Superintendent Lynn Torres
When a huge storm ripped through the Lufkin High School property last Saturday leaving twisted trees, snapped off telephone poles and downed lines, it was the staff at Lufkin ISD and community members who so graciously volunteered to help pick up the pieces. Some of those pieces included the tennis bleachers on top of the tennis court fence and the heavy pole vault pads and high jump mats thrown through a neighboring fence.
I must admit I wasn’t surprised to hear that coaches pulled chainsaws out of their trucks and got to work, including principal Brandon Boyd. He helped coordinate the effort. A community volunteer with a tow truck, Brian Hillis, helped us move the heavy trees out of the bus lane.
Thanks to Rusty Ford of Merit Roofing for making a Sunday afternoon visit on top of the roof to look at possible damage from a large vent the size of a car that was haphazardly tossed off into the student parking lot.
The wind was certainly mighty, but was no match for the cooperative spirit of the Lufkin ISD staff.
The grounds crew came out on Saturday and Sunday to work on the debris caused by 32 downed trees covering the campus. They were hoping that their work could allow us to have school on Monday, but other factors influenced that decision. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.
Many of our employees suffered damage to their own homes and property, but came to the school to see if they could help. We are thankful to Oncor staff for quickly erecting three new power poles that allowed us to have electricity later in the day on Saturday. They were helpful, professional and efficient.
Coaches came out on Monday to help with cleaning up the stadium and bringing all of the equipment back home. We expect to find damage in the scoreboard, but we will know more later when we have time to run diagnostic tests.
Our Student Nutrition department was certainly grateful to coach David McPherson. He located a generator from Darren Roberts with United Rental on Saturday to preserve the food in the cafeteria freezers and refrigerators. Crystal Flores, LHS manager, came up to the school on Saturday to check on things without being asked to do so. She was just worried about the food and the status of her cafeteria.
Employees who helped with the clean-up include (and I’m sure there are more not mentioned):
Matt Thompson
Coy Wade
Milton Alexander
JC Conner
Guy Davis
Ryan Kidwell
Salvador Noria Lopez
Darrian Shepherd
Bobby Snowden
David Strong
Brian Thigpen
Joseph Young
Sherman Bartley
Clay Welch
Saul (Coco) Reyna Carreon
Becky Childress
Crystal Flores
Amanda Calk
Johnnie Ross
Todd Quick
David McPherson
Brandon Boyd
LHS coaches
In light of the losses suffered by our neighbors, Lufkin ISD was lucky that our damage was not more widespread. As I have learned now and in the past, no matter the situation, you can count on the Lufkin ISD team.