The Merritt Central Elementary School is once again whole after being split up due to the wreckage on campus caused by the November 2021 floods. All classes are now being done in the old Coquihalla Middle School (CMS) as repairs on Central are being done. In the midst of this reunion, the Merritt Herald has reached out to the school and ask students of different grade levels about their thoughts on being together once again:
Ezekiel Lajarca, Grade 3
Q: What did you think when your school was hit by the flood?
A: “I was really sad because my house was flooded too and I knew the school would be all full of mud.”
Q:What did you think when you moved away from the school?
A: ”It was hard. We had to drive all over now. My sister Gabby was in Grade 1 over at the Evangelical Free Church and I really missed her.”
Q:What do you miss most about your school?
A: “My normal classroom and especially the playground.”
Q:How do you like being back together with everyone from your school?
A:“I like being able to see my sister when we are outside playing at the break times!”
Maiya Anderson, Grade 3
Q: What did you think when your school was hit by the flood?
A: “I was very sad because my aunt passed away when it happened.”
Q: What did you think when you moved away from the school?
A: ”It felt really different because usually we go to the school almost everyday. It’s been a long time so it felt different for me.”
Q:What do you miss most about your school?
A: “I miss at Central how we always used to play on the monkey bars in the playground but now since it was taken down, I’m really nervous if they’re going to put it back up or have it replaced.”
Q:How do you like being back together with everyone from your school?
A: “I’m really happy because I get to see all of my friends.”
Savannah Veinotte, Grade 4
Q: What did you think when your school was hit by the flood?
A: “I thought it wasn’t that damaged.”
Q:What did you think when you moved away from the school?
A: ”I was upset.”
Q:What do you miss most about your school?
A: “I miss how close the library was to my classroom. I like walking far but not too far”
Q:How do you like being back together with everyone from your school?
A: “It’s okay, but it gets pretty loud outside sometimes.”
Anthony Marshall, Grade 5
Q: What did you think when your school was hit by the flood?
A: “It wasn’t great and I was wondering where are we going to go for school but CMS was a great thing because I live very close by.”
Q:What did you think when you moved away from the school?
A: ”It was bad but I am really excited to see what the school looks like after.”
Q:What do you miss most about your school?
A: “That there are bigger classrooms. Our classroom is a little small right now.”
Q:How do you like being back together with everyone from your school?
A: “Great! We can spend more time with our little buddies and friends that I didn’t get to see, and some teachers that I didn’t get to see.”
Maddox Garcia, Grade 6
Q: What did you think when your school was hit by the flood?
A: “I thought to myself ‘this couldn’t be happening.’ I just woke up, thought I was late for school, and the town’s flooded. I was shocked.”
Q: What did you think when you moved away from the school?
A: ”I was thinking ‘where am I going to school now or are we even going to back to school for the rest of the year?’ I was very curious.”
Q: What do you miss most about your school?
A: “Probably the gym. It had the stage, everything was big and wide, a lot of memories are in there.”
Q:How do you like being back together with everyone from your school?
A: “Pretty good. It’s nice to see all of my friends again and just be able to see everyone after the flood and make sure everyone’s okay.”
Chloe Garcia, Grade 7
Q: What did you think when your school was hit by the flood?
A: “I was really sad when I found out that the school was flooded but I’m glad that it’s getting fixed and that it’s getting prepared for everyone to go back next year.”
Q: What did you think when you moved away from the school?
A: ”I was sad that we had to start fresh in a new school but when we’re here, I’ve been getting used to it and it’s been getting easier with everyone here.”
Q: What do you miss most about your school?
A: “I think I miss my classroom the most and just basically being at our own school. I miss being at our old classroom with everything we used to have.”
Q: How do you like being back together with everyone from your school?
A: “I’m really happy that the whole school is back together so we can get used to not having our old school together and we don’t have to get used to being all separate.”
