One year after Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, the visible scars of the storm remain. Families are still displaced. Western North Carolina school buildings sit empty. But across the mountains, educators and communities are working on something less visible and far more lasting: weaving resilience into the future of learning.

The WNC Resilience Project, launched in the wake of Helene, is helping districts recover while reimagining what schools can be. To date, 18 school districts have joined efforts, and nine districts are deeply engaging to improve resilience in Western North Carolina schools. Its premise is simple but profound: rebuilding after a disaster should not only restore what was lost but create something stronger, more connected, and more responsive to young people’s needs.

Rebuilding with Community at the Center

At Canton Middle School in Haywood County, administrator Joshua Simmons describes the shift. The crisis revealed how indispensable schools are, not only as places of learning but as anchors of community. That lesson now guides how his school approaches recovery.

“It becomes more than just a learning institution,” Simmons said. “It becomes like your home. And people needed it when they got back.”

Today, Canton Middle sustains that sense of belonging through weekly all-campus assemblies. A tradition born out of the storm, and a renewed commitment to empathy-driven leadership, everyone, including leadership, young people, and support staff, join and take on specific efforts as a collective each week to contribute to a positive experience at the school. Staff have become more attuned to the challenges learners carry into school each day, adjusting expectations and supports accordingly.

Turning Pain Into Purpose

In Madison County, the work of recovery has also taken creative forms. Madison County Early College High School English teacher Julie Young and local glass artist Kristen Muñoz launched Stories in Glass, a project that invited learners to transform shards of broken glass into art, including bees, butterflies, and other symbols of renewal.

“I wanted to teach them that we could turn pain into purpose together through creating and transforming,” Muñoz explained, describing how she drew on the Hawaiian prayer Ho’oponopono to guide the process.

Julie, a 36-year veteran teacher, saw how the project gave her students agency at a time when so much felt out of their control. Instead of writing a traditional research paper, they designed an interactive website to collect community storm stories, gaining skills in interviewing, podcasting, and design along the way.

Read the full article about the WNC Resilience Project by Wes Davis at Getting Smart.