The students and staff of Valle Crucis School in Watauga County are all back together under the same roof just over a year after Hurricane Helene destroyed 20 classrooms and the school gym. With more than 70% of the school’s square footage destroyed, educators worked quickly to minimize disruption for students.
- K-5 students were assigned to Valle Crucis Conference Center and Holy Cross Episcopal Church.
- Middle school students were offered classroom space on the Watauga campus of Caldwell Community College.
- Preschoolers were welcomed on the campus of Appalachian State University in a preapproved classroom.
Creating new learning environments in unfamiliar settings was a big pivot for classroom teachers and auxiliary staff alike. In those early days of uncertainty and throughout the last 12 months of off-site learning, the responsiveness and determination of teachers, administrators, and community partners kept plans moving forward and strengthened hope that recovery was possible. Looking back, VCS teachers and staff share amazement about their ability to adapt and create structured learning environments for more than 300 students during such complicated circumstances.
Unique Learning Spaces
Every morning, fifth grade students hiked up a hill from the bus drop-off to their classroom at Valle Crucis Conference Center’s Johnson Hall. They were led by their teacher, Mary Ruth Hagaman. "Rain, shine, or snow, we had to hike up and down the hill to reach the classroom and to move to other activities, like P.E. or lunch at the dining hall,” said Hagaman. “We lost 45 minutes of instruction every day because of all of those extra steps! But students adapted quickly, getting into a groove after the first two or three weeks.”
Hagaman is one of five VCS teachers whose traditional classrooms were completely destroyed by Helene flooding, with no salvageable supplies or decorations. She did her best to transform the temporary classroom into an inviting space for students. One of the rooms in Johnson Hall offered a balcony, so students enjoyed their boxed lunches gazing at the mountain vista. "The kids were fascinated by the beautiful landscape and the beauty of their surroundings,” said Hagaman. “We were outside a lot. In many ways, nature became our classroom.”
The entire fifth grade was combined into one classroom to make the most of the available space, so Hagaman’s class size doubled from 18 to 36 students. Not being housed within a typical school building meant that most daily activities were classroom-based. Music and art teachers traveled between campuses to conduct their lessons. There was a grassy area down the hill from Hagaman’s classroom where P.E. and recess were held, but rain or snow often moved those activities indoors. "Just imagine 36 fifth graders attempting to play kick ball in a classroom,” said Hagaman. “But the students adapted to change, quickly. I’m incredibly proud of them for being so resilient.”
Physical Education on the Move
Caleb Brannock leads physical education instruction for kindergarten through eighth grade students at VCS. Serving the students at the three temporary locations put his juggling skills to the test. With his mid-sized SUV filled to capacity with orange cones, inflated balls, and other equipment needed to complement lesson plans, Brannock navigated traffic daily, arriving on time and with equipment in hand to serve students at each campus, throughout the year.
He started each day at Caldwell Community College with a 5-minute walk to an open field where he led middle schoolers through physical activities and games like kick ball. “We provided a lot of morning entertainment to community college students who walked by us in the quad on their way to classes,” said Brannock.
Without a dedicated gym, Brannock relied on outdoor spaces for conducting his activities, and that became a challenge during the winter months. "It’s five or ten degrees cooler here than other places in the county,” said Brannock. “I was quick to put thermals on my holiday wish list as temps became really cold.”
After wrapping up middle school P.E. classes, Brannock moved to Valle Crucis Conference Center and Holy Cross to teach grades K-5. He organized many of his VCCC activities in a big field that sometimes had to serve as a parking lot. "Some days, I would show up to teach and find 50 cars where I thought we would be conducting the class, so we would find ways to pivot and make the best of the situation” said Brannock. “At Holy Cross, I held most K-5 classes on a shaded gravel annex parking lot. After winter weather, snow and ice were slow to melt, so, in a way, we had our own ice-skating rink.”
Brannock recalled a day so windy that cones placed for a kickball game began to blow away, but he preferred weather challenges to indoor activities. “Imagine teaching a whole grade level at a time (40 first graders) in a size intended for 15 to 20 people,” said Brannock. “Trying to get kids to reach the standards we set, progress and grow in that limited space – it was quite an adventure!”
Beginning last month with the opening of the newly built Valle Crucis School, Brannock is excited to be welcoming students into their home gymnasium and leading them in outdoor activities in the sizeable recreation spaces on the school campus. He says he won’t miss the traffic or the grab-and-go nature of last year’s P.E. adventures. "The kids are so happy and proud to be back in their own school building,” said Brannock. “And I’m excited to be able to put groceries in my back seat again.”
Multi-Site Catering from a Shared Kitchen
Perhaps the most complex challenge faced by Valle Crucis School was the need to continue serving meals to every student at three different campuses, without a home kitchen. The school nutrition staff was invited to move into shared kitchen space at Watauga High where meals could be prepped. The team worked quickly to reach vendors, making sure their food and equipment deliveries were redirected to the new space. The next hurdle became designing a menu of portable foods and organizing their four4-person staff to cover meal prep, cooking, packaging, and the delivery of food in time for students to be fed during their specified breakfast and lunch breaks.
Breakfast was packaged and delivered to students at a transportation hub where all students came to catch the bus to their temporary classrooms each day. Students ate during the bus ride or when they arrived at school. Boxed lunches were prepped and transported during each school day. VCS nutrition staff managed many logistics in order to stay on schedule. There wasn’t much room for delay or delivery mishaps.
“Early on, we realized a big challenge was going to be making sure students with allergies or special meal plans received the correct box,” said Monica Bolick, Director of Nutrition for Watauga County Schools. “On the days we were serving pineapple, for example, we would go through and mark the boxes of students with allergies to pineapple and find a different food to add to their box for that day.”
Time limitations, traffic, and road construction each presented additional challenges on early release days or school days with two-hour delays. A lot of time was spent planning, coordinating, and making adjustments. Looking back, Bolick is filled with pride at the incredible teamwork and dedication that allowed the four-member VCS nutrition staff to pivot into a multi-site catering service in a matter of days, and from an unfamiliar kitchen. “This team was so resilient,” said Bolick. “The days were long, and the work was hard. Just imagine carrying food in and out of the building after prepping it, loading a van, then carrying those same boxes into three different schools on a tight schedule. It was a lot."
With the opening of the new VCS building, the nutrition staff are happy to be back in their own space, serving up hot meals and interacting with students. They are enjoying a renewed flexibility, no longer needing to share food prep spaces or wait their turn to use the dish room. “This past year involved a lot of careful coordination,” said Bolick. “Unless you were there and saw it and experienced the challenges, it came across as seamless.”
At VCS Open House, parents and students toured the new dining room, offering appreciation for the work of the school nutrition team and their exhaustive efforts. “The kids were so excited for the return of a la carte items like ice cream and chips,” said Bolick. “They said, ‘We can’t wait to have hot food again. We don’t have to eat out of a box again.’”
Bolick said the careful balance of sharing a school kitchen bonded the nutrition teams at Watauga High and VCS, as they hold fond memories of making it through those challenges together. VCS is immensely grateful for the generosity that allowed them a path to continue serving their students.
The challenges faced by VCS staff and students during their year of post-Helene transition were met with incredible creativity and endurance. The difficult days are becoming memories that have already started to fade. “All of the time and effort spent were worth it,” said Hagaman, who shared her emotions reflecting on all that her students and colleagues have endured. “I’m relieved, happy, and so grateful” she said. “Settling into a brand-new building after going through what we did, I will never, ever take for granted a classroom, ever again.”
The extraordinary efforts undertaken by the VCS team are a shining example of the impact teachers and staff make in our classrooms and the priority they place on each student’s education and well-being.
“Three hundred and ninety-three days after Hurricane Helene destroyed their elementary school, Valle Crucis students walked into a beautiful new building. But this story is not just about the brand-new facility and campus. It is also that learning continued during those 393 days,” said State Superintendent Mo Green. “Churches, colleges, and communities ensured that these children did not miss a beat. That is North Carolina public schools at its best: When disasters strike, we do not just rebuild buildings, we strengthen our resolve to educate every child."
Teachers, administrators, staff, and volunteers across the region showed tremendous heart and dedication following Hurricane Helene. “I’m so incredibly proud of the Valle Crucis School community and the resilience they exemplified during this year of transition,” said Scott Elliott, Deputy Director for Engagement for GROW NC and former Superintendent of Watauga County Schools. “To all of our school communities across the region who continue to bring their best every day to help our students achieve and our school systems recover, please know that your efforts are seen and celebrated, and we will continue to work alongside you to advocate for recovery needs.”
Putting State Dollars to Work on School Recovery
State funding programs aimed at helping school communities recover from Hurricane Helene have included support for school nutrition programs and employees, infrastructure grants, and capital recovery funding. Below are just a few of the programs making an impact on school recovery in western North Carolina.
The School Nutrition Employee Compensation Program provided more than $2.5 million to keep school nutrition employees whole during school closures, as directed by the Disaster Recovery Act – Part 2, with funds serving 29 school systems and three charter schools.
Funding for the repair or replacement of food nutrition equipment, food, and food nutrition supplies in Helene-impacted schools was provided through the NC Department of Public Instruction, serving 318 schools and 149,470 students.
Capital recovery funds totaling $50 million have supported the recovery of public school facilities, serving 21 schools in eight districts. An additional $31 million has been directed to offer continued support with the repair and renovation of facilities for local school administrative units and lab schools with unmet needs.
An $8 million competitive grant program offered through the NC Department of Public Instruction is available for Helene-impacted public schools to support the repair or replacement of school buildings or infrastructure damaged by the disaster. This funding is intended to support schools with damages or repairs that were denied insurance coverage and federal aid.
Visit our WNC Recovery Stories page to find more stories about the programs, people and organizations making a difference in western North Carolina.