We’re all in this together

HIGH RIVER TEACHERS HELP THEIR COMMUNITY RECOVER FROM DEVASTATING FLOODS

Instead of spending this past summer preparing lessons and enjoying a little rest and relaxation, teachers in High River spent long hours mucking out basements and helping their community recover from June’s disastrous flood.

“Teachers in the Foothills School Division and Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools put themselves in harm’s way to help friends and neighbours get back on their feet,” says Joel Windsor, a teacher at Notre Dame Collegiate, in High River, and communications officer for the Alberta Teachers’ Association Chinook Local.

The June flood devastated the town of High River, including a number of schools. And that’s when teachers went into action, helping out from the first day that High River residents were allowed back into town—nine days after the flood till the end of July. Within the separate school division, Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division teachers Catherine and Greg Gibbs coordinated a massive volunteer effort to help High River residents whose homes had been damaged in the June flood. They started with their f amilies, neighbours, f riends and colleagues and extended that helping hand to other residents of High River who were hit hard by the flood. Approximately 200 teachers, educational assistants and support staff worked together to clean basements and move things to the dump. They worked “from sunup to sundown, and sometimes beyond,” Windsor says.

Everyone who could lend a hand showed up, including the separate school division superintendent. “He was elbow deep in sewage, helping out.”

Joining them in their clean-up efforts were teachers from other parts of the separate school division, who came from Okotoks, Oyen, Brooks, Strathmore, Canmore and Drumheller.

Those who weren’t able to spend a lot of time on the cleanup effort pitched in by helping with the recovery effort (for example, by coordinating newsletter distribution for the town to keep people up to date on what was going on).

We had a lot of teachers who made it their mission to keep in contact with students and make sure they were OK. In some cases, people gave up their vacation time to help others.

JOEL WINDSOR, Teacher, Notre Dame Collegiate, High River

Foothills School Division teachers were busy as well. Among other things, they organized a collection of school supplies for High River students going back to school this fall.

Teacher colleagues from across North America called with offers of help, school supplies, teaching resources and even classroom decorations.

“So many donations have come into the school division from all over North America,” Windsor says.

Though the flood was a devastating blow to High River, teachers rallied to do everything they could to provide stability and continuity for students and their families and to support students and schools in the new school year.

“Teachers don’t turn it off over the summer, so when we have such a significant event like this, the first place our brains go—once we’ve figured ourselves and our families out—is to our students,” Windsor says. “We had a lot of teachers who made it their mission to keep in contact with students and make sure they were OK. Another teacher made it her mission to find every ESL student to make sure they were all OK. In some cases, people gave up their vacation time to help others.” In the end, Windsor says, “We’re all in this together.”