Nature Bats Last, but Greenhouse School Bounces Back
The microburst that ripped through Salem Tuesday evening, July 6, was apparently quite selective in its choice of targets. GHS was among those hit.
The wind blew down several sections of the school’s fence and destroyed the canopy where graduation was held only a couple weeks ago. It also blew out several panes in the school’s greenhouse building and warped one of the main top window vent frames, which is difficult to access and fix.
But the most dramatic damage was a large tree which was uprooted and fell crashing into the back yard. School officials say they couldn’t have been luckier in the way it fell, falling away from the building and missing the neighbor’s boat and garage by inches. The Directors’ car, which is usually parked next to the tree, was uncharacteristically absent.
It did, however, manage to pull off the back stairs and rip out the door, which will require extensive repair. But school resumed Wednesday morning without missing a beat. The kids enjoyed playing on the downed tree (safely, of course), painting in the back yard, and the traditional Wednesday cookout, a summer staple at the year round school.
“With all the disruption we’ve had over the past year, we think it is important just to pick up and keep moving. Kids need to feel like things are normal, and so do we!” Says Director Julia Nambalirwa-Lugudde.
It was simply odd how some things were left completely intact. The mail bin, a flimsy plastic bucket Welch usually takes in at the end of the day, was exactly where it had been left. Glass on patio tables was left intact next to the crumpled metal frame of the canopy.
Silver linings and the spirit of Uncle Swilly
In fact, despite the fairly serious damage, there is a bit of a silver lining and a neat story to lighten the mood in the wake of the disaster. “We have hated that tree for years. It’s too close to the building, and we wanted it gone,” says Director Dan Welch, Ms. Julia’s husband. “Given the kind of miraculous way it fell, my wife is convinced it was the Spirit of Uncle Swilly in action.”
Uncle Swilly was the nickname of Will Fontaine, whose niece and nephew Autumn and Travis attend the school. Sadly, Will passed in February at a young age. Before the pandemic, he had been active in helping trim back other trees on the property with other parents. This large tree was next on his hit list. So in a way there is a bittersweet poetry to it.
The school has recovered from flood, fire, burglary and every imaginable misfortune over the years and lands on its feet. Welch’s final take: “We like to look at it like Monty Python’s Black Knight, who gets all his limbs lopped off by King Arthur and just says, “I’ve ‘ad worse.” Parents and friends have offered support in the cleanup.
Storm hurt, but not too much for Greenhouse School
However, you can see that we made it look a bit too cheery. It really is a serious situation, and on review, the enormous wind/hail deductibles demanded by our insurance policy means there is really not much help there. We are looking into other solutions, reaching out to SBA, and so on.
