A group of freshmen grinned linked arms together and grinned for cameras Tuesday under the “Jesus Speaks To The Children” mosaic on the east side of Andrean High School.
The day marked their first day of high school and an astounding Hail Mary comeback for the Catholic school wrecked by a tornado June 11.
In between, two nasty storms crushed Northwest Indiana, including an Aug. 11 derecho, a treemegedden that erased power for more than 300,000 households, businesses and schools.
Andrean remained unscathed in the last two storms as workers from Tonn & Blank continued to put the school back together.
Parent Jessica Alvarez, of Dyer, aimed a camera at the group of students, including her son, Matthew LaCien, 14, posing for photos.
“His heart was set to come here,” she said, dismissing concern the school might not have an August opening day because of the damage that impacted roofs, classrooms, and athletic fields. “There was no doubt. We never lost faith,” she said.
Principal Jaycob Knazur greeted students as they walked through an east door.
“I think it’s wonderful to have our kids back. They give purpose to the building and purpose to our profession. To see their smiling faces and their enthusiasm is really motivating and inspiring,” he said.
While Andrean didn’t suffer damage in last week’s wacky weather, Knazur said many families were impacted so officials pushed back opening day to Tuesday.
Knazur said this year’s freshman class includes 127 students, a slight increase from last year. He said the school pulls from 37 zip codes.
One of those freshmen, LaCien, happily posed with his classmates.
“I’ve been looking forward to this, I know I’ll see all my friends again,” LaCien said. “I’m excited. I’m having fun and looking forward to opening day.”
Junior Ari Marberry, 16, from Merrillville, opened a balky locker and reflected on the school’s comeback.
“It’s good to be here, especially after the tornado. I didn’t think we’d be back,” she said.
Marberry said the last week has been rough at her home as the Aug. 11 storm knocked out power for five days.
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English teacher Faith Lasecki, of Chesterton, said the post-tornado weeks were difficult.
“It was chaotic to say the least, especially not knowing what was going to happen,” she said.
Her classroom suffered minimal damage except for vintage bookcases that might have been there when the school opened in 1959.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.