After severe weather hit parts of Middle Tennessee March 3, a group of teacher at Kenrose Elementary decided to join the volunteer force and ended up helping a former colleague in the process.
On Friday, March 6, eight Kenrose Elementary teachers traveled to First Horizon Park Nashville to assist with the clean-up efforts. When they arrived, Marie Lee, Lindsey West, Morgan O’Connell, McKenzie Glenn, Maria Peerenboom, Amanda Forsythe, Kassidy McCullough and Anne Marie Peterson were directed to Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary School. The school suffered damage after the storm, and its teachers were moving into Park Avenue Elementary.
“It was really surreal to see,” said Lee. “It was nice of Park Avenue to allow those teachers in, and it was really cool to help them out.”
The group ended up helping Peerenboom’s former colleague, Joy Van Est, move her supplies. On Saturday, several teachers returned to help Van Est set up her classroom for her classes that would resume Monday.
“Setting up a classroom takes a long time, and it’s awesome helping someone we knew,” Peerenboom said.
Several other Kenrose Elementary teachers were volunteering through other organizations, including first grade teacher Lindsey Smith and second grade teacher Elizabeth Mendelson.
“It was great to see everyone come together,” said Peerenboom. “It was just teachers helping teachers. It didn’t matter what district you were from.”
