The Brevard High family was rocked by Hurricane Helene’s landfall Sept. 27, with 20 students and one staff members losing their homes in the storm. Another staff member also suffered significant losses and damage to her home.

School was closed for more than two weeks and students missed 12 instructional days as crews worked to restore power, water, cell and internet service in the region, remove downed trees from roadways, repair damage from landslides and rebuild washed-out bridges. 

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At BHS, school buildings saw only minor damage, watched over by Principal Mick Galloway, who essentially moved into the school in the aftermath. All school events were canceled, from Homecoming to athletic matches.

As Helene hit western North Carolina as a tropical storm the morning of Sept. 27, Animal Science teacher Mrs. Clayton and her students worked to rescue goats and cows as floodwaters rose at the BHS farm. Meanwhile, other students and staff pitched in to assist relief efforts in the area.

The BHS FFA Barn’s fields underwater after Helene. Photo courtesy of the Brevard High School FFA Facebook page

School personnel worked quickly to contact and support affected students and their families before tackling the challenging task of preparing schools to reopen and rerouting buses around closed roads. 

Teachers reported to work Oct. 10 and 11 for optional workdays, and students came back Oct. 14, greeted by a hot chocolate bar in the cafeteria. 

Students and staff who need supplies can get help at the school. Guidance has a room in the science wing with donated supplies, and OCS teachers Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Stamey are also distributing hygiene and other supplies. Mrs. Clayton has CTE-type supplies in the CTE wing as well.  

Leaky roofs take a hit

At BHS, some ceiling tiles collapsed in the cafeteria and classroom wings, but overall the school came through the storm very well, Principal Galloway said. 

“We’ve had leaky roofs for a while, but when you have 30 inches of rain over a two-day span, you find even more leaks,” he said, adding that the school lost some ceiling tiles in areas that normally don’t leak. 

Ceiling tiles and standing water in the Social Studies wing Wednesday, Oct. 2. Photo by Mrs. Heaslip

The old gym leaked really badly during the storm, and there was a lot of standing water on the gym floor. The wind tossed around a big football sled and flipped it over. 

Probably the biggest obstacle was the lack of communication without phones or internet, Galloway said. He had no power at his home for eight days and couldn’t get his generator to run. The gyms at BHS had power, so Galloway decided to move into the boys basketball locker room, bringing TV equipment and an air fryer and keeping groceries in the concession stand refrigerator. 

The school was available to staff and their families to shower, grab ice and regroup as they also waited for power to be restored. By the time the doors opened to students, many were ready to return to BHS.  

“Honestly, last week I felt like students were grateful to be back and excited to be back. Socializing with their friends because, you know, for two weeks it was a tragic experience,” Galloway said. 

“I felt like coming back, I saw a lot of smiling faces of people glad to be back in the school. seeing friends they hadn’t heard from in a few weeks.” 

Athletes cope with rescheduled games 

Sports teams were allowed to resume practices about a week after Helene, although games – including some championships – had to be rescheduled. 

Fall sports at BHS include varsity football, JV football, varsity men’s soccer, women’s tennis, women’s golf, and men’s and women’s cross country. 

How they were affected depended on the sport, but not everyone could make it to the school for practices, said Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Josh Galloway. 

Few of the games were canceled, and most instead were postponed, although athletes did have to miss a couple of golf matches. There was a lot of communication with opposing schools about when they could reschedule.

Cross country was one of the sports affected by Helene, as the teams were unable to go to a few of their meets. Athletes had a choice to run or not during the power outages, and most of the members ran almost every day. Their efforts paid off, as the men’s and women’s teams came back and were crowned as conference champions during a meet Oct. 16. 

BHS FFA Farm loses crops

The Brevard High School FFA Barn suffered damage from the hurricane, but the animals all made it through OK, Clayton said.   

Students in the animal science classes prepped the entire week before Helene’s landfall, she said. During the storm, the farm’s cows ended up standing in a foot of water. Clayton had to cut a hole in the fence to get the goats out because the goat field was underwater. 

Goats take shelter inside the BHS FFA Barn Thursday, Sept. 26 ahead of Helene’s arrival. Photo courtesy of the Brevard High School FFA Facebook page

At the barn, some of the fencing was damaged when it was taken out by the storm, and some of the hay inside the barn was ruined. Also, 5 acres of the hay field was flooded, and most of the corn was ruined. The crops are used as a fundraiser for the school’s FFA program.

Fields were underwater at the BHS FFA Barn Friday, Sept. 27 during Helene’s arrival. Photo courtesy of the Brevard High School FFA Facebook page

The barn didn’t just see losses, however. Clayton gained 12 animals during the storm – six kittens, the kitten’s mother, three ferrets and two calves. Clayton has been working hard to take care of them, getting what they need and either making sure they are healthy or getting their health up. 

The kittens are estimated to be 7 weeks old and Clayton says she has one boy and five girls. The kittens and the mama cat were found on someone’s porch, so Clayton brought them to school. 

Later in the year when the kittens are fully vaccinated, they will be put up for adoption. Clayton will advertise on the barn’s Facebook page, and there will be an application process and an adoption fee. The adoption fee is to help cover the expenses that she has incurred to get them vaccinated and dewormed and will be about $100. 

The ferrets – two boys and a girl – are around 3 years old. After the hurricane, their owner’s house was flooded. The owner wasn’t able to take care of them because he was going to be displaced, and he asked if Clayton could take them and give them a good home.

Both of the calves – Cody and Wilson – are 3 weeks old and were born during the hurricane. When cows are in stressful situations, they don’t always take care of their babies, Clayton said. Both of the calves are bull calves. During the hurricane, Clayton kept them at her house in the laundry room.

One of the calves was born in Transylvania County the day after the storm, and the farmer didn’t have time to take care of him. 

The other calf was at a farm in Spartanburg, S.C. A worker was at the farm cutting a tree that had fallen when he found the calf, who was very weak and sick. The farm didn’t have the means to take care of the calf, so he took him to Clayton.

The calf has healed and gotten better, she said. When students came back to school, one of the calves was still in critical care, and Clayton kept him in her office on IV fluids.  

Students, staff volunteer in the community 

Many in the community headed to Anchor Baptist Church to collect, organize and distribute supply donations, including some BHS students. 

Annaly Baron passionately recounted her experience volunteering after Helene, saying it felt like the only right thing to do. She dedicated multiple days to working at Anchor Baptist, where she helped unload boxes of food and organize supplies for those in need. 

Annaly Baron, left, and Lillian Skeen volunteered after Helene at Anchor Baptist Church, organizing supply donations for those in need. Provided photo

Initially, chaos reigned as volunteers scrambled to find the best way to manage the overwhelming influx of donations, but as time passed, she said they developed an effective system that streamlined their efforts. 

Baron played a crucial role in packing thousands of boxes to be sent to various communities, and reflected on the collective impact of their work. She expressed gratitude for being part of a remarkable community that sprang into action to support and uplift everyone in Brevard and the surrounding areas.

Lillian Skeen also volunteered at Anchor Baptist and shared her heartfelt motivation for volunteering in relief efforts. She wanted to support those who were affected far worse than herself, realizing the importance of community solidarity during such crises. 

Packing boxes might have felt like a small action, but Skeen knew each one brought vital relief to families in need. 

One challenge she faced was a language barrier that made it difficult to communicate with some individuals seeking help. Despite this, she found empowerment in her role as a translator while delivering baby supplies to a neighbor, showcasing the impact of her school-learned skills. 

Skeen said that every box packed could offer comfort to someone who had lost everything, and the collective effort of the community inspired her to seek out future opportunities to help those in similar situations.

What’s next? 

There have been several changes to the BHS calendar. The missed school days will not be made up, but some activities have been rescheduled. 

Homecoming week has been moved to Nov. 4-9. The Homecoming Court presentation will take place during I&E on Thursday, Nov. 7. 

The Homecoming football game will be Friday, Nov. 8, and the Homecoming dance will take place Saturday, Nov. 9 at a new location, Deerwoode Preserve.  

More information about the annual bonfire and the dance will be shared as the events get closer. The dress up days are: Monday, Pajama Day; Tuesday, Twin Day; Wednesday, Bikers vs. Surfers; Thursday, Dress like a Teacher Day; and Friday, Blue & White Day.

The October driver’s ed class was rescheduled for Dec. 2-13 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Students must pre-register with Mountain Professionals Driving School and pay online. For more information, see Coach Mike Jordan. If you signed up for the October class, you do not need to register again. 

Fields at the BHS FFA Barn were already taking on water Thursday, Sept. 26, a day before Helene, due to several days of rain. Photo courtesy of the Brevard High School FFA Facebook page

Ceiling tiles and standing water in the Social Studies wing Wednesday, Oct. 2. Photo by Mrs. Heaslip

Local favorite Dolly’s Dairy Bar in Pisgah Forest was damaged by a fallen tree during Helene. The shop has reopened using an ice cream food truck in the parking lot. Photo by Mrs. Heaslip

Drivers wait in line for gas at the Triangle Stop at 10 Rosman Highway in Brevard on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Photo by Mrs. Heaslip

Shoppers waited in line at Food Lion in Brevard for nearly two hours for groceries Wednesday, Oct. 2. Photo by Mrs. Heaslip

The Brevard High PTSO and school staff partnered to provide students with a hot chocolate bar on their first day back to school on Monday, Oct. 14. Photo by Mrs. Heaslip

The Brevard High PTSO and school staff partnered to provide students with a hot chocolate bar on their first day back to school on Monday, Oct. 14. Photo by Mrs. Heaslip