After tornado destruction, Jessieville teachers and students participate in a prayer of gratitude

Jessieville, Arkansas – It has been almost a week after a tornado tore through Jessieville, inflicting damage and giving kids and staff quite the fear.

“I turned around, we went back in, and said get under your desks,” teacher Ashley Grise, said when she looked into the hallway and saw the ceiling had fallen.

However, the parents at home also experienced some anxiety.

“I saw the band building, which was very crumbled and I began to really worry,” Lisa Blair, mother of students, said.

Since it has been closed since Monday’s storm, the school has been a gloomy place.

The Jessieville School District held a “Prayer of Gratitude” early on Sunday morning in which participants prayed for community reconciliation and a promising future.

Today’s prayer was attended by a large number of children and staff who are eager to go back to their regular school routines.

One of the students, Anuhea, is eager to return.

“I’m gonna feel happy that I’ll be back at school after three AMI days, and seeing all my friends again,” she said.

She’s not by herself. The faculty is equally overjoyed to see the students from their classrooms once more.

“I’m just ready to get back to my kids in the class and love on them all day,” teacher Olivia Marquartt said.

The parents express their gratitude to the professionals and their assurance that their children were secure.

“The teachers were so wonderful and amazing – they protected our kids very, very well and I’m very grateful for that as I’m sure these kids are too” Blair told us.

They assured us that although they are aware that tomorrow will be challenging, as a family they will hold on to one another. “I think tomorrow is probably going to be…lots of hugs, lots of love, and lots of wiping happy tears and sad tears” Grise said.