The roof was damaged. Classrooms were emptied. The building where hundreds of children once learned and laughed sat silently behind locked doors.
Nearly three weeks after a tornado tore through the Tolleston neighborhood, students and staff of Frankie Woods McCullough Academy are returning to their school.
The Gary Community School Corporation said classes will resume at McCullough on Tuesday, April 8. Although the gymnasium roof remains under repair, students will return to the building.
“Please note that gymnasium repairs will be taking place, and that this area has been safely cordoned off, allowing instruction and all other activities in the building to move forward,” a school corporation spokesperson said in a statement.
The district had temporarily relocated students to the Gary Area Career Center, about 7 miles away, after the March 19 storm forced the school’s sudden closure.
The tornado, rated an EF-1 by the National Weather Service, struck just before spring break, damaging dozens of homes, uprooting trees and causing significant destruction to the roof of the school’s gymnasium.
Immediately after the tornado, the school community — from teachers and parents to bus drivers and cafeteria workers — was forced to shift gears quickly to keep learning on track.
Parent Frashun McKinney, who waited outside the Career Center for student pickup last week, said she hopes McCullough is fixed soon, but she’s grateful for the alternative.
“I just want them to get it fixed,” she said. “I get it that it takes time, but it’s good that they have a building.”
Gary schools Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said safety remains the district’s top priority.
“Our first concern is the safety of all students, staff, families and stakeholders of the McCullough Academy family,” she said in a statement. “We came together as a team to make the best decision on behalf of children, which is to remain at the Gary Area Career Center until further notice.”
The district adjusted operations to make the transition as smooth as possible. Students in grades K-2 are learning inside the Career Center’s industrial clinic, while students in grades 3-5 — many of whom are preparing for state standardized testing — are spread across other classrooms.
Transportation, though, posed a challenge for some families.
Jewel Johnson, whose daughter attends McCullough, said juggling routines and transportation added stress to an already disruptive moment.
“These kids gotta go back to where they ‘reside,’” she said, referring to the academy being home for many of the children in that neighborhood.
When asked about the timeline for the revitalization of McCullough, a district spokesperson said it would be well into the summer before things were fixed.
Still, many families said they’re just trying to hold it together and willing to help however they can.
“If they need my help, I’m here, and I’m not complaining,” McKinney said.
A district spokesperson said updates on the school’s reopening and any continuing repairs will be posted on the district’s website and social media accounts.
This story has been updated.
