New from EdNC
As lawmakers discuss Helene relief, here’s what the state funded after the last major hurricane
Contents K-12 relief Relief for community colleges Child care Other highlights from Florence relief On Sept. 27, Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina as a Tropical Storm — leaving many areas in western North Carolina with historic levels of flooding and infrastructure damage.…
Burke County elementary schools welcome two child care programs devastated by Helene
Hurricane Helene destroyed Burke County’s two largest child care centers, displacing about 250 children from their learning environments and impeding parents from working.…
PAGE uses an ecosystem of partnerships to support students in aftermath of storm
‘My last touch point with Marshall above water’ On Wednesday, Sept. 26, the Partnership for Appalachian Girls Education (PAGE), took an afterschool field trip to the Marshall Library native garden.…
Perspective | The journey toward the science of reading in Nash County Public Schools
Before North Carolina embraced the science of reading and launched LETRS training for elementary school teachers, Nash County Public Schools recognized a critical gap in reading instruction for our youngest learners.…
The Editor’s Notes
Here is your playlist for the weekend courtesy of Jeff McDaris.
Being a client of Dan Gerlach is wonderful and helpful for many reasons, but his newsletters are a real bright spot for me. This week, he included a personal story. In it, he shares some reflections from McDowell County in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. I wanted to pass these along with a few of my own notes.
“You see whole lives on the road three weeks after the storm,” Dan writes. Kathy Amos, the superintendent in Yancey County Schools, talks about the emotional impact of seeing a Christmas ornament or a student’s backpack in the debris and knowing “these are somebody’s things.”
Dan says that many places are out of warehouse space for the supplies that have been donated. As points of distribution are moved out of schools so students can come back to class, warehouse space will be at even more of a premium. What people need is different now county to county, and it is changing relative to the weather. Avery County had snow this week, and not just a dusting. He says, “I’d recommend gift cards or cold hard American cash donations to enable the best fit.” I echo that. If you are taking supplies, make sure it is what they need. This week, for example, I focused on getting people mattresses and gas for the generators.
Dan writes, “Every local person … throughout the region, has had loss or significant damage to their property or some relative’s property. They have set that aside while they are working 12+ hour days to serve others. It’s inspiring but the mental and physical toll, not to mention the fiscal toll on the community hubs, is quite real.” Instead of asking “how are you,” I am asking “how are you today?” Instead of saying “have a good day,” I am saying “be good to yourself today.”
“No one I spoke to wallowed in the loss,” Dan says. “Rather, they realized that others had it much worse. Or at least they said so and went back to work.”
I’d add that the generosity of those we are serving is overwhelming. Thank you for the honey, vegetable soup, runner beans, and other assorted local canned goods.
I was in Mitchell County this week for the first girls volleyball game since the storm. They were playing Heritage High from Yancey. “Together we fight,” said some of the t-shirts. In the cafeteria next to the gym, community members who were there receiving a hot meal stood as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. They cheered on both teams.
Need to know
Madison County Schools set for post-Helene return; to provide showers, laundry services
Go Madison County Schools and Team Will Hoffman!... Read the rest
