Belfry Middle School Principal James Hurley spoke to students and parents Monday evening to shed some light on the condition of the school and plans for the remainder of the term. One question that has plagued students since the flood almost a week and a half ago is, "What will become of the CATS tests the students took the week before the flood?"
The tests measures students' progress and is a major tool in assessing Kentucky's school systems. The test forms were in the basement of the school, Hurley said. “Our school, along with John's Creek, has been exempted from the test,” Hurley said. “It will not affect our school, it will not affect students' transition into high school. They will get an exemption score, it will not be a problem whatsoever.” Hurley said he had had some criticism for storing the tests in the basement of the school. “Belfry High School starting testing in 1990, and tests have been stored in that same location since then,” he explained. “They were four feet off the floor, just as they have always been. I never knew I was going to get seven feet of muddy water in the basement. That basement has never had more than four or five inches of water there. I apologize for that – obviously I won't be putting tests down there anymore.” He said the eighth grade kids had done a “phenomenal job” on the sections of the test they had completed, and that the school was doing what it could to reward their hard work. An eighth grade trip, which had not been planned before the flood, is currently set for Tuesday, May 26, when the class will visit Kentucky Kingdom, an amusement park. “That's one good thing about this flood,” teacher Sandy Bevins said to a cheering crowd. The decision to cancel classes came late Tuesday. Hurley said Superintendent Roger Wagner had toured the building Monday, and said he wanted students to return to the school Wednesday, May 20. In February, the Kentucky Legislature passed a bill that provided for 'disaster days', which would not be made up by adding days to the end of the school term. According to the Kentucky Department of Education Web site, “A district may be considered for district-wide disaster days if it has missed more than 20 instructional days system-wide. ” Hurley said personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had visited the school Monday, and they said they felt Pike County would be declared a federal disaster area. In neighboring West Virginia, Mingo County, which suffered from the same flooding, received federal declaration Friday, May 15. The date for BMS graduation is 6 p.m. May 28. “We cannot have graduation prior to the last day of school,” Hurley said. “That's why we have a policy that we have graduation on the last day of school." Hurley said school administrators considered moving the venue of the BMS prom from the gym. He said they looked at Belfry High School as well as some facilities in Williamson, but decided tradition would prevail. “Our gym is hot, and stuffy, but its our kids' gym, its their eighth-grade year, and I am not going to let a flood keep them from getting what I feel like they deserve. It wouldn't mean as much to our kids if we didn't have our prom in our gym.” “They deserve a prom. We are going to have a graduation,” Hurley assured those gathered. “If I kill myself, we are going to have prom in our gym. People may think that I am more concerned with prom and things like that, but I feel those are memories that our kids will lose, and so I am concerned. I want these eighth graders to go out like all the other eighth graders – on top. They have worked hard and they deserve that.” Hurley said he knows his students, and what matters to them is what matters to him. “I know my priorities,” he said. “It is these six through eighth grade kids. I have taken some criticism, but, hey, I'm not at the top of the totem pole anyway, we'll just keep on doing the things we do.”
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