May 7, 2023
A wall of sandbags keeps the water out of a home in the Pleasant Valley district.
As the largest flood since 2019 affects the local Quad Cities community, PV students are joining together and volunteering their time to help protect their peers’ homes.
Though the Quad Cities are no stranger to a turbulent flood season, this year holds more dangers than normal due to winter conditions in the upper Mississippi basin. This basin received an increased amount of snowfall throughout the winter months before seeing more snow in the last two weeks. As the temperatures rose during the spring season, the snow began to melt, quickly making its way down the Mississippi River and into the Quad Cities.
To combat the floods, PV students are coming together in a collective effort to sandbag around the homes of fellow PV families who are affected.
The walls—a combination of a tarp and sandbag—help protect the homes by redirecting the rising water. Senior Aden O’Donnell worked with his baseball team to help a fellow teammate sandbag his house. “I’m always there to have my teammate and friends’ backs when they need help,” O’Donnell said. “It felt good to give back to the community that has supported us for many years in school and athletics.”
Baseball wasn’t the only sport to show up: many PV teams stepped up to contribute to the flood protection efforts, including football, wrestling and dance.
Caden McDermott, a multisport senior athlete, was affected by the floods and greatly appreciated the help he received from all of his teammates. “I was a little surprised by all of the teammates that came out and helped,” he said. “I expected a few friends to show up, but to have all of the baseball team and a lot of the football team come out was a huge help. It really showed how sports are more than just a game.”
These recent events have assigned a whole new meaning to PV’s sports motto of “Spartan Nation” and how the school culture brings students and athletes together. “I can’t thank everyone enough because without the wall our house would be underwater,” McDermott concluded.
PV is stronger as a group and it is the united effort that helps students thrive.
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