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After sheltering thousands, Hernando schools are back in business

 
Volunteers serve lunch on Sept. 10 at Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics, one of the Hernando schools that opened as a public shelter during Hurricane Irma.
Volunteers serve lunch on Sept. 10 at Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics, one of the Hernando schools that opened as a public shelter during Hurricane Irma.
Published Sept. 20, 2017

BROOKSVILLE — As Hurricane Irma bore down on Hernando County, more than 5,000 people and 700 animals huddled together seeking shelter inside six local schools.

For days, that's where they slept, ate, played and, most of all, hoped that the massive storm would spare the homes they had left behind.

Some slept in gymnasiums, others in classrooms or hallways. Children played games, and the elderly sat and talked. As winds picked up in the hours before the storm hit, dogs ran around courtyards for their last trip outside until Irma was gone.

While the state Department of Education requires school districts to offer up facilities to house local evacuees during events like Irma, those who worked inside the schools-turned-shelters did so on a volunteer basis, said district spokeswoman Karen Jordan. More than 50 employees of the Hernando schools hunkered down alongside members of the public through the storm, many of them taking to social media to document the experience.

Ed LaRose, assistant principal at Springstead High School, tweeted photos of his children and others playing a card game at Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics, along with a note, " . . . having some fun while riding out the storm."

Parrott Middle School principal Brent Gaustad posted a selfie with Walt Cermak, who was mopping a restroom at the school. "Being a principal is very glamorous," he wrote. "Bathroom clean as a whistle. . . . Still amazed by my team."

The worst damage to schools cause by the storm was a blown-out window at Parrott, which has since been fixed. Other than that, Jordan said, "a few schools had water damage," and a portable building at Pine Grove Elementary had some broken windows.

Sarah Shelby, assistant principal at Weeki Wachee High School, tweeted something she said she overheard while working at Challenger K-8: "It's amazing how many people are helping care for us. . . . Who would have known so many people care?"

Other posts by district staffers showed cafeteria workers packing meals, teachers registering long lines of evacuees and selfies of administrators gearing up to direct traffic or ride on school buses used to transport nearly 150 people to safety.

Westside Elementary School principal Kristina Stratton posted a photo from West Hernando Middle School on the second night that the shelter, one of three that allowed pets, was open.

"Great teamwork," she said. "Dedicated to our community."

Even after the storm had passed, district staffers were out in force to get schools — both those used as shelters and others — back to normal.

Deana LaPlatney, a teacher at Westside, posted photos of the cleanup there saying, "Spent today clearing sandbags and debris, and reconnecting technology at WES! Glad to help get things back to normal!"

On Monday of this week, when schools in Hernando and across the state reopened, teachers and administrators reminded district staffers that some students and their families may not have fared as well through the storm as others.

"I hope everyone has a good 1st day back!" tweeted Mike Lastra, assistant principal at Eastside Elementary. "Let's remember some of our (students) have had a traumatic week. Let's make them feel welcome and safe."

Contact Megan Reeves at mreeves@tampabay.com. Follow @mareevs.