The Community Montessori School in Tampa was damaged by Helene

TAMPA, Fla. – Students at Community Montessori School in Tampa are waiting to go back to class after their buildings were flooded by Hurricane Helene.

Community Montessori is located on six acres on Memorial Highway in Tampa. After the storm, water reached a meter high in most buildings. A large part of the school was destroyed.

Nancy Bowman founded the school 35 years ago. She is committed to getting students and staff back in the classroom soon. Over the past few days, she and her team of workers, staff and volunteers have been throwing away damaged items and storing the rest. The school means a lot to Bowman.

“It’s my life,” Bowman said. “It's my life. It's really my life. But I'm not letting it go. It's too much to think about like that. I'll just do it. Just do it. That's my motto.”

School also means a lot to the children. Fifth-grader Gabriel Diaz said he can't wait to get back.

“It looks really sad — that kind of place,” Diaz said.

So far, the nonprofit has raised just over $20,000, with a goal of $100,000 to rebuild the Montessori community.

Meanwhile, the founder said she wants to make sure the children can get back to learning soon. She has been looking for temporary locations and expects classes to resume for some students next week.