PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WCHS) — Thursday was the first day of school in Pike County, one of many Eastern Kentucky counties devastated by flooding earlier this month.

Teachers will have a tough job keeping student's minds on learning when they are worried about the damage friends and family may have suffered.

Many of the 820 students at Valley Elementary are still feeling the effects of the flood, both directly and indirectly. Principal Johnnie Alvin believes the start of school is the perfect diversion from the flooding.

"I would say at least 100 of our kids faced flooding in some capacity," Alvin told Eyewitness News.

The challenge for educators, such as first-grade teacher Courtney Hughes, is to make sure students are focused on schoolwork and not flood damage.

"I just pray I can give them a sense of normalcy and help get their little minds off of it and be as much like Jesus as I can," Hughes said.

It also can be an issue for secondary students.

"When I am at school, I don't really think about the floods," eighth-grade student Sadie Johnson said. "I try and focus on schoolwork and it all works out."

Some families hardest hit by flooding are facing the challenge of transporting kids to school along roads that have been damaged by high water. Alvin said some buses have been re-routed because there are still bridges out.

Valley Elementary's principal said the first day of school went well, even though flood recovery is still on the minds of some students.

"A student that has lost a home is not worried about school and we know that," Alvin said. "We just try to provide them with any emotional support that we can."

After coming off summer vacation, students' next vacation will be Labor Day.