Partnerships More Powerful than Hurricanes: How One WNC Community College and One K-8 school are Rising Above in the Wake of Hurricane Helene

In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Florida panhandle and made its slow march inland and upward, leaving a trail of destruction along the west coast of Florida, through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. The storm, with winds reaching more than 140 miles per hour at its peak, caused catastrophic damage including widespread flooding, severe wind damage, infrastructure collapse and many deaths, especially in the Appalachian regions of North Carolina. 

When the skies cleared, we quickly realized the magnitude of the storm’s impact on Western North Carolina:  Hurricane Helene would be the most powerful and the most devastating natural disaster to ever hit our region. 

But in the wake of the storm, something equally as powerful would also emerge, our communities, our people and our partnerships. 

For Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, (CCC&TI) powerful partnerships have always been part of our DNA. Following the storm, one of CCC&TI’s most impactful opportunities for partnership has been with Watauga County Schools in support of the students and families of the Valle Crucis community. After Valle Crucis School suffered catastrophic damage during the storm, administrators knew that students would likely not be able to return to the facility.  Shortly thereafter, Watauga County Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Alexander and Valle Crucis School Principal, Dr. Bonnie Smith, reached out to CCC&TI and several other community partners for assistance in finding a new location for the 342 students who attend VCS.   

“Directly following the hurricane, our main focus was locating all our staff and students.  By the fifth day, we were able to accomplish this, and we were able to take a deep breath.   However, we quickly realized that we had to find a place for the students and staff at Valle Crucis to finish the year.  This was a pretty big lift, given that we were all just trying to get through each day and take care of one another in the wake of the disaster,” said Alexander. “The way that CCC&TI came to the rescue was really quite amazing.”  

Thanks to the work of CCC&TI President Dr. Mark Poarch and Watauga Campus Executive Director, Ronny Holste, CCC&TI was able to make scheduling adjustments to provide space for more than 100 VCS middle schoolers to finish out the academic year on the college’s campus in Boone while construction of the new Valle Crucis School is completed. Other partners also stepped up to help provide classroom space for VCS students including Valle Crucis Conference Center + Holy Cross Church, which is hosting kindergarten through 5^th grade students and Appalachian State University’s Child Development Center, whichis hosting pre-k students. 

“When we began looking at possible spaces to help with the situation, we not only wanted to provide dedicated classrooms and a quality learning environment, we also wanted the students and staff to feel like they were part of the CCC&TI family” said Poarch. 

Watauga Campus Executive Director Ronny Holste was tasked with finding five classrooms that could be reassigned to VCS students through the end of the 2025 Spring Semester.  It sounded complicated at the outset, but Holste said once he started looking at numbers and spaces, the pieces fell into place. “Like all schools post-COVID, we’ve learned how to be flexible and creative in how we offer courses. And at the time of the request, our first 8-week short session was just concluding. It was kind of like the stars had to align to make it work…and somehow, they did,” said Holste. “Once it was determined that CCC&TI's course schedules allowed for the reassignment of these classrooms, administrators and faculty members all pitched in to make sure we could accommodate their needs. It’s been surprisingly smooth considering all the moving parts.”

The resulting partnership between VCS and CCC&TI has not only brought a lively and exciting new presence to the college’s Watauga Campus, but it has also reinforced the college’s commitment to working with Watauga County Schools to provide as many avenues to success as possible for local students and families.

“One of our goals as a community college is to educate students at an earlier age about career opportunities in our area and introduce them to educational programs that align with those careers. Having the Valle Crucis middle schoolers on our campus is giving us a great opportunity to showcase what CCC&TI has to offer so these students will make better-informed decisions about the next steps in their educational and professional journeys,” said Poarch. “We hope these students will use this experience to develop the confidence to continue their education beyond high school, and we hope they remember CCC&TI and count on us as their education provider for the future.”

In the short-term, the faculty, staff, students and families of Valle Crucis School say they are grateful not only for the facility solutions that the college and these other agencies have supplied, but also for the new sense of normalcy and routine they have provided for their students and families while recovery efforts continue.

For long-time Boone residents, Blaine and Ginger Hansen, the initial impact of the storm was not just a disruption, it was a shock and a grim reminder of how quickly things can change on the heels of a natural disaster. 

The Hansens have lived in the High Country for more than 13 years and both work in higher education. They have three daughters who attend Valle Crucis School, Ainsley, who is in 6^th grade and twins Rosie and Callie who are in 2nd grade. 

“Like many in our community, we were initially in shock. We knew the storm was going to be bad, but we were not physically or emotionally prepared for just how bad it ended up being,” said Ginger. “Due to Blaine’s responsibilities with his job at nearby Lees-McRae, he needed to get to campus as soon as possible. That in and of itself proved to be a major challenge as all of the roads into the area were either washed out or impassable due to downed trees. He and his coworkers managed the crisis on their campus, including evacuating students with the national guard and evaluating and mitigating damage. He remained on campus full-time for 10 days, camping out in his office without access to water and sewer,” said Hansen. “But, thankfully, the girls and I were able to leave for a few days after the storm to stay with my sister’s family in Raleigh.” 

Ginger says that those early days were rough, not knowing the full impact, hearing news from friends who had lost homes and loved ones, and wondering what they would come home to in a few weeks. 

When Ginger and the girls returned to the area, she says they were flooded with emotion.  “It was a mixture of shock, sadness, and worry. We were hurting for our community, but also for all of the surrounding communities that we love,” she said.

Ginger shared that it took a few weeks to get confirmed details on the gravity of the situation at Valle Crucis School and that the wait was tough. “It was a little while before we had any official information about the extent of the damage to VCS. That was hard – the not knowing, wondering what school could possibly look like going forward,” she said. “Would they be able to get the education they needed? Would there be facilities to support them? Would they fall behind? What would be left of our community? What would the normal day-to-day look like? It was also hard to separate the feelings that came during Helene from feelings and experiences during COVID. It felt a little bit like we were moving backward instead of forward. And that was also difficult to process.”

When the Hansens learned that the girls would have to finish out the school year in different locations, Ginger knew there would be an adjustment period, but she never doubted the people who would be caring for her children and knew that together, they would be able to make it work. “While moving to different locations was certainly a logistical adjustment, I knew it was the best-case scenario for the interim. It was hard for the girls knowing they couldn’t return to the classroom and campus they were used to but comforting for them to know that they would still be with their teachers, classmates and friends.”

Now that several months have passed and the family has had a chance to settle into their new routines, the Hansen girls are adjusting and are all enjoying school in their new locations. For sixth-grader Ainsley, being on a college campus has had a positive impact on her thus far. “Being on campus at CCC&TI every day helps her to feel more mature and mindful of her future,” Ginger said. “We’re so grateful for the warm welcome that CCC&TI has extended to her and to all of her teachers and classmates.” And the only drawback according to Ainsley? “The girl’s bathroom is too far away.” 

Mom Ginger says that if that’s the biggest challenge they face, she’s confident that all three girls will not only finish the year strong, but they will have learned many valuable lessons from weathering this storm along with their community. “We’ve all had our fair share of emotions. But, together as a family, we’ve learned the valuable lesson of resiliency and the powerful force of community. One of the most beautiful things to come of this experience is how quickly differences were stripped away and how we all became simply humans – living and working together; sharing and supporting each other.”

Dr. Alexander echoed that sentiment, as well. “CCC&TI not only offered to provide our middle school students with classroom space, they allowed our teachers and students to become part of their campus family.  That is really what this experience has been like,” she said. “They have welcomed us in and have really worked to help our Valle Crucis middle schoolers feel like part of their school community. They have taken partnership to the next level, and for that, I am very grateful.”

Valle Crucis School Principal, Dr. Bonnie Smith agreed and says that the partnerships not only provided a solution for these students in their time of need, they also have the potential to positively impact students for years to come.  “Having our middle school students on a college campus has been a huge benefit,” she said. “It has sparked a lot of interest in college for our middle school students and created excitement about the opportunities that will be available to them after they graduate high school.” 

Holste says that the positive impact for the college community started on day one and he’s also excited to see what the future holds for this exceptional group of students. “The Valle Crucis students have been such a joy to have on campus. I have heard so many faculty and staff comment on the energy and excitement they bring to our campus,” he said. “It is truly a blessing to share this journey with our Valle Crucis family and be part of their comeback story. We know there are great things ahead of each and every one of these students and their families. That’s what being “Mountain Strong” is all about.”

The spirit of support and interconnectedness that has been on full display in the weeks and months since the storm, is just one of the many reasons why the communities of Western North Carolina are so strong and resilient. It’s also the inspiration behind CCC&TI’s motto for the last several years, “Partnerships Matter.”   

Hurricane Helene helped us realize just how much our partnerships matter and the positive impact that is possible when we come together in support of each other, even in the face of enormous challenges.  “This has been a remarkable collaboration and a great experience for everyone involved,” said Poarch. “And, it has been a timely reminder that with the right relationships and a shared sense of purpose, we can overcome anything!”

Over the last few months, as we’ve shared classrooms, resources, smiles and fist bumps, our VCS friends have taught us another motto that also rings true, “Together, We Rise!” 

CCC&TI looks forward to continuing and strengthening these kinds of relationships for all those we serve in Watauga and Caldwell counties, and beyond. And to continue sharing this very important message:  Partnerships Matter, because Together, We Rise! 

Pictured on the Watauga Campus of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute are Boone residents Ginger and Blaine Hansen with their daughter, Ainsley, who is a Valle Crucis School 6^th grader. Ainsley and her fellow VCS middle school students are finishing their school year on CCC&TI’s Boone Campus following the devastation of Hurricane Helene.  All VCS students have been relocated for the remainder of the academic year to CCC&TI, Valle Crucis Conference Center + Holy Cross Church, and Appalachian State University’s Child Development Center while construction is completed on the new Valle Crucis School.

Pictured, a Watauga County School Bus drops off Valle Crucis School sixth through eighth grade students on Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Watauga Campus. CCC&TI has partnered with Watauga County Schools and Valle Crucis School to provide a temporary location for more than 100 middle school students following the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene across Western North Carolina in late September 2024.