Nell Holcomb recovering after accident

It has been over two weeks since one of our school buses was involved in an accident. The bus driver returned to work that afternoon, and I am pleased to report that all of our students involved in the accident have returned to school and school has been able to return to some type of normalcy.

On behalf of the Nell Holcomb School District, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the East County Fire Protection District, Cape Girardeau Fire Department and Cape County Private Ambulance Service who were in attendance at the scene. All of these professionals acted in a way to make our students as comfortable as possible in an otherwise uncomfortable environment. They worked judiciously and compassionately, putting our students at ease while they were being treated. The site could easily have been an unorganized mess, but it was completely the opposite. I was truly amazed at the teamwork and professionalism.

I also would like to thank the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department for their handling of the accident legalities. They have been true professionals during a difficult time for all of those affected.

I wish to thank the faculty members, parents, volunteers and passers-by who rendered aid in some way.

Last, and certainly not least, I would like to praise Saint Francis Medical Center for a job well done in treating our injured and getting them on the road to recovery as soon as possible. Everyone worked together to make an unpleasant crisis relatively bearable.

Kids are resilient, and I am happy to report that the healing process continues at Nell Holcomb School. We wish Randall Hunerkoch the very best in his continued healing process.

Darryl Pannier is the superintendent of the Nell Holcomb School District in Cape Girardeau County.