Pasadena ISD Helps Students Heal In Post-Harvey Environment.

PASADENA, TX — Students in Pasadena ISD, were among other school districts opening their doors to welcome students back to class much later than anticipated, after Hurricane Harvey battered the Gulf Coast and flooded thousands of homes, businesses and schools in the Houston area.

Despite its proximity to the Gulf Coast, Pasadena fared much better than many thought it would, even though hundreds of students are still displaced.

One of the hardest hit campuses was Thompson Intermediate, which is attending classes in a section of Beverly Hills Intermediate until repairs are completed.

READ: Harvey: Pasadena ISD Announces Classes Will Resume On Sept. 11

Frazier Elementary and William Elementary were also damaged by flood waters, according to a the Pasadena ISD website.

“During these hard times we’ve seen the Pasadena ISD community come together and help one another,” Pasadena ISD Superintendent DeeAnn Powell wrote on the district’s web page. “From the shelters, to the volunteer efforts, donations, and outpouring of love and care for one another, our children and our district have been overwhelmingly supported.”

All three campuses had at least 5 feet of water inside the building with Thompson Intermediate sustaining the most damage.

However, clean up has been underway with crews working around the clock, but will still take some before students are able to return.

While most look at the inside of buildings and the damage done to property, many don’t consider the toll it takes on on students.

However, Pasadena ISD is taking this experience and using it to help those affected to begin the healing process, with staff doing outreach in affected communities to help those traumatized students talk about their experiences, the Houston Chronicle reported.

At the same time, the Pasadena Education Foundation is accepting donations to help those students and ge schools hurt by Hurricane Harvey.

For a great majority of those kids, just being back in school and among the familiar faces of teachers and friends goes a long way in the healing process.

"The school is our home away from home,” Thompson Intermediate Principal Melissa Allen told the Houston Chronicle. “Teachers, educators spend more time together than most professionals, and to know that we have to find a place where we can still be a family somewhere else…”

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