LOST CREEK, Ky. — The last few years have been rough for the Riverside Christian School in Breathitt County. Not long after recovering from a flood in March 2021, the small private school was hit again by last year’s devastating storms.
Twenty feet of water caused extensive damage to the school and staff living quarters. More than a dozen staff and teachers, who live onsite year round, had to be rescued by boat, including school secretary Jerrica Turner. The eastern Kentucky native also lost everything for the second year in a row.
Despite the damage, the school reopened two months after the flood. However, the smell of mold and visible scars of the damage done remain.
“It’s really hard to like walk through it and see it because you think of all the memories and all of the things that have happened and, it’s really hard,” Turner said as she walked through a closed off area of the building that is not suitable for use.
In the weeks following the flood, staff here were uncertain if they’d be able to reopen. Quickly, though, it was clear their mission would not be over yet.
“They were obviously not feeling a safe place where they were and so coming to school, we wanted that for them. We just wanted to them to come here, have fun, have a good time and learn and be with their friends and do all the normal stuff kids are supposed to do,” Turner said.
With the school now in a flood zone, it was also clear it would not be safe to remain in its current spot. This July, they purchased a nearby elementary school no longer in use by the county. It will hold all their school services plus more classrooms all under one roof.
It’s also on much higher ground.
“You can just feel the energy,” Lisa Bedtelyon, the school’s counselor, said. “We’re here, we’re working, we’re ready, we’re moving and we’re just excited to serve this community, truly, and continue to be a light in the hills of eastern Kentucky.”
Bedtelyon adds they will be fully moved in and ready to go before the start of the school year.
“We’re just really excited to be up there and to not have to worry anymore. Our kids will be safe and they’ll get a good education,” Turner said.
The Riverside Christian School raised over $300,000 for their new school through community donations. School staff says they are still in need of more help to pay for renovations and new staff housing.