Victim of floods, this school launches an appeal for donations

On October 10, the Storm Kirk hit Seine-et-Marne hard, leaving scenes of desolation in its wake. Among the victims, the Sainte-Foy institution in Coulommiers, school in the heart of Brie, saw its premises seriously damaged.

The floods affected the entire school, college and canteen, plunging the school community into a critical situation.

“Eight years of work drowned in downpours of water. Furniture, mattresses for the little ones to nap in, notebooks… we lost everything, including the work of the teachers. It’s a disaster,” confides Morgane Bourali, director of the establishment.

The toll is heavy: the ground floor of the school complex, the cafeteria, and especially the nursery classes suffered unprecedented damage. With up to 1.30 meters of water, the latter were literally ravaged. “A kindergarten classroom cannot be repaired. It is a prefabricated building dating back 30 years. Water infiltration finished it off. We will have to rebuild,” laments the director.

Emergency mobilization

In the immediate future, the priority was to allow students to return to school in acceptable conditions. Thanks to a collective effort within the establishment, emergency solutions were put in place: “Two CM classes are welcomed at the college. All elementary classes will change rooms to make room for kindergarten classes on the ground floor. The 6th graders are transferred to Sainte-Céline, to La Ferté-sous-Jouarre…”

A reorganization which remains temporary.

The needs are numerous and urgent: rebuild the destroyed spaces, equip the classes, and recreate an environment conducive to the development of students. “We need to find a kindergarten ready to welcome our students in good learning conditions as quickly as possible,” insists Morgane Bourali. “Today, the fruit of the work of all these years is destroyed. We have nothing left for our students. »

Rebuilding the future

With a collection objective set at 70,000 euros on the jaidemonecole.org platform, the establishment hopes to mobilize widely. To date, 12,640 euros have been raised, less than 20% of the amount needed. This money will be used primarily to renovate the nursery premises, but also to repair other vital infrastructure such as the educational garden. “Redoing the garden space that we had started to develop is also important. There too, everything was devastated,” specifies the director. And continues: “Even if the insurance provides compensation, there remains the 10% of the deductible to pay.”

The Sainte-Foy institution educates 465 students, from kindergarten to 3rd grade. In addition to offering personalized follow-up, the school is renowned for its dual-level classes, which make heterogeneity a richness for learning. “We are banking on an ambitious project to transmit a taste for effort, develop autonomy, and support specific needs,” explains Morgane Bourali.

This educational project, already severely tested by the vagaries of school life, is today faced with an unprecedented test. However, the director and her team are not giving up. “We can’t wait to see our students again! “, she concludes, hope anchored in her body.

How to help?

Residents of Coulommiers and those close to the establishment can support the reconstruction of the school by participating in the online collection at jaidemonecole.org. Any help, whether financial or material, will be invaluable in giving the children of the Sainte-Foy institution a place of learning worthy of the name.

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