BATH, Maine — A week before school was supposed to come to an end in June, the Dike-Newell Elementary School burned on a Friday night — and just a few days later, it reignited.
Police later charged Allan Thomas Vigil with arson and the school was left badly damaged.
"Our immediate priority was, do we hold the last week of school? Do we just cancel it?" Dike-Newell Principal Jennifer McKay said.
She added it was important that the students got to see their teachers and friends again before the school year was over, so the pre-K through second graders went to the Fisher Mitchell School to finish the school year with the third through fifth graders.
But after that, there was work to do.
"This has been a huge project. This summer has been like no other summer," McKay said with a laugh.
She added they were grateful they didn't have to do it alone.
Nicole Brassard is the president of the PTA and has a first and a second grader at Dike-Newell. She said there was no question they were going to step up to help.
"If they need us to come in and sweep floors, we'll sweep floors. If they need us to set up classrooms, we're really here to help them and support them in whatever they need," she said.
The PTA also organized fundraisers throughout the summer and encouraged others to get involved. Bath Iron Works Naval Officers built a custom mailbox system for the teachers, and now, a local church group is setting up the gardens.
"We needed a 60 mailbox wooden organizer and they built one for us. It's been a wonderful experience with respect to the community," McKay said.
McKay said she expects to be in this building for a few years while the district figures out the next steps. Students are preparing for their first day of school, and the school is preparing for its first day too.