January 25, 2022
Creekwood Middle School students, staff and PTA recently stepped up to help teachers who suffered damage from a tornado by raising just over $8,500 from the school’s Donate for a Donut fundraising drive.
The drive, which took place on Friday, Jan. 21, raised funds to benefit Creekwood coach and science teacher John Reynolds, as well as Creekwood teacher Stephanie Mcatee. Both staff members’ homes were damaged in the recent tornado that struck Kingwood early on January 9.
Creekwood Middle School staff unload donuts and carry them into the school for the “Donate for a Donut” drive to benefit staff members affected by the Kingwood tornado that hit Jan. 9, 2022.
Creekwood Principal Walt Winicki said when students heard about the devastation, they approached him with the desire to help.
“They wanted to find a way to get other students to help,” Mr. Winicki said. “I talked it over with the students and we came up with the idea of Donate for a Donut.”
Once the students and Mr. Winicki came up with Donate for a Donut, other Creekwood students, parents, staff, and members of the school’s PTA all joined the effort.
Coach Reynolds, a Marine veteran, felt scared as the tornado ripped through his neighborhood. He is thankful no one was hurt.
“Part of a tree crashed through the window of my daughter’s bedroom,” Coach Reynolds said. “Fortunately, she was not home at the time it happened.” Another tree fell across and into Reynolds’ home, causing significant structural damage.
He’s grateful for all of the support he’s received in the weeks since the storm.
“I don’t even know some of these kids and to see them lining up to buy donuts to help me makes me proud to be a part of this school and this community,” Coach Reynolds said.
Coach Reynolds, his wife and two daughters are renting a home while their house is being repaired.
A lifelong resident of the Kingwood area, Coach Reynolds attended Foster Elementary, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood Middle School, and Kingwood High School.
Meanwhile, Ms. Mcatee, a paraeducator who works in the behavior continuum classroom at Creekwood, had a tree damage her garage and her car. She could not believe how quickly the devastation took place.
“A 35-foot upper portion of a pine tree snapped off and was thrown onto my garage, putting a hole in the roof and damaging the garage door before totaling my car,” Ms. Mcatee said. “It all happened in a matter of 120 seconds.”
She heard her phone go off around 1:30 a.m., but didn’t pay much attention until she heard a loud noise outside. After that, she felt the house shake and could hear the wind and objects hitting the roof. She said it was a frightening experience that could have been much worse.
Ms. Mcatee has offered to give her half of the proceeds to Coach Reynolds and his family. “Given the damage Coach Reynolds had compared to my home, it just felt wrong not to give it to him and his family,” she said.
Like Coach Reynolds, Ms. Mcatee feels blessed to be a part of an amazing school. She is proud of the students who approached Mr. Winicki about a fundraiser to help.
Ms. Mcatee,a mother of three children, has been working as a paraeducator at Creekwood since 2020 and plans to seek a teaching job in the district upon receiving her certification in 2023.
Creekwood Middle School would like to thank the Atascocita H-E-B and Best Donuts in Atascocita for making the donuts for the fundraiser.
Left: Creekwood Middle School Principal Walt Winicki hands out donuts to students before school as part of the “Donate for a Donut” drive on Friday, Jan. 22, 2022. The drive raised funds for staff members John Reynolds and Stephanie Mcatee, whose homes were damaged by a recent tornado in Kingwood.
Right: Creekwood Middle School coach and science teacher John Reynolds proudly displays a donut a student purchased and gave to him during the “Donate for a Donut” drive at Creekwood Middle School. Coach Reynolds and his family are now renting a home after a recent tornado sent a tree crashing through the roof of their house.