School ‘stronger than ever’ after fire

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — A year has passed since a serious fire destroyed a big part of Old Dock Elementary, but that hasn’t stopped the Old Dock family from making the best of it. 

“It was unreal to me that the school could be on fire. Coming down the highway you could see the smoke plume,” 5th grade teacher Angela Graham said.

But nothing could keep this school down.

“We closed for one day,” Principal Ronna Gore said.

The school and the community came together in support of the kids.

“I will tell you at the end of the year last year we were one of the schools in our district that we exceeded our growth with our test scores,” Gore said.

The rebuilding process has presented some challenges for faculty.

“You always worry about kids and construction and what they can get into or what they can’t get into,” Graham said.

Staff says when the new school is ready it will all have been worth it.

“One thing I think they’ve missed, more than anything else, is our library. And I think we’re getting a really nice library from what I hear, so we’re real excited about that. And just the fact that we’re going to have these nice new classrooms and are able to be together as a family is going to seem really nice,” 5th grade teacher Georganna Council said.

That’s what it all comes down to at Old Dock: family.

“Before we thought we were a family. But I can tell you today we are truly, truly the epitome of what a family is supposed to be,” Gore said.