THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 5, 1995 TAG: 9509050035
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
Students of burned-out Princess Anne High School won't hit the books for a week, but some were hard at work Monday washing cars and raising money to rebuild.
About 100 students and parents held a car wash at the Thalia Shell station, within view of the boarded-up school. The car wash, continuing daily this week, is the first of many events to raise funds to meet needs that the school's insurance policy likely will not cover.
Another car wash will be held this weekend at the Texaco station at Independence Boulevard and Pleasure House Road.
A coalition of school groups is coming together to help pick up the pieces. The Princess Anne High School Recovery Group is open to any organization affiliated with the school.
``We're in the rebuilding phase,'' declared Joyce Davis, president of the P.A. Parent-Teacher-Student Association.
``Our goal is to immediately see how much help and support we can give to our teachers and students,'' she said, ``so that when they finally get back to school, life can be as normal as possible.''
Authorities have blamed an arsonist for Friday's fire, which gutted the school's main building, and are offering up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
While all other city schools open today, Princess Anne officials will begin a marathon of planning to reshape vacant stores and portable classrooms into a high school capable of serving 2,000 students. They hope to begin classes next Tuesday.
Celebration Station, the empty shopping center under lease to the city, appears to be big enough to house almost all the classrooms, even if none is available in the damaged high school, school officials said Sunday.
Anne Meek, assistant superintendent for organizational support, said a second building will be available, if needed, and plans include use of 18 portable classrooms on the Princess Anne campus.
Meek said 85 classrooms are needed to meet the P.A. schedule.
Officials are uncertain whether any of the classrooms in the fire-damaged high school can be used. Results of tests to detect asbestos contamination were expected Monday, but have been delayed a day. Two state laboratories, normally closed for the holidays, worked Sunday and Monday analyzing samples from throughout the school.
When the results are in, crews from Atlantic Environmental Co. are ready to launch a cleanup.
``We expect to have a real good outline of when to start and where to start the cleanup this week,'' Meek said.
Any place where asbestos is detected will have to be sealed off and cleaned, Meek said.
Teachers and administrators worked through the holiday weekend and made a number of decisions, Meek said:
The Open Campus High School Program, serving 500 students with late-afternoon and evening classes, has been transferred to Green Run High School and will open next Tuesday.
The Center for Pregnant Teenagers will be moved to Ocean Lakes High School. The 40 students in the program will start classes by Tuesday.
``We've assumed that these moves are temporary,'' Meek said. ``We're not even discussing the possibility of any permanent moves.''
Special Education classes serving 200 students are tentatively slated to be held in the west wing of the school, a circular building in front of the main structure, provided tests show the wing is not contaminated with asbestos.
An architectural firm has been hired to map out the floor plan for Celebration Station.
Furniture formerly used at Bayside and Kempsville High Schools is being moved to Celebration Station.
700 student desks and chairs, already on order for use in a classroom wing under construction at Princess Anne, will be delivered early to Celebration Station.
Computers have been set up in the West Wing at P.A. for use by administrators who will operate from that facility and trailers.
Parent-Student Handbooks and copies of the Student Conduct Code, destroyed in the fire, are being printed and will be available when classes begin.
Other key issues, such as setting up a bus schedule, a shuttle service and facilities to provide meals, cannot be addressed until officials complete a class schedule.
Teachers and administrators will meet at 7:15 this morning to continue planning, Meek said.
In the meantime, the hunt for whoever set Friday's blaze is continuing. Fire Department spokesman Mike Wade said there had been no breakthroughs Monday.
Wade said investigators want to know about any activity - suspicious or otherwise - that may have been going on around the school late Thursday and early Friday. The fire alarm came in at 1:36 a.m. Friday.
``We need any descriptions'' of any people or vehicles seen in the area, Wade said. ``And, hopefully, whoever did this may have been talking over the weekend.'' Anyone who has seen or heard anything suspicious is asked to call Crime Solvers at 427-0000.
MEMO: Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call investigators
at 427-4228 or Crime Solvers at 427-0000. Students, faculty and staff
seeking information can call INFOLINE at 640-5555 and enter category
7247 (PAHS).
ILLUSTRATION: TAMARA VONINSKI
Staff
Sarah Smith, a Princess Anne junior, helped in the raising of close
to $3,000 Monday toward expenses that insurance may not cover. A car
wash at the Thalia Shell station was the first of many fund-raising
activities.
by CNB