COVINGTON, Tenn. — Both Crestview Elementary and Middle School in Covington were destroyed by a tornado in late March, but now Tipton County Superintendent John Combs is hoping to have them open by August.
Covington parent Stephanie Byrd has two children who went to Crestview Middle School before it and the next-door elementary school were leveled by a tornado in late March.
"Our entire family has gone to Crestview,” Byrd said. “The room that was torn off at the end of the elementary school was the classroom that we all went to, me and both kids.”
In the following days, the Covington community began the process of building a new home for the 1,500 Crestview students.
“Once everything got to the point where everything was okay for the kids to go out, they had been out on jobs and helping with stuff as well,” Byrd said.
Combs took ABC24 inside the two new temporary buildings, which will include A/C, bathrooms and security cameras for the students, at Cobb Parr Park.
“Metal studs, drywall, paint them, they’re going to look just like a classroom,” Combs said. “Everyone’s worked hard to make this happen, so we appreciate it. We’re really excited for the kids to be back in school. They missed out those last few weeks, so we’re glad to have them back.”
While these temporary buildings may not have been what parents had in mind, they are happy the community is still together to do it.
“As long as the experience of teachers and her friends, and the things that need to be there are involved then, you know what, it doesn’t matter where they go back to school, as long as they’re together,” Byrd said.
Dr. Combs said the new temporary schools should be ready by the start of the school year on August 7. The buildings will serve as the students’ home for the next two years while two new permanent Crestview schools are being built. Construction on those are expected to begin in the fall.