I am employed in the Cafeteria, where we serve over 1,250 lunches to K-8 students every day.

Due to a devastating flood in our area, hundreds of children and/or their families and friends were affected by this disaster. Everywhere you looked, there was chaos, filth, debris and many, many tears.

Needless to say, the first day of school was delayed but when it came - what an awesome experience. The school was like "normalcy" on the hill, overlooking many homes/businesses that had been evacuated. Staff, teachers, monitors calmly & quietly guiding the children into the lunch room for maybe the first decent meal that they would eat since the rains had begun. For a little while, we could forget what we would be facing when we walked out the doors of the school.

Parents would have been proud to witness the actions of their children and feel confident they have selected the best school for their kids to attend.

(Pat Brown is a member of Johnson City Education Association)