While many local schools were spared in the tornado that ripped through the Fox Cities on July 27, others are still taking stock of the damage.
In Menasha, one of the hardest-hit communities from the storm, all school buildings will stay closed, and school-sponsored events and activities are canceled until further notice, according to a Monday statement from Superintendent Dan Slowey.
“In the meantime, please take care of yourselves, check in on your neighbors, and support one another however you can,” Slowey wrote. The Post-Crescent has reached out to Slowey for additional comment.
Slowey confirmed to the Post-Crescent that both Gegan Elementary School in Menasha and Calder Stadium at Menasha High School sustained damage in the storm. He said that the district was in the “beginning stages” of assessing all school buildings to ensure they were safe, he said.
While the tornado’s impact on Menasha schools has been “really heartbreaking,” Slowey said, the district has received an “outpouring of support … from surrounding areas and beyond.”
Farther north, though Lamers Bus Lines’ Menasha terminal on Novak Drive sustained damage, that will not affect its preparations for the upcoming start of the school year, said Erica Dakins, Lamers’ marketing coordinator.
Other schools in the Fox Cities also experienced some damage and more widespread power loss. Both Appleton and Neenah school districts confirmed that their school buildings weren’t damaged by the storm, though several Appleton school buildings and Alliance Charter School in Neenah lost power.
Xavier Catholic Schools told the Post-Crescent that while the school buildings were mostly spared, the grounds at Xavier High School in Appleton, especially Rocky Bleier Field, had been damaged by the storm.
A statement posted on Lawrence University’s social media page said that portions of the campus had also lost power and that several trees had been downed.
Appleton schools’ district office was closed July 28 due to the loss of power; employees were working remotely. The district asked that district families call ahead before visiting any schools.
Jeff Bollier contributed to this report.
Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Fox Cities school and district offices close after storm damage
Reporting by Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
