With the school year winding down, many high school students across the county are preparing for semester exams. But Friday, May 10, was not a typical end-of- the-year day for a group of roughly 45 Clements High School students.

After arriving at school, the group — made up of members from Future Farmers of America, football and basketball — left and headed for the Brigadoon community, which was hit hard by a tornado during the severe storms on May 8.

As chainsaws buzzed in the background, students could be seen picking up tree limbs, shingles and splintered pieces of wood, to then place them in piles by the side of the road for pick up.

“We started our FFA chapter from the bottom up,” said Lexi Evans, FFA president and Clements sophomore. “This community has given us a lot to get the perfect foundation built, so this is the least we could do.”

Evans posed the question to her FFA peers after the storms rolled through, and she said there was no second guessing or hesitation from any of them.

“There wasn’t a person that turned it down,” Evans said. “Our principal, our teachers, everyone was on board. I’m just really proud we were able to step up and come out here and help.”