Fire sweeps grade school in Madrid

Elizabeth Thompson

Upon arriving at Madrid Elementary School last Thursday for another day of student teaching, Sara Hansen, sophomore in elementary education, was informed by a custodian that fire had struck the school.

The fire began at 5 a.m. on Sept. 23, according to an article in The Ames Tribune. Part of the building sustained damage, but the school’s newest additions dodged the blaze.

The cause of the fire is still unclear, said Sandy Johnson, board secretary and business manager of Madrid schools.

“I was pretty shocked,” Hansen said.

She said no one called her about the fire or told her that classes had been moved to a different building.

Kindergarten through fourth-grade classes are meeting in two churches, while fifth- and sixth-graders are meeting in Madrid Junior High School, said Mary Ellen Silver, sixth-grade teacher at Madrid Elementary.

Johnson said no one is sure when the students will move back to the elementary school, but Silver said when the time comes they will probably move back in gradually. If this is the case, Silver said the sixth-graders would be last to return.

“I’ve been waiting all school year to do this, then after my first day the school burns,” Hansen said.

Hansen is not the only student who was impacted by the fire. The sixth-graders she and Silver works with have their own concerns.

“Some of the kids are scared,” Hansen said.

Some students joke about how it would be nice if the school burned down, but when it really happens it’s a different story, Silver said. Most students do not like the situation, she said.

She said lockers and books were damaged, and the students have to figure out where everything is since they are in a new building.

Silver said she lets her students talk, write and ask about the situation.

“They constantly have questions,” she said.

Students sometimes have to share texts, and they are doing more oral work because of the lack of supplies, Silver said.

“They’re doing their best to do quality work,” she said.

Silver said many of her teaching supplements were destroyed. Her English, reading and social studies posters and bulletin boards were all burned.

The classroom had smoke damage, so Silver said her class will meet in a new room when they return to the school. However, she said the community has been supportive of the school during its crisis by volunteering to transport materials to the makeshift school.