Months on from the wild flooding that forced a Napier school to shift online, the start of a new school year is offering chance for the decile one community to move forward.
From teachers to contractors, there have been long hours of hard work during the summer months to get Henry Hills School in top shape before the students returned.
For principal Jason Williams, going the extra mile to get back to normal "was worth every second of blood, sweat and tears" as he opened the gates today.
"It’s probably not a position we would want to be at in the beginning of the year being so worn out and tired, but at 9am when the kids go into the classrooms, that will all be worth it," he told Breakfast this morning.
Not only was the community hit hard by flooding, but also the Covid-19 lockdown, causing uncertainty for many of the staff and students.
The area is recovering from last week’s deluge.
"2020 is something that we definitely won't miss," Williams says.
Floodwaters wiped out six of the primary school's 12 classrooms, prompting students to head online for a week. It was initially thought they'd be kept away until the start of this year.
"It's great to have them back, meeting the kids at the door and saying hello," Williams says.
"Once we get them back in to class and get them doing a bit of yoga, it'll be business as usual hopefully."
SHARE ME