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When the going gets tough ...
By DONNA WINCHESTER, Times Staff Writer PINELLAS PARK -- The sight of her fourth-grade classroom took Kim Kuruc's breath away. Every poster had been torn from the walls. Two computer monitors and a big-screen TV had been shattered. Her students' desks had been ransacked and their work strewn across the floor. Their folders were coated with glue and glass shards. Kuruc peered at the destruction through a swirling haze of fire extinguisher chemicals that blanketed every surface with a fine white dust.
Her teacher assistant had called that morning to tell her that three teenagers had broken into the school the day before, a Saturday. Another teacher had detained a 15-year-old boy, leading to the arrest of all three on criminal mischief charges. Because of their ages, they are not being identified by the Neighborhood Times. Kuruc's was one of 26 classrooms vandalized Aug. 24 at Skyview Elementary, 8601 60th Ave. N. Damage figures won't be available until the district's risk management team completes its investigation, but Skyview principal Doug Cowley expects they will top $20,000. Despite the devastation, Cowley said last week, the break-in brought teachers and students together and cemented an already strong bond between the school and the community. Recovery from the break-in began almost immediately as teachers phoned each other and planned to meet at the school Sunday morning. Word spread throughout the tight-knit community and by noon, more than 60 teachers, parents and neighbors began cleaning up. Throughout the week, teachers tried to carry on as if things were normal. Several, including Kuruc, embraced Cowley's suggestion that the students write letters addressed to the court expressing their feelings about the break-in. Kuruc, who said she sometimes has trouble getting her fourth-graders to write, said the letters were incredible. "Some of the things they said were, 'I felt so safe in my classroom' and 'We made the classroom so beautiful,' " she said. "One girl wrote, 'I can't believe they did this to us. They can't go there with my Skyview!' " Kuruc hadn't expected the damage to be so extensive. "It was so bad in there," she said after seeing the classroom Sunday morning. "We had spent so much time working and preparing. It hit kind of hard." Jennifer Smith, a fifth-grade teacher, arrived around 10 a.m. Her stomach clenched when she saw doors splotched with the black fingerprint dust forensics experts use. Like Kuruc, she was shocked when she saw her classroom. "There was a haze in the room and it looked like a light dusting of snow," she said, describing the fire extinguisher chemicals. "They sprayed it inside every kid's desk. They sprayed it over all of the shelves. Every single teacher's manual, every student's book had it in between the pages." It was especially distressing, she said, because her classroom had been refurbished over the summer. "We had brand-new carpet, brand-new light fixtures. We spent quite a bit of money to make it really nice for the kids. We wanted the fifth-graders this year to feel very special."
Smith worked in her classroom for hours, then helped in other rooms. In one, she found door knobs beaten off supply cabinets and school supplies thrown everywhere. She heard about another classroom where seashells had been crushed and ground into the carpet, and where dead fish were found floating in an aquarium. "Some people had been crying. Some people were very angry and upset," she said. "I think the overall atmosphere was one of disbelief." Her students' parents expressed the same feeling Monday morning. Many of them walked their children to the classroom and wanted to talk about what had happened. The students had questions too, but before Smith could get them settled and begin a discussion about the break-in, she received word that her classroom was being moved to the cafeteria. Environmental engineers sent by the school district had decided the eight classrooms in which fire extinguishers had been discharged needed to be professionally cleaned to rid the air of irritants. Student achievement specialist Jana Maples helped move nearly 200 students to the cafeteria and media center. At lunchtime, she helped other students through the serving line and back to their classrooms because there was no room for them to eat in the cafeteria. Throughout the afternoon, she sat with students so their teachers could take breaks. She also helped field calls from parents, neighborhood residents and former students who wanted to know what they could do to help. She spoke with business owners, who offered school supplies, and to administrators from other schools, who offered to loan computers. Maples, who has worked for the school district for 32 years, said she has never seen vandalism of this magnitude before. It is especially devastating for a school like Skyview, she explained, where three out of four students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch. "Most of the families are blue-collar people working two or three jobs," she said. "A lot of the families have challenges. For some of the kids, the school has been their only safe place." Some of the damaged equipment had been bought with money the state awarded the school for improving its grade from a D to a C last year on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, Maples said. Teachers and staff members agreed to use the $70,000 for school improvements rather than employee bonuses. "The teachers got a certain amount for their classrooms to buy some materials they thought would make their teaching more effective, things they don't always have the money to buy," she said. "The vandals destroyed or damaged some of those things. It's money we're never going to see again." The children's letter writing to the court was therapeutic, Kuruc said, but she was unprepared for what happened when the children were able to return to their classroom Thursday. Right away, they checked their desks. Within minutes, she heard their outrage. "They stole my book." "They ripped my paper." "They destroyed the work I was going to show my parents on open house." "They were very upset," Kuruc said. "They felt such personal violation. I had to discuss it with them and let them know that we'll be working on trying to replace what was lost." For the second time that week, she explained to her students that sometimes people make bad choices. She reminded them that every time they have a decision to make, they can make a good one or a bad one. They talked more about peer pressure and about how easily things can snowball once the first bad choice is made. "Basically, we tried to use it as a learning tool to help them see how it may have happened," Kuruc said, explaining that ultimately, she hopes her students will examine their own actions. "As bad a catastrophe as it was for our school, you've got to turn those things into teachable moments. That's what good teachers do." Area 4 supervisor Oscar Robinson came to the school Thursday for a previously scheduled meeting. He toured the classrooms and reassured teachers that the district's insurance will reimburse the school for its loss. Earlier in the week, he spoke with the Area 4 supervisor for plant operations and asked him to discuss future safety precautions with campus police. Cowley, the principal, has talked to the Police Department about stepping up patrols around the school. He also has enlisted the help of neighborhood residents, asking them to report any suspicious movement around the school to the police. What happens next is up to the State Attorney's Office, said Sgt. Anthony Russo of the Pinellas Park Police Department. The arresting officer, whose report indicated the teenagers have been charged with burglary, felony criminal mischief and grand theft, followed standard procedure and sent the boys to the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center after the arrest. They were later released to their parents. It could be weeks or months before the school hears from the State Attorney's Office. In the meantime, Skyview's media specialist, Nancy Cohen, spent the week cataloging damaged and destroyed property. She was one of many staff members who marveled at how the break-in has strengthened the school and the community. "We know that the vandals don't represent our community by any means," she said. What was destroyedHere is a partial list provided by Nancy Cohen, Skyview Elementary's media specialist. -- Three televisions -- Two overhead projectors -- Four computer towers -- Five computer monitors -- Seven computer keyboards -- Hundreds of dollars in school supplies -- Personal items belonging to teachers and students Additionally, 20 damaged TVs, VCRs and computers will be evaluated for repair. What was takenThe Pinellas Park Police Department provided this list. Officers found the items in a field behind the school. -- A compact CD player -- A laptop computer -- A computer disc -- A paper shredder -- Three Sony PlayStations -- An Apple power supply -- Two calculators -- A spray bottle -- Candy and chips -- Eight $1 bills and some change -- A backpack -- Three rolls of clear plastic -- Four rolls of masking tape -- Nine batteries
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