ELK, Wash. — On Wednesday, students and teachers in the Riverside School District returned for the first day of school.
The return for students comes nearly three weeks since the devastating Oregon Road Fire that destroyed more than 350 structures.
The return of school is a sense of normalcy for Malia Reedy.
“I felt pretty normal. My class it felt pretty normal. So I think that's a really big benefit is nobody's treating it differently than another school day," Reedy said.
Reedy is in her final year at Riverside High School. She grew up in the district and never experienced a devastation like the Oregon Road fire.
“We're a tight community, we come together," Reedy said. "We support each other. I think that's the benefit of living here.”
School officials say about 100 students and seven staff members lost their homes.
“We've stayed united, I think the that's brought the light to people," superintendent Dr. Ken Russell said.
Dr. Russell says because of the fire, the school district started a week later than its original start date. They made this decision for a number of reasons, including feedback from families and Riverside High School still being used as an evacuation center.
“We're still completely focused on helping the elk community in any way possible," Russell said.
Students who are displaced will be provided out-of-district transportation with Riverside school buses.
“We did want to be prepared. We didn't want to go in blind it," Kristen Williams, Riverside Middle School's counselor said. "And so just knowing the resources that we can offer kids, and just having a safe space for them is really exciting.”
Many parents are glad of the district’s decision to push school back.
“I think the school district did exactly what they needed to do," Victoria Eby-Bounds said.
Eby-bounds is a parent to a fourth grader in the district.
“A lot of the kids go here are impacted by the fire," Eby-bounds said." So, making sure they all start the same and together is important.”
As for Reedy, she’s excited for what the rest of the school year has in store.
“I'm just glad that everything is smoothly going into the new school year and we can look forward to football events and homecoming dance," Reedy said.
The superintendent says school operations have fully returned to normal. Students who wish to return to school at a later date will be accommodated.
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