Central Greene teachers collecting supplies to help flooded Connellsville schools
Rubble and damaged equipment float in high floodwaters in the basement of Connellsville Area High School during the aftermath of the Aug. 28 flooding that struck the Connellsville area.
Connellsville Area School District maintenance crews and volunteers clean up flood damage following the Aug. 28 flooding in Fayette County.
WAYNESBURG – Central Greene teachers are collecting school and cleaning supplies to help flood victims in Connellsville Area School District.
The Fayette County community was hit Aug. 28 with five inches of rain and flooding, and there are still about 80 displaced families in the school district, Connellsville Superintendent Phil Martell said.
“We have probably close to 80 families that are displaced, but we’re finding more and more,” he said.
The district had to postpone the original starting date of school by a week because of the state of emergency in that area and began classes Tuesday. Martell said despite the late start, the flooding did not hinder school attendance on the students’ first day back.
“It’s hard, but after a tragedy like this, you have to try to get back to regular life, and for a child, school’s probably the best way to do that,” he said.
Danielle Golden, a teacher at Central Greene, is from the Connellsville area and suggested to the teachers’ union that they collect donated school and cleaning supplies to Connellsville, fellow Central Greene teacher Sarah Cyprowski said.
Melissa Wilson, president of the teachers’ union, said the union was happy to help out a neighboring community and will be collecting supplies before this Friday’s home football game.
“Part of being in the union is helping our members in the union, and that doesn’t just mean Central Greene teachers but Western PA teachers,” Wilson said.
Martell said the district has received plenty of food and clothing donations, but are still in need of cleaning supplies “for the areas that were hit hardest.”
“The support that we’ve gotten from other districts, it’s just been really amazing and it talks a lot about Western Pennsylvania and how people come together to help out,” he said. “It’s very humbling.”
He said the Connellsville High School basement flooded, destroying lawn care and other maintenance equipment that was stored there. He said other buildings had some minor leaks during the heavy rain, but “it’s all cleaned up.”
Central Greene’s teachers will put up collection bins for the donation drive from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Friday during the union’s tailgate party for Waynesburg Central’s first home football game of the year. Wilson said the teachers will have face painting, raffle tickets and other activities before the game.
She said the tailgate activities are a way for the union leaders to be in the public in case parents have questions about the contract negotiations, since they’ve been without a contract since last summer.
“This is a way for us to have a bridge from the community to us and to answer questions,” she said.