Hello, everyone. Thank you, Dr. Cox. Thank you for welcoming me back to North Carolina. It is such an honor to meet inspirational people from Ashe County and Mountain View Elementary School. I'm so proud of you all. To Dr. Cox, Mr. Graybill, educators, students, administrators, and the brave families of Mountain View, thank you for welcoming me here today.
Your story is incredible. North Carolina is the definition of resilience. Toughness in times of adversity is ingrained in the Tar Heel State's character. It's easy to discover resilience within the courage of Ashe County's Families, the strength of this community, and determination of its people to rise when needed.
Almost two years ago, Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina with incredible force. Record breaking rainfall led your state legislature to describe it as multiple 1000 year flood events. Hundreds of roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed. Over 1 million people lost power and many neighborhoods lost water, communication, and other vital services, including Ashe County.
Tragically, 108 lives were lost. For children here at Mountain View Elementary, the storm took away much more than just your daily routine. Your neighborhood was flooded and your school was transformed into a distribution center. For too many kids across the state, the familiar daily routines of classrooms, teachers, and friends were suddenly gone.
But as the water levels rose, you stepped up for one another. Families welcomed others into their homes. Brave individuals rushed towards the dangers to assist and faith leaders gave comfort. Teachers became anchors of stability and your school turned into more than a place to learn. It turned into a lifeline providing food, water, supplies, counseling, and hope.
Mountain View's assistant principal, Cynthia Harless, is an American hero. When Hurricane Helene struck, Cynthia drove to check on the school. Soon thereafter, floodwaters washed away the roads, leaving Cynthia and her family unable to return home. Rather than focus on her own hardship, she spent the next four weeks volunteering at Mountain View Elementary's distribution center, providing critical supplies to families and neighbors in need.
Where is Cynthia? Is Cynthia here? Hi, Cynthia. Please come up.
Thank you so much.
Thank you. Is she fantastic? Cynthia, all of the America saw your town's strength, Mountain View. Resilience, however, is more than just being strong and rebuilding what was lost. Through resilience means having the courage to look ahead and move society forward, creating a better future for our children.
And less than two years after Helene, North Carolina did just that. Through the Presidential AI challenge, students and teachers from North Carolina took the national stage inspired by what's possible. One of the America's 2026 Presidential AI national champions came from right here in North Carolina. Ms. Carrie Robledo, a second grade teacher at Star Elementary School, created AI insect detectives.
She introduced young children to artificial intelligence using science, curiosity, and the natural world. Ms. Robledo traveled three hours to meet us here today. Carrie, you are a national champion. Please come here and join me and say a few words thank you.
Thank you so much. As a rural teacher, I am incredibly grateful to First Lady Melania Trump for creating the Presidential AI challenge and helping shine a light on the important of -- importance of AI literacy starting in elementary school. I'm honored to help our youngest students explore AI and see themselves as innovators, no matter their zip code. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Congratulations.
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Think about that remarkable journey from floodwaters to the cutting edge of artificial intelligence Ms. Robledo built something that no hurricane can destroy and no flood can wash away; knowledge. And knowledge is power. Knowledge gives everyone in this town the chance to move beyond Helene and to imagine new possibilities.
It gives the next generation the choice to help create a beautiful world in the future, a better America. This is the lasting spirit of America. We may face hard times, but we do not fail. We choose to grow like a young flower pushing through the cold earth after a storm. North Carolina has shown that resilience can blossom even in the most difficult times.
In this community, the storm didn't have the final word. Ashe County and Mountain View Elementary, you are the spirit of America. It is wonderful to be with all of your students at the Mountain View today. You kids are the stars. Shortly, I will visit your classrooms and I cannot wait to see what you have been learning.
I'm especially excited to hear about your work with AI. As you begin new -- as you begin a new school year, remember to take your education seriously. Stay curious and always challenge yourself. And I have a special surprise to help jumpstart that curiosity. Be Best, Fostering the Future, and Nvidia have joined together to provide 100 -- 1,500 students in Ashe County with StudyFetch subscriptions.
We have also arranged to provide 100 Jetson Nano developer kits for the young ones here at the Mountain View Elementary, as well as for other schools in district. Dream big and use these AI tools to build something never created before. Maybe one of you will create the next robot. And if you do, make sure you bring it into the White House to show me. Thank you for having me today.