In the immediate days following the widespread destruction of Hurricane Helene, Yancey County Schools students, employees, families and community members joined together to serve the needs of our community. They worked long hours at school sites, each of which served as a distribution site, shelter, comfort station hub or housing for workers. Some experienced great personal loss: loved ones, homes, possessions. Others did not have any loss or physical damage, but the community-wide sense of devastation, shock and hopelessness was felt by every individual who calls Yancey County “home.” Neighbors helped each other by joining together to cook meals over gas grills and campfires, cutting up trees to access roads and ensuring each other’s safety and well-being.
As help began to arrive, immediate needs met, communications improved, electricity slowly restored and a sense of order returned, YCS began to prepare for school to reopen. Having lost 7 weeks of instructional time, it was imperative that students return to the classroom, however, leadership was keenly aware of the mental and emotional impact the storm had on students and employees alike. MHHS science teacher Sarah Laws sought out resources for her colleagues. Mrs. Laws utilized her connections through Kenan Fellowship and was put in contact with Liz DeMattia, lead research scientist for the Duke Marine Lab’s Community Science Initiative and the leader of the Ready, Set, Resilience program.
“After Hurricane Helene I really felt the need for some training/tools on how to get back into the classroom with students who had experienced such severe trauma,” shared Mrs. Laws. “Liz DeMattia brought professional development to Yancey County Schools the day before we reopened for students. Participants ranged from Elementary teachers to High School science teachers to school counselors and everything in between. From participant feedback, it seemed that everyone found the curriculum very helpful and made them more confident to return to school.”
Ready, Set, Resilience is an educational program that focuses on ecological, personal and community resilience. Initially created to support students and teachers in Carteret County following the pandemic and back-to-back hurricanes, the program is currently being used by 16 teachers in three WNC school districts as well as 28 teachers in Durham and Carteret Counties.
The curriculum centers around a collection of illustrated fables with animals and plants that face and overcome environmental challenges. The goal is that kids learn what makes nature resilient and use those lessons to find empowerment in their own struggles.
Mrs. Laws reports that YCS teachers continue to be supported by Ready, Set, Resilience staff. “They have provided class sets of their curriculum, class sets of sensory toys, regulating task cards, and even a story walk of one of their nature fables.” As the one year mark of Helene looms, YCS leadership and staff continue to address the needs of students and their families. YCS is extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and kindness from countless individuals and groups and for those that continue to encourage and support.
