Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Classes Begin Again At High School

Monday morning dawned with a blazing sunrise.

Temperatures were in the mid-50s.

Monday, April 8, was 180 degrees different than Monday, April 1.

On April 1, around 10:30 p.m. the main building at Prescott High School caught fire, with the east end completely destroyed, with the exception of the band room.

Jonathan Kelly's band hall suffered smoke damage, with several instruments getting covered in soot. Otherwise, there were no problems in this area.

However, the Prescott School Board and administration acted swiftly to keep the lost days to a bare minimum.

A professional cleaning crew was called in to salvage as much as possible. Lockers were cleared out, with the articles inside placed in numbered boxes.

Many of these boxes were placed in the gym where students picked up their belongings Monday, April 8.

There was plenty of organized chaos as students worked to find their things and get to and from classes, which were spread all over the high school and elementary campuses.

But all appeared to be working as there were few complaints on either side, but mass confusion all around.

Teachers were, by and large, stunned at the loss and destruction at the high school.

Sheila Virden, who teaches English, was one of the few who thought the fire was a prank when she first learned of it, as it occurred on April Fool's Day.

"I learned of the fire at 6:15 a.m. Tuesday," she said. "I got a call from coach (Eddie) Jackson. I thought it was a prank call."

However, she was devastated when the reality of the situation dawned on her. "It's like starting over," Virden said. "I can't think.

"I've learned to appreciate what a beautiful classroom I had, and how pretty it was. I'll miss my walls most of all," she continued.

Virden said there was no way she could take everything out of her former classroom, which only sustained mostly smoke damage.

Her English classes were transferred to makeshift rooms in the gym, which had roofing rubber from Firestone laid on the floor and partitions erected to separate the "rooms."

Gina Lockwood, who teaches speech, learned of the fire at 11 p.m. April 1 when Laura Ward gave her a call.

"I'd hate to think someone would be capable of doing this," she said. "I want to believe it was an accident."

According to Superintendent Don Johnston, investigators with the Arkansas State Police have ruled the fire an accident, and arson is no longer suspected.

Lockwood's class will be moved to the home economics building for the remainder of the year.

"This is catastrophic," she said. "It's like someone died; a part of the faculty died.

"Students feel the same way. But we'll regroup. Classes will be held Monday (April 8) and life will go on.

"I think this will give us a sense of unity and bring the school and community closer together."

Lockwood said this fire has made everyone aware of how fortunate and blessed they are.

"We've got good students and a great faculty," she said. "So, building or no building, we'll keep going.

Lockwood's room was another which primarily sustained smoke and water damage.

In his first year in the district, Terrance Viefhaus found out how close the staff, administration and community really are.

He said when learning of the fire, he almost fainted. Viefhaus got a call at home at 6 a.m. Tuesday, April 2, concerning the blaze.

"We'll do what needs to be done," he said. "I'm trying not to think about it. It's easier to teach than to clean up."

Viefhaus, who teaches applied math, will remain on the PHS campus. His room also was damaged by smoke.

Jones Ard, who was helping Viefhaus take inventory Wednesday, April 3, said his room was not damaged at all.

However, the biology teacher said the electricity will have to be rerouted and the lab will be utilized more than ever.

"I'm helping all I can," Ard said.

PHS Coach Eddie Jackson was one who suffered a major loss. His classroom was on the east end of the building and all inside was destroyed.

Jackson said he had more than $3,000 in personal books destroyed. He also lost 27 years of film and videotape of Curley Wolf football.

"I was here until 10 p.m. Monday (April 1), after a seventh and eighth grade track meet in Nashville," he said.

"I felt bad. I thought I might have been able to do something if I'd taken students to the office to use the phone.

"Maybe I could have detected something. Or, maybe I would have opened a door and got burned."

For years, Jackson had a habit of taking students to the office after athletic events so they could call home for a ride. However, on April 1, the students were taken to the agri building to make their calls.

Taping of Curley Wolf football began in 1984. Prior to this, all games were captured on 16 mm film. All, however, was lost in the fire.

Additionally, Jackson said all track meet records went up in flames.

But what hurt the most, Jackson said, is the loss of photos, which were housed in the office as well. Many of Jackson's personal awards were destroyed also.

"I don't know why it happened," he said of the fire, "but there's an old saying `It takes fire to make steel.' This may make us a better school system."

PES Principal Howard Austin was upbeat and positive. He said the teachers and staff would do what has to be done to make sure the students are properly educated.

"We have to educate these children," he said. "We'll do what we have to do.

"We're about to get our thoughts and ideas together. We'll be able to kick off Monday (April 8) in good shape."

Austin learned of the fire at 10:45 p.m. April 1 after getting a call from a Prescott Middle School teacher.

He dressed immediately and went to PHS. "I never thought it was a joke," he said. "When you get a call at that time of night, it's never funny."

Austin said there should be no problems taking some students from PHS at PES. The new computer lab will be utilized for business classes and the band will rehearse in the activity room during first period.

Hal Landrith, in his first year at Prescott, and who coaches basketball, tennis and golf, said he learned of the fire about 11 o'clock April 1.

"I never thought it was a joke," he said after getting Sheila Cannon came knocking on his door Monday night looking for PHS Principal Tommy Morrison. "It was strange getting a knock (on my door) at 11 p.m.

Landrith's classroom is in the agri building, so it wasn't harmed in the fire. However, because the gym is being used for classes, there will be no off season work for the basketball team.

Kelly was fortunate in having no real loss, other than instruments getting covered in soot.

"Everyt