When Tropical Storm Isaias roared through Connecticut with wind gusts of up to 70 mph and heavy rain, it left more than 800,000 homes and businesses in the state without power, including The Glenholme School, which lost electricity for seven days.
As utility crews rushed to restore power, The Glenholme School community worked together seamlessly to keep students and staff safe and calm.
“I am extremely proud of our team members, as well as our students, who demonstrated great strength, determination and resilience in the hours and days following this storm,” said Devereux Connecticut – The Glenholme School Executive Director Noah Noyes. “This was a shining example of Servant Leadership, as everyone – at every level of our center – came together to put the needs of our students and staff first during this challenging time.”
Connecticut officials called Tropical Storm Isaias one of the state’s worst weather events, in terms of total power outages. During the seven-day outage at The Glenholme School, team members worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and comfort of students and essential team members. Maintenance team members cleaned up storm debris on campus within 24 hours and helped remove downed tree branches on nearby roads so colleagues could enter the campus safely.
The team also worked around the clock to keep backup generators for all buildings on campus running smoothly. The IT team kept computer servers and phone lines activated so students and staff could access necessary information. The education faculty and boarding school staff continued to lead socially-distanced, in-person classroom instruction. Team members also helped students stay engaged through various recreational activities. Lastly, the administrative team made sure staff members had the necessary tools and resources to do their jobs safely and effectively, and that students’ therapeutic and educational needs were met.
“We may have lost power for seven days, but we did not lose sight of our mission for a single second,” explained Devereux Connecticut – The Glenholme School Assistant Executive Director Judy Cooper.
The Glenholme School, located in Washington, Conn., serves students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome, depression, anxiety and other learning differences.
