116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Kennedy High to welcome back students Jan. 19 after derecho damage
Jan. 7, 2021 6:00 am
CEDAR RAPIDS - Teachers slowly are returning to Kennedy High School to teach virtually and ready their rooms for students to return for in-person instruction later this month, after the derecho severely damaged the building in August.
It's been almost a year since students passed through the hallways at Cedar Rapids' Kennedy High, 4545 Wenig Rd. NE, after Iowa schools closed in March to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
Then, mere weeks before school started for this past fall, the storm swept through Cedar Rapids on Aug. 10, further delaying student's return to the classroom.
Kennedy High students have been in continuous online learning since September. With building repairs nearing completion, students will return in a hybrid learning model on Jan. 19.
Kennedy High is the last Cedar Rapids school damaged in the derecho to reopen its doors.
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
Associate principal Jessica Johnson gestures to a spot where there was a hole in the ceiling after the Aug. 10 derecho in a science classroom at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
Special education teacher Devon Ashby decorates her chalkboard while getting ready for students to return at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
Library coordinator Lesa Neff puts books back on shelves after the library was repaired following damage by the Aug. 10 derecho at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
A pile of library books to be sorted and returned to shelves is seen after water damage was repaired in the library at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
Associate principal Jessica Johnson explains renovations done to a science classroom where much of the second floor had a half inch of standing water and various holes in the ceiling after the Aug. 10 derecho at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
Office staff work to get set back up after renovations are finished to fix damage from the Aug. 10 derecho at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
Associate principal Jessica Johnson talks about renovations done to the front office after the Aug. 10 derecho at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
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