Riverside Elementary in Ringle. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
RINGLE, WI (WSAU) — Students returned to Riverside Elementary on Monday after eight days of learning at Greenheck Turner Community Center.
Principal Kevin Kampmann hosted an all-school assembly to mark the milestone, saying everyone in the building has a lot to be thankful for. “It was important to get us back into one big space because we have so much to be grateful for: our first responders, our D.C. Everest crew that found a plan to get us through the past two weeks, and the construction workers that worked very, very quickly to get us back.”
Students presented thank-you cards to members of the Ringle Fire Department and the school’s nighttime custodial staff, who were in the building when the tornado hit. They also recognized the staff at GTCC for their hospitality over the last two weeks, beginning immediately after the tornado hit on April 17th and continuing through last Thursday. “The first three days, we really focused on community and the people. It was people first- let’s take care of one another. In week two, it was let’s get back into our normal academics and the patterns we had.
“That being said, you can’t duplicate what we can do within our school. We made the best of the situation,” added Kampmann. “Routines are everything for kids. The sooner we [got] back to normal routines and that sense of normalcy, that’s also going to help with their ability to cope.”
The neighborhood around the school remains heavily damaged. Just before announcing the reopening date, district leaders encouraged parents to prepare their children to see damaged homes and downed trees around them and to practice gratitude. During Monday’s program, Kampann reminded students and staff that no injuries or deaths were reported after the storm, saying homes can be fixed or rebuilt and trees can be replanted, but people can’t be brought back to life.
The tornado damaged more than 140 homes and blew out a glass wall at the school. Two classrooms suffered wind damage, but the building’s structural integrity remains intact. Students in those classrooms have been moved to alternative locations, and crews will work to repair them over the summer.
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