ROAD TO RECOVERY: Sheldon ISD students embrace change after Harvey
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Once Hurricane Harvey passed and the flood waters receded, officials with Sheldon I.S.D. had a difficult task ahead of them. A few of their schools were damaged, including C.E. King Middle School.
Shut down since the storm, students needed to find another location to continue their school year. So the decision was made to blend them with Null Middle School, three miles down the road.
"We had to come up with a plan to make sure our students were not falling behind," C.E. King Middle School Principal Raff Saeed said.
Null Middle School Principal Leroy Bradley offered a helping hand.
"This terrible thing has happened, how can we help?" Bradley asked.
Bradley and Saeed have been working hand in hand to make sure the blending situation here is seamless.
"I can tell that his kids are grateful to be here," Bradley said.
When C.E. King Middle School flooded, the district decided to send those 1,068 students to Null Middle School. King students are in the classroom from 7:10 till 11:30 a.m. Then Null students attend from 12:40 until 5 p.m.
Many students have embraced the change.
"Our motto is Sheldon strong. That means we are strong together, we are helping each other by sharing schools," King Middle School eighth-grader Travious Mattox said.
Through trying times both faculties creatively discovered ways to combine school spirit... with color.
"We're blended together and that's our theme for the year which is purple," said Bradley. "That's the blend of red which is Null Middle School, and blue which is King Middle School."
While the friendly rivalry between these two schools remains, the principals have relied on each other to make sure this experience is positive for every student in the classroom.
"He's got a big heart," Saeed said.
"He's really flexible, he's fun to work with, his staff is awesome. It's been a fun experience," Bradley added.
Earlier this week, Sheldon ISD received a grant that will allow each student to receive free breakfast and lunch through the end of October.
According to Sheldon ISD spokesperson Derik Moore, the district has high hopes of getting back to normal by January of 2018.
"That could be sooner. We don't want to promise anything we can't fulfill," Moore said.
