W.D.Williams Elementary School
by Leslie Blaich
W.D. Williams Elementary is located in the picturesque Swannanoa Valley of Buncombe County, Western North Carolina. In late September 2024, the people of this community experienced the unimaginable – a devastating hurricane in the mountains. Over the past school year, I had the privilege of partnering with the teachers and staff of W.D. Williams as a project manager and coach with the NC Center for Resilience and Learning. In this issue, we honor this remarkable community and highlight how they weathered the storm, both literally and figuratively. In the months that followed, they not only endured but flourished, coming together to create an environment where students felt safe, welcomed, and supported. Their collective efforts fostered a space for healing, connection, and care for all.
The partnership between the NC Center for Resilience and Learning and W.D. Williams began in June 2024, almost exactly one year ago, and was initiated by Principal Christy Jones and Assistant Principal Kristen Frisbee. Their enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to the work of implementing trauma-informed and resilience-focused practices have never wavered. As part of their intentional focus on adult wellness, this dynamic duo was excited to reveal the newly established Serenity Room to the staff during a work day at the beginning of the year. This quiet, comfortable space was kept stocked with snacks and calming amenities throughout the year.
Additionally, collective care practices and activities were incorporated into monthly staff meetings, continuously setting the tone for the positive culture Jones and Frisbee are leading within the school.
During April’s meeting, just before Spring Break, Principal Jones led a collective conversation around the prompt, “What are you most proud of in your response after Helene?” Teachers and staff had the opportunity to process the heavy experiences, thoughts, and emotions of the past six and a half months with their colleagues.
A 4th-grade teacher shared a profound reflection: she keeps a Post-it note on her classroom whiteboard where she marked each of her students as safe after making contact in the days following the storm. This serves as a reminder of all that her students and their families have been through and continue to experience.
A 3rd grade teacher described that although the loss of time in school felt reminiscent of COVID times, enduring a hurricane actually required the community to come together rather than be isolated from one another, which she felt was a gift.
After several rounds of sharing, Mrs. Jones clearly and sincerely stated that she hoped this conversation would allow everyone to truly rest and enjoy themselves as much as possible during the break—a true example of compassionate leadership and collective care within a school community.
In addition to participating in monthly staff meetings, I also had the opportunity to collaborate with the Core Culture team. This team has a representative from each grade level and department. They work hard to ensure the school’s PBIS processes and safety goals are being met.
We also began an asset mapping process to assess the school’s current practices in the four resilience-building areas:
- Adult Wellness;
- Warm, Responsive Relationships;
- Safe, Structured Environments; and
- SEL and Regulation Skills.
Through this process, the team was able to discover what I had been noticing all year as a guest with a more observational role: W.D. Williams was prepared to rise after the storm because they already had so many proactive practices in place. It was clear that the school could focus on the current circumstances, delve deeper into school-wide implementation, and celebrate both small and large successes.
Here are a few examples of practices that were already in place:
- Morning Meetings
- Check-in/Check-out system for students,
- Tap-in/Tap-out system for adults,
- Consistent classroom lessons with the School Counselor, Kelli Pritchard, who is known as the heart of the school, and numerous other ingrained strategies that nurture resilience (see document below).
It is also important to recognize that the school received significant support in the form of donations and various acts of kindness from local, state, and national groups and organizations.
Students were showered with cards and gifts, adults were fed during the school days, and families received resources. What W.D. Williams did so beautifully was share all the love they were receiving with each other, with students and their families, and then extend it back out into the surrounding community. For example, the school has established a partnership with the local non-profit Beloved Asheville to serve as a hub for food and resource distribution.
When I reflect on all my visits to the school over the year, I remember the smiles, the laughter, the conversations, the connections, and the overwhelming feeling that everything would be all right. There wasn’t much that was easy about this school year, but with an extreme amount of intention, care, and collective effort, the W.D. Williams community rose far above the rubble Helene left behind. I’m grateful to have witnessed and been part of this incredibly special school’s journey this year, and I’m inspired and excited to continue our partnership next year. #WDistheplacetoBE!