ASHE COUNTY, N.C. — Students had just started school in August before Hurricane Helene hit the area in September. 

Due to damage to roads and school buildings, many were out of school for more than a month. 

What You Need To Know

  • Many schools in western North Carolina closed or operated on a shorter schedule after Hurricane Helene destroyed roads and properties  

  • As they recover, teachers are working to prevent learning slide from their time out of school

  • Mountain Pathways Montessori School lost learning materials they are still working to replace by raising money at a benefit Saturday at the Apple Barn in Valle Crucis

Ashe County High School Principal Dustin Farmer said snow later also caused the school to operate on a delay for several days. 

“When we were finally able to return, we had to go on a two-hour delay just so there was daylight and then a one-hour delay. So, post-hurricane, I think we had really two to three normal weeks of school, up until Christmas break,” he said. 

Farmer said the Ashe County School District moved the end of the semester from December to January to give students more time in their classes. 

He said he is proud of his teachers and students for their perseverance through a difficult year and for working together to promote learning retention. 

“I feel like our teachers did a really good job of making sure they narrowed down the information and the curriculum. They still taught the standards but narrowed it down and still did their best to get in the curriculum through the end of the year,” Farmer said. 

In Watauga County, Mountain Pathways Montessori co-directors Jenny Darcy and Tori Pendleton said severe structural damage to their buildings caused them to lose materials their students rely on. 

“Very crucial materials to our curriculum. And very intentional. And so not having access to those for two or three months, as we were, in the process of not being able to provide child care and then also in the temporary locations, it was challenging," Darcy said.

Related: 'One day at a time': Western N.C. counselors manage students' mental health post-Helene

The 25 students who attended the school were out of classes for a month before temporarily relocating to a church.

The school was eventually able to renovate one building and return to the property in February, but another building is still damaged.

Community members and other schools stepped up, donating new materials and participating in renovation days.  

This month the school will host a fundraising event to pay for more repairs.

“We are doing an Apple Barn Boiling Benefit. It'll be a low-country boil, and there will be some local musicians who are playing. All the proceeds will be in support of rebuilding our grounds and supporting the rebuilding of mount pathways," Pendleton said. 

The funds will help them continue providing educational programs to children in the area.  

The Apple Barn Boiling Benefit will be 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Apple Barn in Valle Crucis.