By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Even before classroom time began today, Union City Elementary School students and teachers got an “A.”
Union City Director of Schools Wes Kennedy declared a contingency plan that had both children and staff from UCES relocated to the Civic Auditorium and high school campus due to a gas leak at the elementary school “a rousing success” after students arrived this morning.
“I can’t say enough about our faculty … they showed up with smiles on their faces, were enthusiastic when greeting their students and then got busy teaching kids,” Kennedy said. “The morning (drop-off) went very well, I thought, especially when you consider we were sending more than 700 students on a different route and we still got the last one in the building at 8:01 – which is only six minutes later than our day usually starts at the school.
“When you think about that, the volume of cars and buses, that’s amazing.”
Students were kept on a regular time schedule except for being dropped off and picked up at the Civic Auditorium at UCHS campus.
Extra police presence helped with traffic flow in both the morning and afternoon, and there were marked routes for both those delivering and picking up students, in addition to the regular traffic at Union City High School and around UC Middle School.
After providing breakfast, students were then separated by grade and ushered to several places on the UCHS campus, where they put in legitimate learning environments.
Classes were held in the civic auditorium, the multi-purpose athletic facility, the Purple and Gold room, the UC band house, and both the high school gymnasium and commons area.
Tornado RISE kept its regular schedule, visiting the Pumpkin Patch and having lunch at Don Sol, while pre-K classes went ahead with their plans of visiting the neighboring Union City Fire Department’s Station 2.
The Kid’s Club after-school program also was still in place.
Most pleasing to both Kennedy and UCES Principal Rene Flood and her fellow school administrators was the fact that environments conducive to learning were in place for students to learn and teachers to instruct.
“It’s taking a collective effort of our school personnel and community help, but I don’t know how things could have gone much better,” added Kennedy, who treated his UCES personnel to coffee from Higher Ground as students began arriving to start the day. “Our teachers and administrators have had wonderful attitudes and have been excited about having their students and continuing to learn – even outside of their comfort zones and regular classrooms.
“I was so pleased, too, to hear of the many middle school and high school teachers to offer their classrooms, supplies and general overall help to the elementary school teachers. That’s the kind of teamwork that any leader loves.
“It all makes me proud to be their boss and work alongside of them. They are willing to do anything to make certain Union City Schools are among the very best.”
The elementary school will remain on the same contingency plan Thursday as it had on Wednesday.
Photo by Mike Hutchens.
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