EAST PALESTINE – As the weather breaks and the ashen skies of winter are replaced by the brilliant blues of spring, area high schools look ahead to the end-of-the-year activities that are a rite of passage for all high school seniors. Prom dresses are bought, tuxedos are rented and cap and gowns are ordered. Commencement ceremonies are planned and celebrations expected.

The Norfolk train derailment was an event nobody could have planned for, and the East Palestine community continues to struggle with uncertainty. Still, East Palestine High School heads into the spring with the same sense of optimism as area other schools, looking forward to the pomp and circumstance that will send its seniors off into the world – even if it’s with a few more life lessons than anticipated.

“The derailment will have no physical effect on prom or commencement,” East Palestine superintendent Chris Neifer said. “The event will, however, provide the students with another experience that they have had to overcome during their high school career.”

Prom will go on as planned. Graduation is still set for May 27 with commencement ceremonies to take place for the 137th graduating class in Reid Stadium.

Air and water monitoring that has been ongoing by the EPA has shown no sign for alarm. Results of soil testing are expected soon but are not expected to indicate any increased health concerns. Local, state and federal agencies that responded to the disaster all insist the town and the school are safe.

That is not to say the derailment has not had a significant impact on the East Palestine students or their families. The derailment has been difficult for students and their families who fret about the long-term health and financial implications the disaster may have on the village and surrounding area. But in the halls of East Palestine High School, those students have found comfort in normalcy.

“We have done our best to provide our students and staff with the most consistent, normal environment as possible. Our school day doesn’t look any different than it did prior to the derailment for those students that are here in the buildings” Neifer said. ” It was important to us to provide this ‘normal’ environment for students and staff.”

If there is a reminder inside the school about what is going on the outside, it is the presence of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine who has made it a point to visit with students and staff every time comes to East Palestine to check in on cleanup and environmental remediation efforts. DeWine delivered his testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on March 22 virtually from the high school library, while the gym has been utilized by the EPA and other responding agencies as the location for their weekly open houses held to keep the public informed of derailment developments.

The disaster can’t be undone, but the students are following the example of the school administration staff by finding a silver lining in the dark chemical cloud that covered their town. The students have not suffered setbacks due to the derailment, East Palestine principal Tony DelBoccio said. On the contrary, they have made strides.

“Mr. Neifer has done a great job in leading us through these issues. Our administration team has been positive and supportive to our students, staff, and community needs,”DelBoccio said. “Our students, especially, thrived during the last few months. They are remaining positive and viewing some of these issues as opportunities. Our staff has remained a strong foundation for our students.”

In the early days following the rail disaster, school officials had two objectives.

“First, we didn’t not want our students to be victims. We have worked hard as a district to take advantage of the learning opportunities that have presented themselves for our students. We worked hard to understand our families’ needs and provide the proper support for them,” Neifer explained. “Secondly, we wanted to do our best to provide some normalcy for our kids. If you walk our buildings today they look and function no different than they did prior to the February 3rd incident. Our students and staff are very resilient. We learned a lot of lessons from the COVID-19 experience that helped us to navigate through this event and we will continue to strive for academic excellence and the promotion of our Bulldog PRIDE.”

DelBoccio echoed those sentiments, adding that Bulldogs are resilient and the community is strong.

“East Palestine schools and community were a strong, tight knit community before the derailment and are growing stronger as we speak,” he said.