HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — A parent in Highlands Ranch said teachers at Northridge Elementary lost supplies in the tornado that ripped through the neighborhood on June 22.
Renee Lewis was lucky enough to have been in Chicago that day, but when she got home, she realized the school her children attend took the brunt of the storm.
"Once the top panels came off and the water came through, it just created all these beautiful waterfalls, I'm sure, within the building at the time," Lewis said. "So we're still evaluating the extensive water damage."
Lewis said at least eight teachers had items damaged from all the water that came through. She said the teachers paid for those supplies out of pocket to help improve their classrooms.
"Anything you see on the walls, end-of-task activities, indoor recess toys," she listed. "A lot of these teachers took their personal finances to create environments that are warm and happy, and they have to go back into their personal finances to try and recoup that and try make those environments again. It really bothered me on a high level, and I thought it's time we rally as a community to help them."
Lewis organized a GoFundMe to help those teachers build back their classrooms. She said teachers are often underpaid and this is the least the community can do to help.
"We’re talking about things that have been accumulated over years. Some of the things we can’t get back," she said. "I think that helps them have a more successful school year after the start of a pretty terrifying summer."
9NEWS reached out to the Douglas County School District to get more details on the damage. Last we heard, they were still assessing it.
Lewis is looking to raise $10,000. She said she plans to work with the school principal to distribute the money to the teachers.
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