New City's Response to the 2025 Tornado

Head of School Alexis Wright, along with 1st Grade teachers Paije Croghan and Audrey McNerney were interviewed in a recent feature from KSDK highlighting New City School's resiliency in the face of both the flood that occurred in 2022 and this spring's tornado.
 

We want to provide our New City Community with an update about the tornado that struck St. Louis on Friday, May 16th; fortunately, everyone at New City School was safe and sound. All tornado procedures were followed and all children, faculty, and staff were safely sheltered on the garden level when the tornado struck. We are incredibly proud of how everyone came together with strength, care, and courage.

An engineer inspected the school building the next day, Saturday, May 17th. Although the building sustained some minor damage, it remains structurally safe. However, many trees surrounding the school grounds, including those throughout the playground and on Ferring Field, came down. We are happy to report that the beloved school chickens are safe and sound!

Thanks to the quick action of our facilities team, who secured a generator to power the school, along with ongoing clean-up efforts, we welcomed students back into the school on Wednesday, May 21, so they could enjoy their last two days of school as a community before summer break! Therapy dogs from DuoDogs greeted the children at the front door upon their arrival to help welcome them back into the building.

Our building held strong, and we have held strong as a community. We are all so grateful that our students, faculty and staff were safely sheltered and that we were able to have time with our students and our families before the end of the school year arrived. 

For those looking to offer financial support to New City, we have established the 2025 Tornado Relief Fund to assist our faculty and staff members most affected by the storm. Contributions to the fund have provided immediate, short-term support such as assistance with car insurance deductibles and other pressing needs, offering a bridge to stability during this challenging time. Any remaining funds are being directed to New City's broader recovery efforts, including assistance to offset our insurance deductibles. As our claim process continues, we are still working to assess the full scope of the damage and recovery costs. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and support during this time. 

While funds donated now will go toward immediate needs, we are also looking ahead. As we move forward with rebuilding, we will carefully assess our Outdoor Master Plan to guide our long-term vision to meet the evolving needs of our school community. This includes restoring and reimagining our outdoor spaces-  such as replacing our beloved trees-  to ensure they remain the vibrant, welcoming environments our students have come to know and love. 

Together, we will not only recover but emerge stronger- as a school and as a community. 

We are thrilled to have the joyful sounds of children back in our building and outdoors on our playground and fields for New City Summer Camp, which is in full swing!