Every student in Menasha will start the first day of school on time, Menasha superintendent Dan Slowey said in a press conference Aug. 4.
The July 27 tornado damaged at least two Menasha school buildings, including Gegan Elementary School and Calder Stadium at Menasha High School. Slowey said damage assessments of all district buildings have been completed and Gegan Elementary would be the only school not ready for the first day of school Aug. 31.
All schools except Gegan would be open starting Aug. 5 for staff to start preparing for school, Slowey said. They’re also working to keep all extracurriculars and other activities as close to starting on time as possible, such as having the Menasha High School football team start practice at Maplewood Intermediate and Middle School.
Slowey didn’t have a timeline for when Gegan could reopen. However, he promised that any Gegan student who wanted to attend in-person learning would have “a classroom to walk into,” he said. The district was still exploring options to make that happen, including moving students to the other three elementary schools and using alternative spaces. Slowey said the district would arrive at a final decision and communicate it to Gegan families by Aug. 12 at the latest.
“We will make this a great year for those kids,” he said.
For all families, the district also plans to launch a webpage dedicated to tornado recovery sources, as well as check in with each family of a Menasha student, he said.
The district is still planning to hold open houses, but other events have been canceled or rescheduled. In an Aug. 3 social media post, the district confirmed the annual Bluejay Back-2-School Bash was canceled. However, Slowey said the event would be “reimagined” and that the district would share more information once plans fall into place.
Slowey, who started as the Menasha superintendent in July, said in the last eight days he witnessed both “devastation and hope” during a difficult time in Menasha’s history. He thanked Menasha staff, volunteers and first responders, saying he saw “a community refusing to let anyone face this alone.”
“I’ve never been more confident that this community will move forward together,” he added.
Rebecca Loroff is an education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Most Menasha schools will open for first day of school, district says
Reporting by Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
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By Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
