University raises $4K for school fire relief

By Jack Gillum

Santa Clara student groups and administrators contributed nearly $5,000 in donations to nearby Buchser Middle School to aid fire recovery efforts.

The donations â€" which represent about half of the school's required insurance deductible of $10,000 â€" came from an outpouring of support from top student organizations, campus ministry and the university president's office.

A fire at the school, 1111 Belomy St., broke out Feb. 22 from what fire officials believed was an electrical short in a science classroom ceiling. Ten classrooms were destroyed and classes were rerouted to empty rooms on campus.

The fire caused about $5 million in damage, school officials said.

"The neighbors have been fantastic," Kyle Eaton, the school's vice principal, said.

Other recent donations to the school include $15,000 from computer chip maker Intel, and contributions from local businesses.

Monetary aid totaled more than $50,000, Roger Barnes, the business administrator of the Santa Clara Unified School District, said. Leftover money after paying the deductible will go towards refurnishing classroom equipment and accessories.

Top student organizations, including The Santa Clara, sponsored a charity ball in the Adobe Lodge March 12, which raised nearly $4,000 for the school.

Offerings at a student liturgy raised $300, Campus Ministry said. Santa Clara President Paul Locatelli's office contributed $250, Associated Students Vice President Nathan Iglesias said.

Donations aside, Eaton said, the psychological trauma still resonates with both students and teachers, some of whom watched their school burn on an early Sunday afternoon.

"We realize there's a whole lot more effect on the teachers than we thought there would be," he said. "There are teachers having nightmares. Some are trying to redo lesson plans. They're having a hard time."

District officials said counselors were on hand in the days following the fire.

A history teacher, Eaton said, noted that some students turned in papers without their names affixed.

"These are the little subtle things that we're seeing," he said.

The school is two blocks away from Santa Clara, and is one location for community-based learning projects run by Santa Clara's Arrupe Center.

Reconstruction at the school will begin in the coming months and is expected to be completed by the opening of school in September 2005, school officials said. Before the fire, Buchser, which opened in the late 1960s, was one of two schools slated for renovations in upcoming years.

û Contact Jack Gillum at (408) 554-4849 or jgillum@scu.edu.