RICHWOOD, W.Va. — Cherry River Elementary School Principal C.C. Lester said the first day of school was a little different than usual Friday, but that it hasn’t created any problems.
“It’s just been a normal day really,” he said. “The fact of the matter is we’re coming from some different places, but we’re rolling with it here.”
Students from Richwood Middle School have been squeezed into Cherry River Elementary School in the wake of the damage suffered during the June 23 floods.
“Kids haven’t said anything or noticed anything about it,” he said. “They’re happy. We’re full stride today for my school. I think the Middle School made some adjustments. They’re not used to the classrooms, but this morning my teachers and the Middle School teachers were out there greeting them off the bus and got them where they are supposed to go.”
Richwood High School students are attending the former Beaver Elementary School near Craigsville which was closed a couple of years ago as part of a consolidation plan.
Lester said at Cherry Elementary they were able to be flexible due to recent changes at the school, but know it’s not a permanent solution.
“With the departure of Starting Points, we had five extra rooms,” he said. “I rearranged some of my staff members and moved them into other rooms like computer labs. The Middle School moved to the front part of the school. We’re in the back part.”
Nicholas County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donna Burge-Tetrick has expressed her hope that displaced students from Richwood High School, Richwood Middle School, and Summersville Middle School will be able to move out of their temporary homes in no more than 90 days.
“Hopefully they’re going to be having pods moved into the Richwood area and the middle school will be going back into the pods as well as the high school,” Lester said.
It’s believed likely that the three schools that suffered damage–particularly the two in Richwood–may not be salvageable in the wake of the June 23 floods.