Guilford County students collect donations for victims of Hurricane Helene

As western North Carolina grapples with the devastation of Hurricane Helene, school districts across the state have stepped up to help out.

For one teacher in Guilford County, the disaster is personal. 

Briton Wertz is a firefighter, paramedic and teacher in Southern Guilford High School’s EMT and Public Safety program. She was deployed to western North Carolina to fight wildfires in 2017. A year later, she was the victim of a natural disaster herself. 

“I was again working full time with the same department down at the coast," she said. "And I was a single mom and was impacted by Hurricane Florence; my children and I lost everything." 

When Helene hit, Wertz talked about her own experiences with her students and helped them understand the magnitude of the devastation. 

“You see people's lives lined up in piles on the street. Cribs, mattresses, stuffed animals," Wertz said. "And so my kids were passionate. That's why they're taking the classes, and they wanted to do something.” 

Together, they decided to host a donation drive. The school is collecting non-perishable food, water, diapers, household items and clothing. 

Guilford County Schools isn't alone in this effort. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools delivered several truckloads of donated supplies to Watauga County this week. And even the schools in hard-hit areas are operating as childcare centers, meal sites and internet access points. 

Southern Guilford High School Assistant Principal Allison Adams says the collective efforts are in part because it's hard to imagine anyone who hasn't been impacted by Helene in some way. Many teachers at her school have relatives in Asheville, or children attending college in Banner Elk and Cullowhee. 

“These are communities that are going to be impacted a long time, and they are our families," Adams said. "So it's important that our students learn the importance of every little contribution, whether it be small or large, and the difference that it can make.”

Southern Guilford High School is collecting donations through Oct. 9. 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.