KOKOMO, Ind. — There were no students at Kokomo's Taylor Elementary School Monday morning.
Instead, teachers and administrators spent the day cleaning up inside and outside the school after it was hit by powerful straight-line winds Friday evening.
Part of the roof was blown off. Debris covered the grassy areas around the school. Instead of school busses, service vehicles and repair companies filled the parking lot.
Inside the school, Mrs. Rosie Goudy was one of several teachers moving into a new classroom Monday.
"I love my kids," Goudy said. "I have 23 second graders.”
Her previous classroom was in the direct path of the storm. It's located down the hallway from several other classrooms damaged in the storm.
With the help of other staff, Goudy picked up the essentials and moved into a new classroom across the building.
“Every person in our building helped," Goudy said, "helped move desks, and helped get things up.”
“We got all of that done in just a few short hours with everybody, all hands on deck," said Taylor School Corporation Superintendent Steve Dishon.
Dishon said, in all, at least six classrooms were impacted. The school's gymnasium was also hit.
“When the winds hit the school it peeled all of the membrane off the top and pushed it all the way back down the hallway," Dishon said.
When the storm rolled through around 5:30 p.m. Friday, just one teacher was inside: Mrs. Goudy.
“Debris just started flying," Goudy said. "Everything was swirling. I saw the tree fall. Then, it’s like the big part of the roof was lifted up and then hung off of the side here.”
Thankfully, Goudy said no one was hurt and no student items inside the school were lost.
“I feel really fortunate that this happened Friday," Dishon said, "Tuesday we’re back to normal. I don’t think they’ll notice much of a disruption, other than they don’t get to use the gym for a bit.”
Dishon said the Indiana Department of Education approved a waiver day for Taylor Elementary School, so students and staff will not be punished for missing school on Monday.
There is no set timeline for when the damaged part of the building will reopen, but Goudy, who is a Taylor High School graduate, said the priority is getting students back into the classrooms safely.
“This is what we do," Goudy said. "We all pitch in. We all work together. Kids come first. We make sure we meet their needs. Whatever they need, we’re here for them, and we’re ready to be here for them tomorrow morning.”