contact their school administrators. “We understand that some students may not be physically or emotionally able to handle returning to school right now – that is okay,” she explained. “We want to be compassionate and understanding towards those students and staff, while also knowing that returning to school and some sense of normalcy is part of the healing process.”
Vidalia Heritage Academy Vidalia Heritage Acad emy will reopen its doors to students on Thursday, October 10, as the school makes some adjustments to its structure.
“We believe giving our students some sense of normalcy, as well as parents the opportunity to work or repair their homes or businesses, would be a welcome respite,” Headmaster Jeff McCormick commented.
He stated that though most students will return to the institute on October 10, K-2 students will not return to the classroom until October 29 because a lack of location space for the class, as the preschool building is being used to house disaster relief workers. Because of this lack of location space, K-3 and K-4 students will return to class but in a new setting, as the students will be housed in the Vidalia Her itage Academy elementary school facility.
Students are allowed to wear “free dress” attire rather than their uniforms over the next two weeks, as McCormick shared that he understood the current difficulty of washing clothes in this time.
The upcoming middle school field trip to Perry has been canceled, and the school’s fall performance, which was slated for October 11, has been postponed to a later date. The school’s upcoming homecoming game will also be played at Crisp Academy, as McCormick stated that the school’s football field was destroyed and will remain unplayable for several weeks. Toombs County Schools
Toombs County Schools Superintendent Barry Waller said that students will be welcomed back to school on Tuesday, October 15, to allow students and staff time to process all that the community has recently gone through.
“Please take this time over this next week to continue to heal as we are all resilient. Our school system is here to support and help its community, and we are praying for you and look forward to seeing you back on October 15 to continue the school year,” he emphasized.
Even with taking the extra days, Waller said that the district does not have any planned make-up days within the school year, as the district focuses on helping students and staff to healthily overcome the challenges and turmoil caused by Hurricane Helene.
During their time out of school, the district’s staff and students have been very active in the community – providing student meals, distributing goods to those in need, and more. Waller said that these activities showcase the heart for the community held by the district’s population.
Colleges
Southeastern Technical College will resume its normal class schedule on Monday, October 14. College administrators stated that following this resuming of classes, instructors will provide students with information on making up hours for courses, such as cosmetology and nursing, and on what to expect for the remainder of the semester.
Brewton-Parker College will welcome students back to campus on October 10 before resuming classes on Monday, October 14. The college is currently working out issues with an internet outage to determine how to best proceed with the remainder of the semester until service may be restored.
