With up to five feet of water in many schools around the state, the thought of starting school in a few weeks seems overwhelming at best, and improbable at worst.  Not only were classrooms devastated by flood waters in at least 25 schools in Southern West Virginia, teachers are now left with contaminated classroom materials and supplies that must be discarded and replaced prior to the start of school. 

 

“Our teachers and students are starting from scratch,” said Richwood High School representative Sundie Casto.  “We are overwhelmed by the support we have had around the state and the prayers and hard work are making a huge impact on the recovery efforts. In some instances, however, teachers are entering their classrooms and finding absolutely nothing salvageable, from the white boards, to the textbooks, to the technology and beyond.  While we await the completion of the cleanup and disinfection process, we anticipate the costs of replacing vital classroom materials in order to give students the best possible educational experience.”

 

When Bridgeport High School teachers heard about this plight, they worked with administrators to come up with a plan of action. 

 

“After brainstorming for ways to help, we decided to branch out into the community to gather monetary donations that could be contributed to affected schools to help restock their classroom materials,” said BHS teacher Cheryl McCarthy.

 

Student Council, DECA, Key Club and National Honor Society will join forces on July 31 to collect donations from area neighborhoods.  Students will wear BHS lanyards to ensure that they are legitimate collectors for the mission and will be assigned to specific neighborhoods so that no one is asked for donations more than once. Students and faculty will have a planning meeting on July 24 at 7 p.m. in the Bridgeport High School cafeteria to work out the details.  

 

“We encourage anyone who would like to participate to attend the meeting and get involved, even if they are not a member of the clubs,” said McCarthy. 

 

BHS is also issuing a Harrison County-wide challenge to other high schools to participate in the night of giving as well.

 

“As a teacher, I cannot imagine how devastating it would be to have to start from scratch with only a few weeks to prepare,” McCarthy said.  “Our community is always to generous and kind and it is a great opportunity to help those in need.”

 

For those who would prefer to make a school supply donation instead of a monetary donation, there will be a collection site housed at the Bridgeport Public Library, beginning July 18.  Supplies needed include, but aren’t limited to, paper, pencils, notebooks, hand sanitizer, tissues, binders, backpacks, and more.

 

“The outpouring of love and support for the basic needs is so appreciated by those affected by the floods,” said Casto.  “We know it will be a long process, but we are hoping to establish some sort of normal as we recover.  Making schools safe and well stocked will take a lot of the pressure off families who have already lost so much.”