All Hands on Deck

I got a call from Superintendent Brenda Hodges around 11:00 am on Tuesday in the midst of the deluge of rain that we received Sunday night through yesterday. She said, "Joe, it's a real mess out there. The governor has declared a state of emergency, and there's some spots in town that are in real bad shape." She proceeded to tell me that a dump truck filled with sand was en route to MHS and town officials were looking for some help in filling sandbags to be used at various locations in town where flooding was occurring. Thus, we decided that students 18 years old and older could volunteer, provided they had parental permission.

Now mind you, it was the first time in my career (and presumably the last) I have gotten on the school's PA and requested volunteers to fill sandbags! However, in a very short time I got approximately 60 students who were more than willing to give their time and efforts to help out during a critical time. From 1:00 to 4:00 pm they filled over 700 sandbags in the front student parking lot (in a driving rain I might add) and loaded them in DPW trucks and emergency vehicles. Some of these students also went on a school bus and delivered the sandbags to those flooded homes. The school department also used its mass-calling system to enlist parents and their children to help out, and yet another 700 sandbags were filled into the evening hours.

It is always nice to see a community come together, particularly during a difficult time. To all of these students who helped out- THANK YOU!! You did it with great spirit, and once again, you have done MHS proud! Thanks also to our ladies who work in the main office for organizing the students and procuring parental permission. Great job by all!