Northview Academy students raising money to help Yancey County school devastated by Hurricane Helene

Posted on by Mike Fuhrman
Northview Academy students lend a helping hand to an elementary school devastated by Hurricane Helene.

BY KARISSA MILLER

Northview Academy students in the screen-printing program are putting their talents to good use by helping a school in Western North Carolina recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

“As we approach the season of gratitude and giving, the students and staff at Northview wanted to continue finding ways to support those in need,” said Principal Eric Babbitt.

Micaville Elementary School, which is located in Yancey County, will not be able to reopen due to the significant damage it sustained, officials stated. Students and staff are going to have to relocate to new locations.

“After speaking with their principal, we learned that while their students have received sufficient food, water, and clothing. The greatest need is for resources to help teachers rebuild and restock their classrooms once they are in a new space,” he said.

Phoenix Apparel Plus, the student-run screen printing, embroidery and specialty items business, is among the Career Technical Education offerings at Northview Academy.

The screen-printing class designed an “NC Strong” T-shirt that is being sold to Iredell-Statesville Schools employees. The proceeds from the T-shirt sales will help Micaville Elementary teachers restock their classrooms.

The “NC Strong” T-shirts will be made available to the public for purchase at a later date once the students know they can meet the demand.

Starting Over

Micaville Principal Melanie Bennett said there was between three and six inches of water and mud in every room of the school.

“It has rust and/or caused mold to grow on all the furniture, books, supplies and materials,” Bennett explained.

Teachers will be basically starting from scratch to build classrooms for their students.

“These teachers are now trying to set up welcoming, warm classrooms in new buildings and it is expensive,” Bennett said. “These teachers had decorated their classrooms and welcomed students for years and now everything they have is gone.”

WANT TO HELP?

To view the teachers’ wish list, visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-_oT21AWMgnUqai8SAiHeHx0pYvV5qtR/view