FROSTBURG — With the semester over and final exams finished, one wouldn’t expect much happening on Frostburg State University’s campus.
However, since the end of last week, students from Westernport Elementary have shown up every day, energized and ready to finish off the year with a fifth-grade farewell, Pirates Ahoy event, a field day and a carnival, complete with a dunk tank — a stark contrast to the devastating flood last month that interrupted the school year and forced about 200 students and staff to evacuate by boat.
“Every day is a new fun thing,” fifth grader Aveona Durst said.
Because the May 13 flood ruined many of the teachers’ supplies and the school already finished its standardized testing, the curriculum is mostly aimed at making sure the children finish the school year on a positive note.
“Let’s make sure their memories are a positive thing, not the last thing that happened at the school,” Principal Derek Horne said.
Partnering with the university’s Children’s Literature Centre, the elementary school has temporarily moved its home base into the Education and Health Sciences building after the flood severely damaged Westernport’s first floor.
“It’s been an amazing partnership,” Horne said. “They’ve truly helped our kids end the year in a positive way.”
The collaboration started as part of the literature program’s Adopt-a-School program that sent volunteers to read to classrooms and sponsored author visits to the school, but when it came time to figure out how to end the school year without a school building, the partnership expanded.
“We would have helped any school,” Director Sarah O’Neal said. “This was a no-brainer. I knew we were going to have some planning to do, but it was easy planning.”
The literature program played a large part in creating the agenda for the kids.
“They didn’t want us to have to think of things to come up with and do with the kids,” fifth grade teacher Kaylin Cadwallader said. “They just said, ‘Here’s your schedule,’ and boom, boom, boom. Most of the days fly by.”
While the school day starts and ends later than usual to accommodate the bus ride to Frostburg, the school day structure is relatively the same.
Students line up outside for attendance in the morning. The university dining services provides breakfast and lunch, and the kids play on the school’s football field during recess.
Despite the change of scenery, kids have adapted smoothly, Horne said.
“It’s not the typical school day, but we’re making it work.” he said. “They’re having a great time and learning different things.”
Some community members have volunteered time to keep the kids busy, such as Kick Masters’ Rick Rando giving a karate demonstration. The students also walked over to join Beall Elementary to watch a bicycle motocross presentation.
“I do not know what the (most) fun thing is,” first grader Brody Ray said. “I like all of them.”
Not only are the kids excited to participate in these events, but they’re happy to explore a college campus, fourth grader Kierra Bateson said.
“We (normally) take field trips here for like an hour or two, but now I get to be here the whole week,” Kierra said. “It’s pretty fun.”
Students of all ages agreed.
“It’s like a five-star hotel,” kindergarten student Adrian Casteel said.
Along with creating fun opportunities for the kids, the school has made efforts to address the student’s mental health after the traumatic situation.
“Last week we had a flood watch, and that brought up a whole slew of emotions,” guidance counselor Laura Wilson said. “A lot of students are worried about when it rains. A lot of kids were wondering if it’s gonna get this high to their knees.”
The school has brought in mental health specialists from the Mountain Ridge district, counselors from the county health department and Allegany College of Maryland’s Mind Body Medicine program, Wilson said.
Overall, teachers agreed that the staff and students are just happy to be back together.
“These kids are so resilient,” kindergarten teacher Natalie Orange said. “I think they’re just all happy to be here. I think they’re happy to be back doing something, even if it’s not regular school.”
Not having this opportunity to come back together could have negatively impacted the students, Wilson said.
“They would have struggled a lot more just not knowing if their friends were OK, if their teachers were OK, if the administration was OK,” Wilson said. “So, we’re really thankful.”
While the school year ends for the children on Friday and the administration hopes to be back in their original building next school year, this might not be the kids’ last time going to school on the FSU campus.
The school had shirts made that say “FUTURE BOBCAT” in big bold letters, and many students have held on to that notion.
“This is my dream college,” Kierra said.