School Shows Spirit

Four days ago, a fire was deliberately set in the main administration building at Crawford High School, completely gutting the structure and causing an estimated $125,000 damage. This was certainly not a random prank or an act of the usual school vandalism in any manner. This was a cruel, premeditated act of violence and destruction that will be remembered forever by anyone associated with this school.

The worst part about this entire incident is that there doesn’t seem to be a real motive to grasp other than the lashing out at the authority the building symbolized.

Everyone on this entire campus has been shocked into the reality of terrorism, yet through all of this there has been an air of camaraderie that is inherent in the human soul. Since this disaster, and through the expert guidance and leadership of our principal, Mrs. Barbara Brooks, we have managed to organize ourselves and keep the machinery of the school working as smoothly as possible.

This has also been a concerted effort with the vice principals and other administrators working at a feverish pitch to regain normalcy on this campus. School crews have now set up phone lines and we finally have our bells back and working. The police continue to investigate, and cleaning crews are working inside the building. Everyone, including the entire secretarial staff, teachers and even the students have volunteered and contributed their help to make all this hurt a little less. We have literally rolled up our sleeves and gone to work on whatever has to be done. Because of this, not one class was delayed or canceled, our staff meeting was held as usual and even the baseball game was played at this campus as scheduled less than 24 hours after the disaster. It was business as usual and every day is going to be one day closer to getting back to normal.

The public should be made aware that work and sacrifices above and beyond the call of duty are going on here at Crawford High School. We do it because it is all a part of our job and because we share common feelings. The fire disaster was a huge waste and a part of all of us died a little when we saw the actual destruction. But one thing is certain--that we here at Crawford refuse to let anything like this break our spirit. We have proven two main things these past four days: We will not bend to terrorism, and the educational process will continue no matter what happens.

ERNEST JIMENEZ

San Diego