After the tornado, West Creek Elementary and Middle are honoring a lost classmate

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tomorrow, Jan. 3, Clarksville schools resume class for the first time since the Dec. 9 tornadoes took place.

One of the victims of the tornado in Clarksville was 10-year-old Arlan Burnham. As a way of honoring this 4th grader, West Creek Elementary and Middle schools are encouraging their students to wear purple and gold.

Why these colors?

Arlan's favorite team was the LA Lakers.

He and three other people died as a result of the EF3 tornado that hit the northern part of Montgomery County.

Rebecca: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/a2/d9/fb69982545c59e9836fbe80fe431/rebecca-recommends.png

Carrie: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/2e/72/be0f23854c54a228c9d6138c9847/carrie-recommends-header.png

Ben: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/df/c4/19fa7c504480938f39a431e3b276/ben-recommends-header.png

Rhori: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/5b/25/a224d13d47739165c92b94e643db/rhori-recommends-header.png

Lelan: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/af/54/833bf879454097a398bd44f723de/lelan-recommends.png

Experience life as a photojournalist at NewsChannel 5 Nashville

I always say storytelling is a team sport, and a key part of the NewsChannel 5 team is our photojournalists. They are nationally recognized for their talents, more importantly, they are also great people. Enjoy this peek behind the lens, get to know them, and see some of their most notable work of 2025!

- Carrie Sharp