One Year After Helene: WNC Schools Anchor Recovery in Resilience” Featured in Getting Smart

One year after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, the Western North Carolina Resilience Project (WNCRP) is helping schools not just rebuild but reinvent themselves around the idea of resilience. Led by Open Way Learning and local educators, the initiative has engaged 18 school districts, with 9 deeply involved, to transform recovery into an opportunity for innovation and connection.

At the heart of the work is the belief that schools are more than buildings; they’re the anchors of community. From Canton Middle School, where weekly assemblies foster belonging, to Madison County, where teachers and artists helped students turn storm debris into art through the “Stories in Glass” project, educators are channeling pain into purpose.

The WNCRP’s framework is organized around six strands of resilience, including mental health supports, community partnerships, and learner agency, each adapted locally through continuous improvement cycles. Across the region, schools are building belonging, empathy, and problem-solving into everyday learning.

This fall, teachers are using microgrants and collaborations with Western Carolina University to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Helene with community-centered projects.

Wes emphasizes that resilience isn’t a program but a practice built in relationships and classrooms. By aligning with North Carolina’s Portrait of a Graduate, districts are redefining what readiness means: prioritizing adaptability, empathy, and collaboration.

The piece closes with a powerful message: WNC’s recovery offers a model for any community facing crisis, showing that when schools nurture trust, belonging, and purpose, recovery can become renewal.