GREAT FALLS — Damage assessment continues at Lincoln Elementary School, which sustained heavy damage in a windstorm earlier this month that ripped off a section of the school's roof. The storm sent insulation and debris flying across nearby streets and yards and knocked out power for some residents in the area.
Kindergarten through third grade continues attending classes at Lincoln in the unaffected portion of the building. Fourth-grade students have been moved to Lewis & Clark Elementary, while fifth and sixth-graders are now attending classes at the Paris Gibson Education Center.
Patrick Williams reports - watch the video here:
Lance Boyd, the GFPS director of Student Achievement, provided a briefing to Great Falls mayor Cory Reeves, Great Falls Fire Rescue chief Jeremy Virts, Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter, and Montana governor Greg Gianforte.
Boyd said the displacement is the most obvious impact facing the student body.
"You’re used to a building for a large majority of your elementary career and when you’ve got fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in different buildings, getting used to that new environment, being in a new place, seeing how that school is laid out, how I am going to get from the classroom to the bathroom, or my classroom to the playground. Those are the things we’re working through, and then a little transportation," Boyd said.
Boyd noted that the Lincoln family has been strong through it all and that the family bond has carried them through the toughest of times.
"You know at the end of the day the Lincoln family is a well-known close-knit school that has a lot of proud traditions and proud excellence in education, and the way they’ve come together to support their teachers and how the teachers support their students is amazing. That’s what makes this a great place," Boyd said.
