CASTLE ROCK– The first day of school is always a day of great anticipation for a principal. Lacey Dahl is no different. She just didn’t expect to do it twice in one month.
After a summer of planning, and only three weeks into the new school year, Meadow View Elementary’s principal was forced to start again when she received a phone call about the flooding in her school caused by a broken water line leading into the fire sprinkler system.
“It was pretty substantial,” says Dahl. “There was about five feet of water in Meadow View’s crawl space.”
Her initial thoughts were with her students and staff.
“Once we started learning the severity of the issue, right, my wheels started turning, like ‘what’s this gonna look like for our families and our kiddos?’”
What happened over the next week reinforced what Dahl already knew - her community is special. While classes were canceled for the week, Meadow View Elementary was moved to a new location minutes away in just three days.
Teachers set up classrooms. Families brought food. Students made encouraging signs.
“District departments and their specialized teams have been here constantly trying to get us set up for everything that we need,” said Dahl. “Oh my gosh, it was amazing! In fact, I’m gonna get choked up even talking about it.”
The entire Meadow View Community came together to make sure that students felt welcomed on their second first day of school.
It was a day filled with emotions for everyone as kids looked for their teachers outside of the new building. Some students who walk to school now rode the bus for the first time. Some who normally ride a bus were able to walk.
Meadow View students are expected to be in classes at the new location for a few months while repairs are being made to their school building. As everyone settled into the new routine, many reflected on the experience.
“Meadow View is still alive,” said third-grade teacher Nicole Chavira. “You can see it beating and surviving and doing great things.”
“Parents were ready to send their kiddos and kiddos were ready to come in the building with us,” said Dahl, smiling. “We couldn't ask for more than that.”
What was evident on this second first day of school was that the Meadow View community was not defined by a building.