News

Helene closure disrupts school routine

Mary Shelton

By Mary Shelton, Published: November 13, 2024

When Hurricane Helene shut down Henderson County public schools for 13 school days, the closure marked the second time in four years that students have undergone a long-term absence, the first being in 2020 when Covid-19 canceled in-person classes for almost three quarters.

While these closures are necessary considering the circumstances, they often can lead to unforeseen consequences for students.

“It throws off everything in my classes in terms of finishing the semester and learning all the content we need to in a year,” HHS senior Hilton Swing told me.

Madeline Hover, another HHS student, echoed that comment. “Being out of routine for three weeks with basically no warning threw off my entire schedule,” she said.

After losing the consistency that a school day provides, many students find themselves falling out of their work habits and losing motivation. This makes the transition back into school a challenge for not only the students, but also their teachers.

Throughout the year, teachers work hard to engage their students and rely upon lesson plans day-to-day that build upon one another, but when there are large gaps between instruction time, it becomes more difficult to ensure students are learning and retaining all the material.

That being said, the repercussions of school closures go beyond kids not learning material. Students rely on schools to be a secure space to go to during the day, and some students receive their only hot meal of the day at the school cafeteria. When public school buildings are closed, it puts a large number of students in an unexpected, vulnerable position.

Shannon Marlowe, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for Henderson County public schools, described the negative consequences of extended school closures.

“We see the value every day of having routines for students regarding academic practices, as well as social and emotional support by having well-established expectations,” she said. “When students are out for extended periods of time, those routines are disrupted and can create anxiety for students, as well as requiring time upon returning to school to review learning and re-establish routines.”

It feels daunting for both staff and students to build back the consistency and expectations they worked to create from the first day of school, but it’s necessary. Particularly for high school students, it’s vital that teachers make the transition back to school as smooth as possible so they can fit in all the course curriculum. Advanced Placement end-of-year exam dates will not shift regardless of how many school days a county has missed, so AP students rely on their teachers to ensure that they will still be prepared for the tests.

Although the move back to school after a traumatic event like Hurricane Helene is not easy, it often returns a sense of normalcy to people.

“As someone who really enjoys being at school, I find it really difficult to be out of that environment for so long.” Raleigh Prichard, senior at HHS, said. She went on to mention how grateful she was to finally be around not only her classmates but her tennis teammates again.

Being a student-athlete during school closures presents its own struggles. Luckily, unlike the COVID-19 lockdown, Hurricane Helene only temporarily stopped the sports seasons. However, even this smaller break can create issues. Just like in their academic routines, student-athletes fall out of athletic routines since teams cannot meet to have regular practices. Students can quickly lose their training and later be forced to cram the canceled games into a shorter period of time once schools are reopened. This adds another element of stress to many students who already have to reacclimate to the academic environment post-closure.

While long-term, public school closures are necessary in dire scenarios like Hurricane Helene and Covid-19, they create mental, emotional and physical consequences for staff and students. Normalcy is what students need, but the transition back to school after unexpected, extended time away is anything but simple.

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Mary Shelton, a senior at Hendersonville High School, is a reporting intern for the Hendersonville Lightning in the 2024-25 school year. President of the National Honor Society at HHS, she is also co-captain of the Lady Bearcat varsity softball team, playing third base and batting .464 during the 2023-2024 season. The daughter of Scott and Jennifer Shelton, Mary credits Hendersonville Middle School AIG teacher Anne Boyette and HHS English teacher Bethany Phillis for nurturing her interest in nonfiction writing.