Latest news with #WesternportElementary
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Amazing partnership:' Westernport students finish year at FSU
FROSTBURG — With the semester over and final exams finished, one wouldn't expect much happening on Frostburg State University's campus. However, since the end of last week, students from Westernport Elementary have shown up every day, energized and ready to finish off the year with a fifth-grade farewell, Pirates Ahoy event, a field day and a carnival, complete with a dunk tank — a stark contrast to the devastating flood last month that interrupted the school year and forced about 200 students and staff to evacuate by boat. 'Every day is a new fun thing,' fifth grader Aveona Durst said. Because the May 13 flood ruined many of the teachers' supplies and the school already finished its standardized testing, the curriculum is mostly aimed at making sure the children finish the school year on a positive note. 'Let's make sure their memories are a positive thing, not the last thing that happened at the school,' Principal Derek Horne said. Partnering with the university's Children's Literature Centre, the elementary school has temporarily moved its home base into the Education and Health Sciences building after the flood severely damaged Westernport's first floor. 'It's been an amazing partnership,' Horne said. 'They've truly helped our kids end the year in a positive way.' The collaboration started as part of the literature program's Adopt-a-School program that sent volunteers to read to classrooms and sponsored author visits to the school, but when it came time to figure out how to end the school year without a school building, the partnership expanded. 'We would have helped any school,' Director Sarah O'Neal said. 'This was a no-brainer. I knew we were going to have some planning to do, but it was easy planning.' The literature program played a large part in creating the agenda for the kids. 'They didn't want us to have to think of things to come up with and do with the kids,' fifth grade teacher Kaylin Cadwallader said. 'They just said, 'Here's your schedule,' and boom, boom, boom. Most of the days fly by.' While the school day starts and ends later than usual to accommodate the bus ride to Frostburg, the school day structure is relatively the same. Students line up outside for attendance in the morning. The university dining services provides breakfast and lunch, and the kids play on the school's football field during recess. Despite the change of scenery, kids have adapted smoothly, Horne said. 'It's not the typical school day, but we're making it work.' he said. 'They're having a great time and learning different things.' Some community members have volunteered time to keep the kids busy, such as Kick Masters' Rick Rando giving a karate demonstration. The students also walked over to join Beall Elementary to watch a bicycle motocross presentation. 'I do not know what the (most) fun thing is,' first grader Brody Ray said. 'I like all of them.' Not only are the kids excited to participate in these events, but they're happy to explore a college campus, fourth grader Kierra Bateson said. 'We (normally) take field trips here for like an hour or two, but now I get to be here the whole week,' Kierra said. 'It's pretty fun.' Students of all ages agreed. 'It's like a five-star hotel,' kindergarten student Adrian Casteel said. Along with creating fun opportunities for the kids, the school has made efforts to address the student's mental health after the traumatic situation. 'Last week we had a flood watch, and that brought up a whole slew of emotions,' guidance counselor Laura Wilson said. 'A lot of students are worried about when it rains. A lot of kids were wondering if it's gonna get this high to their knees.' The school has brought in mental health specialists from the Mountain Ridge district, counselors from the county health department and Allegany College of Maryland's Mind Body Medicine program, Wilson said. Overall, teachers agreed that the staff and students are just happy to be back together. 'These kids are so resilient,' kindergarten teacher Natalie Orange said. 'I think they're just all happy to be here. I think they're happy to be back doing something, even if it's not regular school.' Not having this opportunity to come back together could have negatively impacted the students, Wilson said. 'They would have struggled a lot more just not knowing if their friends were OK, if their teachers were OK, if the administration was OK,' Wilson said. 'So, we're really thankful.' While the school year ends for the children on Friday and the administration hopes to be back in their original building next school year, this might not be the kids' last time going to school on the FSU campus. The school had shirts made that say 'FUTURE BOBCAT' in big bold letters, and many students have held on to that notion. 'This is my dream college,' Kierra said.
NBC News
14-05-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
12-year-old boy remains missing, schools closed due to East Coast severe flooding
Flooding continues to inundate parts of the East Coast Wednesday, one day after high waters swept away a 12-year-old boy in Virginia, prompted water rescues, and led to school evacuations. Heavy rain hit Pennsylvania down to North Carolina on Tuesday, causing rivers and creeks to overflow, turning streets into rivers, and toppling trees that blocked traffic in the Washington D.C. area. In Virginia, a 12-year-old boy went missing after he was swept into floodwaters from a creek in Albemarle County, Virginia. First responders paused their search for the child by evening due to limited visibility, but the search is expected to resume this morning, the Albemarle County Fire Rescue said. In Allegany County, Maryland, George's Creek Elementary School and Westernport Elementary were evacuated Tuesday. Westernport Elementary saw water breach the second floor of the school, prompting water rescues for 150 students and 50 teachers. It took 15 trips for the rescue boats to safely evacuate the school, Allegany County Emergency Services said. Videos on social media showed streets overtaken with water, creeks and rivers rushing with high, muddy water and toppled trees blocking roads in Allegany County, Maryland. In Westernport, the flood waters reached up to the windows of cars. The worst flooding impacted areas west of Washington D.C., and Reagan National Airport clocked 1.5 inches of rain Tuesday, NBC Washington reported. Showers and a few thunderstorms will develop Wednesday across the mid-Atlantic region this afternoon into the evening, and will push off to the east on Thursday, the national weather service office forecast. Today, all Allegany County Public Schools will be closed due to severe flooding and no virtual learning will take place. Flood warnings are in effect through 11 a.m. Wednesday for Allegany County, Maryland to Mineral County, West Virginia, with small streams flooding due to excessive rainfall. Warnings are also in place in West Virginia for the city of Winchesters, and Clarke and Frederick Counties, and in Virginia for a spate of counties. 'Floodwaters are still working down some larger streams and rivers this morning. Be prepared for road closures, and turn around if you encounter high water,' the national weather service office of Baltimore-Washington warned this morning.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Student rescued from flooded Maryland elementary school says he's "happy to be alive"
Flash flooding hit parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland, including in Westernport, where floodwaters breached the second floor of an elementary school. Officials said about 150 students and 50 adults had to be evacuated from Westernport Elementary School. 200 people rescued from flooded Maryland elementary school KDKA-TV's Jessica Guay spoke to two young students and their mother, who are thankful to be home safe on Tuesday. The Wade brothers don't want to ever relive this day at school. "Whenever we were going down to get in the boat, the first floor was flooded," said Quinton Wade, a second-grade student at Westernport Elementary School. "The first floor had been flooded all the way to the ceiling," said William Wade, a fourth-grade student at Westernport Elementary School. Parents race to Westernport Elementary School to save their kids The flooding came so fast that it trapped William Wade and Quinton Wade inside the elementary school. Their parents raced from their jobs to the school to get their boys. "I didn't get any call from the school. I didn't know any plan. I didn't know anything. So, my instinct was get my kids," the boys' mom, Alley Wade, said. And even when she did get to the school, the water was too high for her to do anything. She had to wait on dry land for rescue boats to save her kids and the other people. "I went on a motorboat and they drove us over to where there was no water and we saw how high the water was," William Wade said. "We went over to the train tracks and we got on like this little truck thingy. We took off our life vests, and they drove us up to a church." Two hours after the rescues started, the boys were reunited with their parents. Their mom has never seen flooding this bad in her town. "I have never. Now, I believe there was a bad flood in 1996, but I was 4," Alley Wade said. She's thankful for everyone who helped keep her sons safe. "The first responders and the faculty of that school were phenomenal because I'm sure they were just as scared," she said. And it's a school day her boys will never forget. "I'm just happy to be alive," William Wade said. The family says their home is OK, but they know people downtown who are now dealing with water in their homes.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Flash flooding forces evacuation of elementary school in western Maryland
Flooding in rural western Maryland forced the evacuation of an elementary school Tuesday afternoon as water began to breach the second floor, according to local officials. Homes and businesses in downtown Westernport were also inundated with floodwaters following hours of heavy rain. Officials reassured the public that students and staff were safe as concerned parents and other community members posted on social media wondering how long the emergency situation would last at Westernport Elementary School. Allegany County spokesperson Kati Kenney said responders used rescue boats to safely evacuate the school. About 150 students and 50 adults were evacuated during 15 boat trips. Kenney said additional evacuations were underway in nearby areas, with reports of people trapped in cars and houses, but no injuries had been reported as of late Tuesday afternoon. She said emergency crews from surrounding counties were helping with the response. Another elementary school was also evacuated, and students at a middle school were sheltering in place, the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services said Tuesday evening. Officials said three emergency shelters had been opened across the county. Aaron Stallings, 23, rushed to Westernport Elementary to pick up his little sister earlier Tuesday afternoon, but he soon realized his car wouldn't make it. Stallings said he hopped a fence and made his way on foot through the shin-deep water. "I knew my car was not going to get through, so I had to find an alternate route," he said. Stallings said children were being kept on the second and third floors when he made his way inside. Minutes after he located his sister with the help of the principal, the water level on the first floor had already risen again to his knees and was rushing under the school doors. Once he waded back outside with his sister, Stallings turned around to capture video of the scene, where parked cars and a dumpster were floating through the school's parking lot. Alley Wade also left work early when she heard about flooding downtown. She and her husband hoped to pick up their two sons, ages 8 and 10, but they couldn't get to the school because roads were already closed. Instead, they spent most of the afternoon standing around in the rain anxiously watching the floodwaters rise. "It was stressful because I felt so helpless," Wade said. The family was finally reunited after the students had been evacuated. Wade said there were a lot of crying kids but thankfully everyone was safe. Roads throughout the area were closed due to flooding, including major arteries, according to the Allegany County Sheriff's Office. Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton said the town has been prone to severe flooding in the past, but they weren't expecting it today. "It just seemed to happen all at once," she said. "My heart is breaking." She said the evacuated students were taken to higher ground and sheltered in a church building, where they would be kept safe by teachers and staff until their parents could pick them up. With a population under 2,000 people, Westernport is located in the far corner of western Maryland along the West Virginia border. Its downtown took shape in a valley where George's Creek flows into the North Branch Potomac River. The National Weather Service reported widespread flash flooding in the area Tuesday afternoon. Hamilton said she's trying to get in touch with Maryland's governor to request emergency assistance. She said the last time the town suffered from devastating floods was in 1996. "But we're strong and we always build back," she said.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Flash flooding forces evacuation of elementary school in western Maryland
Flooding in rural western Maryland forced the evacuation of an elementary school Tuesday afternoon as water began to breach the second floor, according to local officials. Downtown homes and businesses were also inundated with floodwaters following hours of heavy rain. Officials reassured the public that students and staff were safe as concerned parents and other community members posted on social media wondering how long the emergency situation would last at Westernport Elementary School. Allegany County spokesperson Kati Kenney said responders used rescue boats to safely evacuate the school. About 150 students and 50 adults were evacuated during 15 boat trips. Kenney said additional evacuations were underway in nearby areas, with reports of people trapped in cars and houses, but no injuries had been reported as of late Tuesday afternoon. She said emergency crews from surrounding counties were helping with the response. Roads throughout the area were closed due to flooding, including major arteries, according to the Allegany County Sheriff's Office. Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton said the town has been prone to severe flooding in the past, but they weren't expecting it today. 'It just seemed to happen all at once,' she said. 'My heart is breaking.' She said the evacuated students were taken to higher ground and sheltered in a church building, where they would be kept safe by teachers and staff until their parents could pick them up. With a population under 2,000 people, Westernport is located in far western Maryland along the West Virginia border. Its downtown was built around where Georges Creek flows into the North Branch Potomac River. The National Weather Service reported widespread flash flooding in the area Tuesday afternoon. Hamilton said she's trying to get in touch with Maryland's governor to request emergency assistance. She said the last time the town suffered devastating flooding was in 1996. 'But we're strong and we always build back,' she said.
