North Carolina middle school damaged by Tropical Storm Debby tornado starting year on time

LUCAMA, N.C. (WNCN) – A middle school in Wilson County is set to reopen on time for the start of the upcoming school year after an EF-3 tornado caused immense damage to the building less than one week ago.

Leaders with the Wilson County School District released a statement through social media on Wednesday evening, confirming the 2024-25 school year at Springfield Middle School in Lucama will begin as planned.

This decision comes after crews have spent days clearing up the debris leftover from a tornado that tore through the school on Aug. 8 as Tropical Storm Debby made its way through North Carolina.

You can read the full statement from Wilson County Schools in the following:

“ Wilson County Schools is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support that has been shown to the students and staff of Springfield Middle after the school was damaged by a tornado on Aug. 8. We wanted to share an update about the condition of the building, the plan for the upcoming school year and ways that you can help.

The 6th and 7th grade wings of the school suffered immense damage to the walls and roof, and the classrooms and other rooms on those wings are a total loss. Builder Services of NC has been working around the clock, and they have done an incredible job in a short amount of time to remove excess water and secure the roof and walls that were damaged. A chain-link fence has been installed around the building and no one is allowed inside because of safety concerns. The school is also being monitored by the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office.

The company is still in the process of assessing all of the damage, but they have determined that students and staff will be able to remain at Springfield for the upcoming school year and beyond. Accommodations can be made to bring in mobile units and also utilize the 8th grade wing and core of the school while the two damaged wings are rebuilt. We feel that keeping the students, staff and families of Springfield Middle in their school is the best outcome. It will be a long process to rebuild the wings, but we feel this plan is better than moving to remote learning or dividing up the students and staff at other schools across the district.

We appreciate everyone who has reached out to ask how you can help. More than a dozen teachers lost their entire classrooms and there were also other rooms affected. If you would like to help restock the classrooms with supplies, materials and resources, please consider making a financial donation through the Springfield PTO or the Wilson Education Partnership. Please visit our district website or social media sites for more information on how to donate. We will also be sharing information at a later date on how to donate actual supplies and materials once staff determine their most pressing needs. Again, thank you so much for your support and please keep the students, staff, families and community members affected by the tornado in your thoughts and prayers. “

Administrators at Springfield Middle School also posted on social media, saying that orientation will move ahead as scheduled on Aug. 20.

Meetings will be held at Lucama Elementary School that day at 4:30 p.m. for sixth-grade families, 6 p.m. for seventh-grade families and 7 p.m. for eighth-grade families. School officials said they are working on a plan for athletic practices and tryouts.

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