When a late April tornado tore through Ringle, ripping apart a glass wall at Riverside Elementary School and damaging more than 140 homes, this tight-knit Northwoods community didn’t just hunker down and wait. They grabbed hammers, rearranged classrooms, and got their kids back to school in just eight days.
The elementary school, which serves over 460 students in rural Marathon County, reopened its doors on May 4th after crews worked around the clock to make temporary repairs. Principal Kevin Kampmann told families at an all-school assembly that while two fifth-grade classrooms will stay closed until summer, the building’s bones are solid.
It’s the kind of quick recovery that happens when neighbors show up for neighbors — something folks up here know a thing or two about.
Eight Days Without Classrooms
The tornado hit around April 26th, part of a severe weather system that slammed central Wisconsin with EF-1 and EF-2 winds. The twister’s narrow path left a signature mark on Ringle — snapped trees along rural roads and that dramatic glass wall blown clean out on the school’s south side.
For nearly two weeks, Riverside students traded their regular desks for makeshift learning spaces at the Greenheck Turner Community Center down the road. Teachers hauled supplies, rewrote lesson plans, and made it work.
“To be teaching in a Greenheck Turner facility, it’s an amazing facility but it’s not a classroom,” Kampmann explained. “They really had to adapt and make it work the best that we could. But it’s always good to be back to our normal surroundings, normal building and normal routines.”
What It Takes to Reopen a Storm-Damaged School
Getting 460 kids safely back into a tornado-damaged building isn’t simple. Here’s what had to happen first:
- Structural engineers confirmed no damage to the building’s frame or foundation
- Construction crews boarded and tarped the blown-out glass wall on the south side
- Two fifth-grade classrooms were relocated within the building after wind damage made their original rooms unusable
- D.C. Everest Area School District coordinated with first responders to ensure safe reopening
- Debris was cleared from playgrounds and outdoor areas
Kampmann credits the speed to everyone involved. “Everything that was damaged is something that we could repair quickly, at least temporarily. There will be more repairs that we do over the summer to get everything back to exactly where it needs to be.”
When Northwoods Communities Show Up
The response from neighboring schools and towns reminded everyone why small-town Wisconsin hits different. Nearby schools sent banners and pinwheels to let Riverside students know they weren’t forgotten during the displacement.
First responders, construction crews, and D.C. Everest staff put in long hours to minimize disruption. In a region where manufacturing jobs at places like Greenheck keep the local economy humming, getting parents back to predictable school schedules matters for everyone.
“The support from the surrounding areas and schools has been amazing,” Kampmann said, describing handmade signs and well-wishes that lined the hallways when students returned.
Over 140 homes took damage in the same storm system. Families were juggling insurance claims, roof repairs, and cleanup while trying to maintain some normalcy for their kids.
Tornadoes and the Changing Northwoods
Ringle sits in that flat stretch of Marathon County where the Wisconsin River meanders through farmland and patches of forest. It’s beautiful country, but that open terrain creates a bowling lane for severe weather.
Tornado activity across Wisconsin has crept up about 20% since 2000, according to National Weather Service data. Warmer Great Lakes water feeds more intense spring storm systems, and the Northwoods isn’t immune.
The region has seen its share of severe weather. A 2018 derecho knocked out power for thousands. EF-2 tornadoes touched down in nearby areas back in 2011. But this was the first direct hit on Riverside Elementary in the school’s history.
Marathon County Emergency Management has been working through post-storm recovery assessments, and federal aid through FEMA may help cover repair costs. For now, summer construction crews are lined up to finish what temporary fixes started.
Looking Ahead to Summer Repairs
Those two fifth-grade classrooms won’t sit empty forever. When school lets out, contractors will move in to complete the work — new glass installation, siding replacement, and whatever else needs doing to erase the tornado’s signature.
Students adapted remarkably well to the community center detour, but there’s no substitute for familiar hallways and your own desk. The quick return to routine helps kids process what happened without dwelling on what could have been worse.
In a place where logging and dairy farming built the foundation generations ago, resilience runs deep. Riverside Elementary’s story is just the latest chapter in a long tradition of Northwoods folks taking care of their own when storms roll through.
School’s back in session. The pinwheels are still spinning in the hallways. And come summer, you won’t even know a tornado came calling.
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