Port Coquitlam parents and children heartened by community response after school fire
CBC
Three days after a Port Coquitlam, B.C. elementary school was burned to the ground in a suspicious fire, parents and kids say they're still recovering emotionally, but have been encouraged by an outpouring of community support.
Hazel Trembath Elementary School, located in the city of around 60,000 residents east of Vancouver, was razed in a suspicious fire on Saturday morning.
Community members have come together to support the more than 300 families with children who went to the school, which was first built in the 1970s.
Teachers are getting ready to resume classes in the neighbouring city of Coquitlam. Winslow Centre, a school district facility there, will house all of the students in the short term.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, whose son was in Grade 1 at Hazel Trembath, is himself an alumnus of the school. He says it's been challenging to discuss the idea of arson at his son's beloved school — but that his city has come together in the aftermath.
"The community is rallying. I'm not surprised by that. That is the way things are in Port Coquitlam," he told Amy Bell, guest host of CBC's On The Coast. "Every time we've ever been touched by tragedy, people have come together and want to support one another."
The Coquitlam School District has already set up an online fundraiser that aims to help families whose children attend the school.
In addition, the City of Port Coquitlam has opened up the Port Coquitlam Community Centre to accept school supplies and other donations.
West said the overwhelming support reflects how important the school was to the community.
"Schools like this are way more than just buildings. They really are hubs of connection and of community in every sense of the word," he said.
LISTEN | Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West speaks about the school:
Landon Comey, a nine-year-old who attended Grade 4 at the school, said he and his classmates were initially worried they would be split apart.
He said he will miss the dance classes, the gym, and running around the duck pond at Hazel Trembath.
Students like Comey are set to be bussed to the Winslow Centre, a former high school, later this week to resume their studies.
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