Back to BES on Jan. 4

By Rupert Howell
Come January, all students will be back in their home school for the first time since a fire destroyed the Kindergarten wing of Batesville Elementary School during summer break July 10, 2015.
A somber story by John Howell in the following issue of The Panolian read, “After the sun rose Saturday over the charred remains of the BES kindergarten building, a large Panola County trackhoe was digging out a hot spot where the school’s office had been.
By 3 a.m. that morning, most bystanders had drifted away. The stubborn, smoldering blaze appeared to have been brought under control. Volunteers from the many Panola County fire departments who had joined Batesville firefighters for many hours to combat the stubborn, smoldering blaze had been released.”
The fact that the old two-story red brick building had been saved by firefighters was amazing, but what followed was equally amazing.
The community pulled together to help offset the tragic loss and a new unfamiliar summer urgency took over not only teachers and staff who were determined to get back to work and have school open on time, but concern from afar was obvious as donations and school supplies started pouring in to Batesville to replace those things which perished.
School opened on time less than a month later after school administrators and staff rearranged schedules, facilities and classrooms.
An open house was held for those volunteers who assisted during the tragedy yesterday (Thursday afternoon) and kindergarten students were given a tour of their new “home” earlier to both acquaint them with their new surroundings and to give them something to look forward to when coming back to class January 4.
The school district’s insurance is paying for most all of the construction and out of pocket expenses that have occurred with the inconvenience of not having use of a building and cafeteria.
School superintendent Tim Wilder, who appears much more relaxed than he did in July and August of 2015 said following Tuesday’s monthly board meeting, “I think we’re coming out to the good.”