More than 100 people gathered at Charles Henderson High School Monday evening to pray over the 2015-2016 school year that begins Wednesday. This number doesn’t include the preachers leading the prayer groups or the community members that met at Charles Henderson Middle School at the same time.

“It was an excellent turnout, said Sonya Wright, CHHS counselor. “It was beyond my expectation. I hope our Heavenly Father is pleased with what we have done today. It was a well-organized event … it was wonderful. Everyone felt the same way that this is something that needed to be done, especially after the year we had last year. This year is going to be a great year with new beginnings, new administration, so we are all excited.”

Students, teachers, administrators and many others in the community were in attendance, anticipating the presence of God as they prayed over the CHHS campus as well as all of Troy City Schools.

“I think that we need God at the forefront,” said Dr. Anthony Askew of Christian Life Church. “He builds and establishes relationships, so He is the center of our relationships. Covering our students, teachers and school board with prayer, not knowing what the course of the year is going to hold, we have to pray. We don’t know what the future is going to bring, but He does. So, we talk to Him about the future.”

Superintendent Lee Hicks joined the prayer meeting, giving God the glory for all that Troy City Schools has and will accomplish.

“We appreciate the community coming together and praying for our school system,” Hicks said “All the successes that we’ve had and shoot for is only by the good Lord’s grace. Anytime the community comes together, unites and prayers for these students, teachers and administrators, we can only succeed.”

As students enter the doors of CHHS, or any school on Wednesday, the community will continue to pray, as well as the teachers and those assisting in the education of the students.

“I’m so excited that our community has partnered with us to do this,” said Karla Johnson, CHHS teacher. “It just means so much as a teacher to know that we have our community praying for the teachers, the students and the administration. In turn, we pray for the parents and our children, too. It’s just a wonderful spiritual partnership.”

As the community prays for those in the schools, the ones in school will be praying for the community. Community members agreed that an event such as Covering the Campus in Prayer is very important for the schools as well as the entire community.

“I just think it’s important as a school and as a community that we come together and we pray and have God on our side and have God’s protection over us, our school and our kids,” said Danny Barron with the Troy Police Department. “There’s nothing better. It’s really uplifting to come here and to see this big of a turnout for the city schools and for Charles Henderson and to see the teachers and administrators here. It does my heart good to see that.”

While members of the community found peace in the event, parents may be the ones who found the most peace of all, knowing that the community is specifically praying for their kids as they go into the school year.

“I’m praying just to start the year off right and in a positive manner,” said Sharla Wilkes, mother of an incoming freshman and a junior at CHHS. “What better way to do that than to pray?”

People gathered at the flagpole of CHHS Monday night raved about the event, and hope to make it an annual event where the community can come together to pray before the start of each school year.

“It shows a great love that the community has for the school and the children that go here,” said Glenda Kelly, ACCESS program facilitator.