The tornadoes that swept through the Chattanooga area on April 12 destroyed homes, businesses and lives. Grace Baptist Academy was among the structures that were damaged beyond repair, and what is left of the high school's main academic building and athletic center, as well as the middle school and church, will be demolished and carried away over the next three weeks.
All that will be left of the old campus are memories.
But after the devastation, some of those affected have experienced moments of hope. Or as Grace athletic director Bob Ateca, whose home was completely destroyed by the tornado, describes it, "The storm has passed and now we're starting to see some rays that let us know the sun is rising again."
One of those inspirational rays has come from an unlikely source. Carrie Patrick, a senior athlete at Silverdale Baptist Academy, has proven that empathy and a sense of community far outweighs any rivalry.
Patrick designed and sold T-shirts with the motto "Together We Soar" - a reference to the two schools' winged mascots: Grace Eagles and Silverdale Seahawks. Her goal was to raise a few thousand dollars to donate toward Grace's rebuilding costs, but over the past several weeks her efforts have paid off in more than $8,000.
"She came up with the idea and executed it all on her own," said Silverdale principal and athletic director Taylor Hasty, whose school is located less than three miles from Grace. "She was just burdened to do something for them. Thoughts and prayers are meaningful, but she wanted to do something more tangible.
"We might be rivals on the field, but off it we're all united as people. She didn't do it to be known, but she should be recognized because she is just a great example for all of us to follow."
Staff photo by Robin Rudd / Silverdale Baptist Academy goalkeeper Carrie Patrick, right, reaches to make a save during a home soccer match against Notre Dame on Sept. 10, 2019.After Patrick, who runs track and is a goalkeeper and captain on the Silverdale soccer team, saw the level of destruction to the Grace campus, her first thoughts were with the seniors who had already lost so much due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"It's already a sad time for seniors everywhere because we sort of lost out on a lot of memories by not being in school or getting to play sports," Patrick said. "I couldn't imagine losing your school, the place where you've already had so many memories. I don't go to school there, but even I have some memories of playing games at Grace, so it's just really sad for their students.
"We can't replace their school, but we can help rebuild it. I was supposed to go on a mission trip to the Dominican (Republic) this summer before the virus canceled it, and one of the ways I was raising money was through selling T-shirts. That's where I got the idea of making T-shirts to raise money. It was humbling to see how it took off and so many people wanted to help. It shows that our whole community is all in it together."
Although there are no T-shirts remaining, Patrick, who is not surprisingly planning to major in business with a minor in nonprofit at East Tennessee State University, is still collecting donations online through Silverdale's website at https://bit.ly/2TBHhO2.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / Broken bricks litter a staircase at Grace Baptist Academy on April 14, two days after the school was destroyed when an EF-3 tornado tore through Chattanooga.After meeting with other school administrators and the architects working on the project, Ateca said it will likely take a year to rebuild Grace Academy. On June 1, the K-12 school will announce the facility that will house classes for this fall, and Ateca said all athletic teams will return to conditioning and workouts on June 1 as well.
"Sports are a big part of bringing back our community," Ateca said. "This is going to be a long process, and our school is going to need support from the community to help rebuild. It's just phenomenal what this young lady has done to help our school.
"I've learned through this process that there are certain people who have that gift to give, and she's clearly one of them. It says a lot about her and their school and the people who gave. We sometimes think our society is more selfish than it really is, but when terrible things like this happen, you get to see how unselfish and caring people really are."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.