PINE BLUFF, Ark. — For the first time in almost 50 years, Pine Bluff High School is undergoing renovations. Over the next two years, the district expects to build a brand-new school. But first, the planned temporary campus needs renovations before classes can begin there.

The city passed a millage for the new school last year, and starting this summer, the district is preparing to put those multi-million dollar plans into action.

"We are excited about the changes coming here at Pine Bluff High School," Pine Bluff Principal Ronnieus Thompson said. Our students are the best, so they deserve the best. It just helps intrinsic motivation. It helps teaching and learning. It helps everything with school."

However, to make room for the new, Pine Bluff Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree said students will be temporarily moved to the former Jack Robey Junior High building, which closed last year.

Barbaree said they expect to house students at the temporary campus for the next two years while the new high school is built.

"To move students back to Jack Robey, some renovations will need to be done," Barbaree said. We're working to do that."

In February, the Pine Bluff School District voted on a new academic calendar that will give students longer breaks throughout the year and a shorter summer break. That new academic calendar leaves less time to make the needed renovations to the Jack Robey building.

"It makes it where the work needs to go very quickly," Barbaree said. "That was why it was very important to go ahead and move forward at the board meeting where the board voted to put out for bid some different construction work at Jack Roby."

And while some students have mixed feelings about the return, teachers like Calvin Thompson are in it for the long haul.

"The students and talking with them [because] they came from Jack Robey," Calvin Thompson said. "With them having to go back, they're not excited about the move at all... but to make room for the new high school, we're very excited about the move."

The Pine Bluff school district said it's all for the kids.

"Investing in education shows the students that we care about them," Ronnieus Thompson said. "We want them to have the absolute best."

While Jack Robey may be a little smaller than the current high school campus, Ronnieus Thompson expects to have more than enough room, given the current PBHS enrollment numbers.

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, Ark. — The Hot Springs Village community has been continuing to clean up after an EF-2 tornado hit last week. As they're slowly recovering, several organizations have been stepping in to help.

Grace Brunelle has seen a lot in her 99 years, but not a storm like this.

"I didn't panic or anything like that. But I thought 'what in the world?' You know, because when the trees fell on the house, it made a pretty good noise," Brunelle described.

Now, she's trying to get her house back to normal.

"Probably this whole wall will have to be redone because of the water damage," she said.

Brunelle went without power from Thursday night to Sunday night, but thankfully her daughter Sharon was able to take her in.

She also said that several others have helped her too.

"All the neighbors were called in for a meal yesterday. So that was nice. We were all sitting around the table talking and you know, enjoying the nice food, which, you know, we're not able to cook at that time," she explained.

According to a Hot Springs Village press release, the tornado impacted more than a hundred homes and 58 were left with major damage.

That's why volunteers and other disaster relief organizations are helping with the recovery.

The Red Cross set up at Balboa Baptist Church on Monday to give out supplies to those in need.

"We provide emergency supplies or cleanup kits, that include mops, shovels, work gloves, goggles, you know, cleaning supplies. All of those things to try to help aid as they get their life back as normally they could after a disaster like this," said John Brimley, Red Cross Communications Manager.

Red Cross volunteers and staff also did several damage assessments across the area.

"We're just here trying to make sure we can get an accurate count, and then do the best that we can to help them on their recovery," Brimley added.

The Red Cross encourages anyone in need of disaster relief assistance to reach out and call 1-800-Red Cross (1-800-733-2767).