PERRY CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Back to school had a new meaning this year for students at Buckhorn Elementary School. The school was flooded with six feet of water in the 2022 Eastern Kentucky flooding.
“The building was just a shell,” said Perry County Schools Superintendent Kent Campbell. “We had to replace pretty much everything inside the building.”
“Today is like one of the biggest celebrations ever. This school had water up to my eyeballs,” said Hazard Mayor Happy Mobelini. “These kids have had to drive 35 miles over a mountain every day, so seventy miles round trip, to school for the last two years. So they’re back in their school, it’s brand new, and it’s gorgeous.”
The renovations cost $15 million in total, and the school still has a few more things getting worked on. However, students started back in August, and the ribbon-cutting officially opened the school.
“We were here on the first day and seen everybody smile and come in,” Campbell said. “It was a great day seeing all the students and staff walk into the building, because a lot of people were doubting that the school would ever be rebuilt or remodeled. We’re living proof today that it did happen, and good things are happening here.”
“This is a way of life,” said Mobelini. “This school is the hub of this whole area over here, and now it’s back in full force.”
Along with the renovations, the project also included installing a brand new preschool in Buckhorn Elementary.
“It’s so moving to see the children in the preschool classroom because this isn’t something that the community has had before,” said Alissa Taylor, Kentucky state director for Save the Children programs. “This early childhood education opportunity is so important.”
“After the flood we wanted to provide the students early education experiences that could help them when they got in kindergarten and we just felt like the need was really great,” added Perry County Schools director for preschool Stephanie Wooton. The program is so new, in fact, Wooton said the kids “haven’t even gotten to get on their playground just yet.”
Shortly after the ribbon cutting, the new playground also opened, much to the delight of the students.
“There might be a few glitches in the school right now,” Mobelini said, “but you won’t hear anybody complain about a glitch because for two years, they had no school.”
