Two EKY schools sharing a building for the second year

Weekday broadcast of WYMT Mountain News First at Four

HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Many students are already back in school and on Monday, four more districts across the region joined them.

Robinson Elementary and Buckhorn School started their second year together in the old AB Combs building in Hazard.

Students from both schools said they are excited to start another school year.

“I was a little bit nervous but yes I was excited, too,” said Peyton Fugate, an 8th Grader at Robinson Elementary.

“Just seeing all my friends. All the teachers, they’re amazing. You just know everybody so it’s just good seeing all your friends that you didn’t see over summer,” added Haydyn Owens, a junior at Buckhorn School.

As students from both schools walked into their school building, they said its their tight knit communities that have gotten them through the last year and will continue to get to get them through the next.

“You know we’re a family here at Buckhorn so it’s good to kind of get back in there around all these people that we’ve grown up around,” said Austin Riley, a junior at Buckhorn.

“We’re still all together,” said Isabella Brashear, an 8th Grader at Robinson Elementary. “You know we’re not separated. We all found a place after the flood.”

Buckhorn Principal Jennifer Day said they have a lot to be thankful for but being separated was always a fear.

“You know, with the flood we thought we were going to get separated so we’ve been blessed to stay together. We’re like a family here so we love that our students are able to spend another year with us as our first day, and we can’t wait to get back to our new school,” said Day.

Robinson Elementary Principal Jamie Fugate said even though they are not in their original building many things have remained the same.

“We’ve took a lot of our traditions that we had from Robinson. We’ve basically just brought our staff, brought our community here. So, this is a temporary home but we’re making the best of it,” he said.

Both Robinson Elementary and Buckhorn School combined in the old AB Combs building after their schools were flooded last July.

Buckhorn staff said they are hopeful repairs will be completed on their building by the start of the next school year.

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