ERWIN, Tenn. — Things are a little crowded at Unicoi County Middle School. Hurricane Helene flooded Temple Hill Elementary School, the smallest in the county. Now, students' new classrooms are in the wing of a middle school.
Alexa Transki, the elementary school's principal, said the boiler room was especially damage and was completely flooded — tearing apart the building's electrical work.
Students were out of school for over three weeks. Now, students, teachers and staff are adjusting to a "new normal" until Temple Hill Elementary School is ready for students to move back in August.
It has about 96 students, Pre-K through the fifth grade.
"We've obviously had some really hard challenges, some things that we've never encountered or faced before," Transki said. "But at the same time, people just pick up where they, we've, left off."
Transki said five families had homes severely affected by flooding, and three of those families' homes are a complete loss. Their school counselor, Joseph Lara, said the most important factor for student success is having their basic needs met.
He said he's been humbled by what students have gone through and understands how important his role as a listening ear is for students.
"They have been very open about sharing things they have gone through," Lara said. "A lot of thoughts they've had about losing power and being without water and food for a while."
Lara said he's had group circle time with classes, met with students casually, and had official meetings. He said students have learned about empathy through understanding what their classmates are going through.
"These kids, specifically here at Temple Hill, have been nothing but resilient," Lara said. "They have been nothing but just amazing to watch, grow even through all of this."