HENRYVILLE, In. (WDRB) -- It's a huge day in Henrvyille, Indiana as students head back to class after a devastating tornado leveled their school. Twelve-hundred students head back to classes this morning. That includes the elementary, middle and high school.
Teachers say they're ready to get back to class. A March 2nd tornado destroyed the junior and senior high school, but five months later the school is ready to open.
Crews spent 400,000 hours to get this school ready on time with a price tag of $54 million. There are new walls, lockers, and fresh coats of paint. And students don't have to bring a backpack or school supplies today. That's because they each will get a new backpack filled with school supplies and they'll get a goodie bag filled with snacks.
Eighth grade science teacher Josh Conrad says " it's kind of neat to know that even though have horrific accident, tragedy, have stuff like this where people show their actual goodness. It's amazing all the things that have been done for Henryville and all the surrounding communities."
Bill Niece is the assistant principal. He says "I'm sure there are some things that haven't been healed properly yet. I think we're just in a hurry to have some type of normalcy." Niece says "we're very happy to be back in our building, very gracious, to have the opportunity to use Scottsburg Science Park, but so very happy to be back at Henrvyille."
Teachers think getting students back to classes in their own school will help the healing process.
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