Community Reaches Out To Help Mounds School Devastated By Fire

Monday, October 22nd 2007, 11:55 am

By: News On 6

School is out in Mounds, possibly for the rest of the week, because the elementary school burned Saturday morning. All grades are out, because the buildings for older students are connected to the elementary school. The News On 6â€™s Emory Bryan reports there is a drive to collect school supplies for the first through third grade students, and for their teachers, so everyone will be ready whenever classes resume. But first, a lot of decisions have to be made about what to do next.

Carlos and Myra Flores just couldn't believe it until they saw it, she's a senior at Mounds and he's already graduated.

"I walk through there every day," Mounds senior Myra Flores said.

The elementary school that both of them attended burned Saturday morning.

â€œThis is my first time seeing it and it's sad to me,â€ said Carlos Flores, Mounds graduate.

The school district has begun working on finding a spot for the 175 children who attended school at Mounds Elementary in 15 classrooms.

"It's not probable that we would be able to do anything by Wednesday, I am still shooting for this week, I don't want to give up on that until I have to," Mounds Superintendent Gary Lundy said.

One of the complications of getting back to school is that the building that burned is so close to the buildings around it. The superintendent is waiting on guidance from authorities on when it's safe for students to go back in the other buildings. The surrounding buildings have some smoke damage, but they're so close the burned out building could collapse and cause more damage.

â€œThe most ideal situation is that it would be demolished and removed before students come back on site,â€ said Lundy. â€œHow long will that take, I don't know.â€

"It's a good thing it didn't get the other buildings, it just got this elementary building right here," Carlos Flores said.

What's left of the school is still too hot for investigators to start looking for a cause.

There has been no decision yet on when school will start, or where the elementary students will be in class.

Superintendent Gary Lundy estimates the damage could be more than $1 million. American Heritage Bank is collecting school supplies for Mounds students and teachers at all of their branches. Those banks are located in: