Kindergarten teacher Kelly Vigil stood in the cold Monday as investigators combed through the rubble and firefighters extinguished the last hot spots of a fire that destroyed Oquirrh Elementary School Saturday.
"My husband thinks I'm a goon for coming here. But I had to come. I had to stick to my routine," Vigil said, gazing at the rubble. "It's like losing a second home. This is my home away from home."Vigil said she spent Sunday night calling her kindergarten students to "make sure they were OK with all this. The parents were very concerned what was going to happen. They want their kids' schooling to continue as normally as possible."
The teacher said her students were particularly concerned about their classroom mascot, a stuffed animal named Cookie. "I had several children ask me, `Is Cookie OK?' "
Vigil had taken the toy cat home over the weekend to clean it.
Meanwhile, Jordan School District officials were faced with the nightmare of accommodating 900 students in an already-overcrowded school district, following the total loss of the 16-year-old school, 7165 S. Paddington Road, West Jordan.
Firefighters were still dousing hot spots in the rubble Sunday morning when District Superintendent Raymond W. Whittenburg and his staff arrived to assess the damage and the ramifications.
"Devastating," was their verdict on both counts. Not only has the fire displaced 900 students, its shockwaves could disrupt one or more other schools as well. It was the first time in the district's history that an entire school was destroyed.
With nothing usable left of Oquirrh, district officials were forced to look elsewhere for classroom space in a district where classroom space is at a premium.
At an emergency Board of Education meeting Sunday, only two options were put on the table: disperse the students to six other schools in the area or put one school on a double-session schedule to handle the extra 900.
But Monday other options were being discussed: turning the National Guard armory in West Jordan near Airport No. 2 into a temporary school for all the Oquirrh students or busing them to a vacant school in the Tooele School District about an hour's drive away.
"We are trying to consider every possible option," said Jordan School District spokeswoman Patty Dahl.
The board was scheduled to make a decision at a second emergency meeting late Monday afternoon. In any case, the Oquirrh students will be back in class Wednesday morning, district officials say.
The fire was just the latest tragedy the school has endured.
In 1991, three students and their mother were brutally murdered in their West Jordan home. Their father, Sam Kastanis, was tried but acquitted.
In November, two Oquirrh students, their 3-year-old sibling and a baby sitter were nearby when their father fatally shot their mother, then killed himself. The incident occurred in the family's residence.
At the Sunday meeting, parents made clear to district officials they want to keep the students together. Whittenburg told the school board and a roomful of parents that life safety code considerations may prevent the district from simply moving the Oquirrh program into a vacant building, church or other facility not specifically designed for the purpose.
One new elementary school is under construction and may be commandeered as a temporary replacement for Oquirrh, but it won't be ready until fall.
Assistant Superintendent Thomas L. Owen explained other options have advantages and disadvantages. Farming the Oquirrh students out to six other schools would fragment the student body, mix different age groups and possibly split up siblings, he said.
Also, the district would have to find a "significant" number of buses to transport the students to the other schools, he added.
On the other hand, students would be on the same schedule they had at Oquirrh.
The double-session option would keep the student body together and would be less expensive because textbooks and materials could be shared with the host school. Also, the transportation costs would be lower because the existing bus fleet would be available at the earlier starting time and later ending time, probably 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
However, a double session would be a significant imposition on the host school, and asking teachers to share a classroom is "no small problem," Owen said.
Whittenburg tried to soften the blow by reminding the parents, teaching staffs and administrators that either option would be a short-term inconvenience.
"The plan is to fill this 90-day window to June 3 while we're dealing with the long-term solution," he said, noting a plan for next year could be ready in a month.
Whittenburg hinted that Oquirrh's fate will be evaluated in light of new enrollment patterns, which means it could be rebuilt at a different location. That prospect provoked some hisses and groans from the audience.
Though some sections of Oquirrh survived the fire, officials said smoke and heat damage had rendered the entire building unusable. Day said some "hard copy" records were found in the office area, but it appears everything on computer disc or other plastic recording device was lost.
"The property loss was dramatic," said district facilities administrator Robert Day.
The fire started somewhere at the north end of the building and spread through the roof, which eventually collapsed. According to Day, investigators were focusing on a mechanical or electrical problem as the cause of the fire. Arson has been all but ruled out, he said.
Although the site is off limits to everyone until West Jordan fire officials complete their investigation, Day said an exception was made Sunday to permit district crews to salvage perishable food from the school's freezers.
While district officials labored to find a temporary home for the school, parents speculated about the long-term future of the Oquirrh school building.
Miller, whose daughter and son attended the school, said parents will rally to rebuild the school. "If he (superintendent Ray Whit-ten-burg) doesn't, he's going to have the biggest fight of his life."
People who would like to make donations to help replace supplies or equipment may do so through the Jordan Education Foundation, phone 567-8261. Contribution are tax-deductible. Equipment for a computer lab and teaching supplies are particularly needed.