In the early morning hours of June 14th, the faculty and staff woke up to the news that there had been a fire in the gymnasium of Delta Middle School. As they waited for more information, it was hard not to feel emotional while imagining the damage that they would have to deal with. Mrs Bassett, the school librarian, was no exception.
She said, “I cried when I thought about all the books and all the time, energy, and endless hours I had put into my library. I had no idea if the fire had affected my library. We didn’t know much, at first”
Later, the staff learned there had been spontaneous combustion in the gymnasium, after the gym floors were being resurfaced. Within a few days a disaster clean-up crew came in to scour the building and start the long process of cleaning and rebuilding. The goal was to start school, as planned in August and they did. After the fire, the school was left with significant smoke damage, forcing staff and students to make do with fewer available classrooms. As a result, many classes had to be moved to alternative space. Some teachers were even required to share classroom spaces. Mrs. Brinkman’s 5th grade class’s new temporary home was among the books in the Delta Middle School Library.
Due to overlapping schedules in the same room , it became evident that the normal library hours weren’t going to work while the library was now an active classroom. “The way we made it work was to limit the number of students visiting the library to scheduled times, such as before school, and during lunch. It was hard on my avid readers! They were used to having unlimited access to books. We all knew it was temporary, so we tried to stay positive and upbeat about the changes.” said Mrs Bassett, the librarian.
Despite the challenges, there was a sense of resilience and cooperation among both staff and students. Everyone understood the severity of the situation and worked together to create a temporary sense of normalcy, while the school worked to rebuild and repair the damaged areas. The experience highlighted the importance of flexibility, communication, and community spirit in times of crisis.
