A year after devastating tornado, Springfield Middle School in Wilson County emerges stronger

LUCAMA, N.C. (WTVD) -- If you believe something good can come out of tragedy, this is a perfect example.

One year after an EF-3 tornado nearly destroyed Springfield Middle School in Wilson County, the community is stronger than ever.

The tornado struck overnight, heavily damaging the school on Wiggins Mill Road in Lucama.

"The ends of the wings were destroyed. The roof was ripped off. We had things down in the parking lot," said Dr. Ben Williams, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services for Wilson County Schools. "I mean, it was really a devastating scene. It was really bad."

Kelly Thomas, the principal at Springfield Middle, vividly recalled those harrowing moments.

"I live here in the community, so I was actually sheltering in place when all this was going on, and getting phone calls as soon as everybody found out the tornado hit," Thomas said. "Getting text messages from teachers and staff, and what are we going to do? What's next? And so, the first thing I did was get on a Zoom with all of them to let them know, we don't know what's going to happen, but we're in this together."

They were, and they did the seemingly impossible. In a matter of weeks, they got students back in the usable parts of the building, salvaging the school year.

"The community support has been tremendous," Williams said. "The community was reaching out from all over the community of how they can help, how they can support, dropping off, collecting school supplies. It's again, a community school, extremely important. They displayed that importance in a time of need."

Thomas said everyone was willing to work together, and it brought people closer.

"Whatever you need, we'll take care of it. You need to use my classroom, I'll step out. So, it was a great aspect, everyone coming together," she said. "The foundation of this school -- we are a true family. We want to be together, we support each other. This staff has been together for a while, and the biggest thing was staying together."

Areas of the school that were usable were reconfigured. Damaged areas were made safely inaccessible to students and staffers. Then, the school received modular units.

"Once we got the modular units, moving into those, there was a sense of relief that they had their own space ... but then there was also a sense of this is a little odd, too, because they'd been used to sharing spaces together," Thomas said.

Soon, they won't have to share spaces.

"It'll be nice to have my school big again," Thomas smiled.

That won't be long, they hope. Crews are working to have a brand new Springfield Middle by Christmas, maybe even sooner.

"It's been a journey, but my staff has definitely been on this journey together, and we have supported each other the whole way through," Thomas said. "We've been able to keep school going as much as normal while they're on the other side of the wall working on the construction and rebuilding.

"We're ready for it to get back," she added. "That's the goal, to be stronger. I feel like we have come out stronger going through this event."

The first day of school for traditional calendar schools in Wilson County is Aug. 25.