Mitchell County Schools

We are not taking anymore Mountaineer Strong T-shirt orders. There will be a few left over from stock after all the orders have been finalized. We will post colors and sizes in a few days. If you have already ordered, be on the lookout for an email from thughes@mhslive.net. Thank you!!!

Hurricane Helene: This is Our Story Submission by Mitchell Elementary Teacher, Rindie Carter When we were told on Wednesday, September 25th, that we would be not having school for the rest of the week, I was relieved. As a first-year teacher, I was exhausted and ready for what I believed to be a 4-day weekend. I expected to lose power, have it restored by the evening, and see my student's faces on Monday morning. However, this is not the reality I hoped for. On Thursday we lost power, but got it back by noon. We still had service and connectivity to the world around us. We still had no idea what was to come. Thursday night I tossed and turned, listening to the whips of the wind and the cracks of trees falling. I ran to my window several times to check to make sure a tree didn't fall on my parent's house. I know we lost power at around 3 in the morning because my fan shut off. I still wasn't scared. I thought it was just a bad storm. I woke early on Friday morning and saw some trees down as I let my dog out. I thought to myself, "wow, this might take a couple of weeks to clean up." Still, not understanding the devastation our community endured overnight. I live in a holler on Cane Creek. The holler saved my family and I. It is what kept our land "normal looking" when Helene chewed everything else up and spit it out. I went back to sleep and woke again to my grandfather in panic shouting, "This is a federal disaster! We won't have power for weeks. This is really really bad." Verbatim. These words come through my mind over and over. Still, in disbelief, I agreed to ride to the end of the road with him to see the damage. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was that I could see more of Cane Creek than ever before. Usually, I couldn't see cars coming up or down. When turning off Nora Lane, it was a blind spot. Not anymore. You can now see every single car, person, animal, passing by. Then I noticed the water. We couldn't see our bridge or connecting road because it was all completely underwater. I was speechless. I decided to get home and get dressed to work. My grandpa, dad, mom, sister, and Doug Young cut a back way out so we could get to McKinney Cove. Then, for the next three days we spent cutting Pan Wiley out of her driveway, thanks to a huge oak tree. We had no cell-service unless we went to Tennessee. We traveled a few times to get supplies, do laundry, and have a warm meal. We craved normalcy. We craved connection. We craved hope. I remember the first time I felt like we were going to be okay was when we were on our way home from Johnson City. “Sunshine on My Shoulders” by John Denver played on the radio. I felt peace. I finally felt that there was light at the end of the tunnel, and maybe, it wasn’t as far away as it seemed. My spirits were low. Depression set in, and I decided to go volunteer and discovered that helping my community was the best medicine. After feeling so helpless for a couple of weeks, seeing my colleagues, students, and members of the community work so diligently to get back to normal restored my faith in Jesus and humanity. Witnessing the volunteers coming from all over the country from all walks of life was nothing more than a blessing. In the past month, my community has proven to be the resilient, proud, and strong Appalachians that I have always heard stories of. Throughout the disaster, we became more united than ever. Neighbors have been helping neighbors regardless of politics, race, religion, or anything else that appears to seperate us. I hope we will continue to put each other first. Now, I sit here writing this from my classroom desk, the lights are on, the internet is working. I am clean and trying to prepare for my students to return. I never thought that this would be a reality a month ago. I didn’t think that I would be able to enjoy the simple modern-day luxuries without the help of a generator. I didn’t think that I would be able to reach my loved ones in the comfort of my own home. I didn’t know if my students would get to come to school until January. We have rebuilt way ahead of schedule and I am forever grateful to the men and women who have worked so hard to allow us to have these privileges again.

Mitchell County Schools Trunk or Treat- Part 4

UPDATE: APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15th!! THE GOFUNDME WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN OPEN. With the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we know that many families are having a difficult time meeting their monthly budget needs! As the holiday season begins to approach, we are aware of the extra financial strain that can be placed on families. Every year we have civic organizations, churches, and individuals who offer to help families in need during the holiday season. Due to the extreme devastation to Mitchell County, we are planning to use the Joyful Hands Project to meet the needs of our children and families through the entirety of the 2024-2026 school years. If your organization would be willing to support Mitchell County School students and families, please click on the QR Code to link you to our Google Form. This will allow you to share with us information about the ways you would like to support Mitchell County children and families, Please complete this form by Wednesday, November 6th. You will be receiving a follow-up email with more specific dates and processes as we coordinate the needs of our community. We will be streamlining communication through the following email address: joyfulhands@mhslive.net Thank you for supporting the children and families of Mitchell County, we are blessed to have your partnership and look forward to working with you! Blessings, Angela Atkins, MSW School Social Worker Jennifer Miller, Student Support Services Director Sponsorship Google Form Link - https://forms.gle/xhYZzpFU6jyVLzkh8 GoFund Me Link - https://gofund.me/4c894ad6

Free medical clinics at Mayland Community college. Temporary tents are set in the parking lot staffed by doctors with the ability to write prescriptions. Hours of operation 8:00 am to 7:00 pm.

****ATTENTION**** We have ordered more MITCHELL STRONG purple shirts in Adult Medium and Adult Large. The only pickup/buy day this week will be Wednesday (10/30) 11:00-12:30 at the County Office. This will ONLY be for pickup on orders who did not include Purple M,L, or larger shirts and Gray L,XL, or Larger shirts. We will have the other shirts ready to go by next week and will update the pickup day as soon as possible.

If your child needs a Halloween costume, we have some available tomorrow at Mitchell High School!

Mitchell County Schools "Mountaineer Strong" T-shirt pre-order pickups will be available starting Saturday, October 26 at the Mitchell High School Football Game. You will also be able to purchase a t-shirt via cash or Paypal during this time. The cost is $25.00. All proceeds go to support MCS students. On Tuesday, October 29 and Wednesday, October 30 we will also have another pickup/t-shirt sale from 11:00-12:30 at Mitchell County Schools Board of Education Office. We do have the ability to ship these items as well for the cost of shipping. If you have questions, please email thughes@mhslive.net Paypal Links: Payment Link for Pick-up (without shipping) - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/S9R7VCJDZH9H2 Payment Link with shipping - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/6GMZR4GEF5FZ8

The last few weeks have been hard for our kids. Please take advantage of this free opportunity for discussion groups led by trained facilitators.

Good Afternoon! The Mitchell Co Dept of Social Services is currently accepting applications for a temporary food assistance program called D-SNAP. This program has been created by the State of North Carolina in order to help families in counties affected by Helene. This program is available to residents who would otherwise not qualify for the ongoing SNAP program due to being over income limits. People are encouraged to apply by phone at the D-SNAP Virtual Call Center at 1-844-453-1117 or complete a pre-registration online using the ePASS Pre-Registration Tool, which will open on Oct. 15 for pre-registration and close on Oct. 22. Applicants will then receive a call to complete the registration with an interview over the phone. People can also apply at a D-SNAP location in their county. For a full list of places to apply and for more details, visit ncdhhs.gov/dsnap.

The MHS football and their coaches have been out supporting their community for the past 3 weeks. Now, we finally get to support them again on the football field. Hope to see you at Draughn for a 2:00pm kickoff today!

Here are the available YOUTH shirts in the Mitchell Strong design. The previous post contained all ADULT sizes. You may place your online order through the link below or the QR code in the pictures. Please note, there is a separate link that includes shipping if you will not be picking up. Shipping information can be entered into the PayPal order form. If you prefer to pay with cash, you may place your order at the Board of Education office at 72 Ledger School Road in Bakersville, NC. All pick-up orders will be available at this same address. We will notify you when orders are ready for pick up. Payment Link for Pick-up (without shipping) - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/S9R7VCJDZH9H2 Payment Link with shipping - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/6GMZR4GEF5FZ8

We are so excited for Trunk or Treat on October 31!

Our Mitchell Strong shirts are now ready for purchase. You may place your online order through the link below or the QR code in the pictures. Please note, there is a separate link that includes shipping if you will not be picking up. Shipping information can be entered into the PayPal order form. If you prefer to pay with cash, you may place your order at the Board of Education office at 72 Ledger School Road in Bakersville, NC. All pick-up orders will be available at this same address. We will notify you when orders are ready for pick up. Payment Link for Pick-up (without shipping) - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/S9R7VCJDZH9H2 Payment Link with shipping - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/6GMZR4GEF5FZ8

Mitchell Middle School Basketball Tryouts are happening next week! If you are unable to attend due to transportation or storm related issues, please contact Stephanie Warren (swarren@mhslive.net ) or Whitney Ledford (wledford@mhslive.net).

We are Mitchell Strong! Ordering information for these t shirts is coming very soon. All proceeds will go to Mitchell County Schools. Thank you Hi Fidelity Soap Co. for the awesome design!

On Tuesday, October 15th, Troyers and Friends will be providing breakfast at 8:00 AM, lunch at 12:00 PM, and supper at 5:00 PM at the new Mitchell Elementary/Middle School. They will not be able to take call-ahead orders, as this will be first-come, first-served. They successfully served nearly 850 plates tonight, so try to arrive as close to the allotted times as possible. Also, please enter off of 226, circling around the front of the building and continuing to the back of the building for pickup. They will continue serving until the food runs out. The cooking is delicious, and we hope you stop by and enjoy!

Please consider donating to one of these funds, which will go directly toward student trips that have already been planned. Deposits and payments are due for some of the trips, and we do not want to ask our students to pay any money during this difficult time. This is one way we can offer a little hope and a sense of normalcy. Our Juniors and Seniors already missed out on school trips during COVID, and we don’t want that to happen again this year due to circumstances beyond our control. Please share this message with any contacts you may have outside of our community!

MCS Update... Thank you to our staff, students, and parents for the work you have done in our communities for the past 2 weeks. We believe that all students and staff have been accounted for and cannot wait to welcome them back to our buildings. Please know that we are working hard to get our students back to school as soon as possible. We do have a few announcements... 1. All K-5 students may stop by their school on Tuesday to pick up a learning exploration kit. These will include fun literacy, math, and art activities for students while they are out of school. 2. We know college application deadlines are quickly approaching for high school seniors. We will have staff available to help seniors with these next week. 3. Varsity high school sports will resume next week on a revised schedule. The MHS Varsity Volleyball team will play Heritage and Avery at Mitchell Middle School beginning at 12:00pm on Wednesday. Admission is $5. The MHS Varsity Football team will travel to Draughn next Saturday, October 19 for a 2:00pm kickoff. We know there are many needs to be met over the next weeks and months. Please know we are here to support our entire school community,however possible.

Our MCS leadership teams have met the past two days to discuss the immediate and future needs of our schools and students. While we are working to make sure basic needs are met, we are also looking at the remainder of the school year. Our students and their families have faced losses that will cause financial hardships for the foreseeable future. We are still planning for field trips to happen as would be scheduled during a normal school year, especially the OBX trip for 8th grade, Washington DC trip for Juniors, and the Senior Trip. We want every student who wants to attend these trips to have the opportunity to go. The link below will go to a fund that will provide these opportunities for students when they return to school. Thank you so much for helping us take care of all the needs of our students. https://mitchellcountyschools.betterworld.org/donate