Help is on the way for students, teachers and staff of Fairington Elementary, the DeKalb County school that was closed this week after a weekend fire.
The Dunwoody Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization and the faculty of Centennial Arts Academy in Gainesville, with the DeKalb County Office of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, are collecting school supplies to replace those lost in the blaze.
“Our hearts go out to our DeKalb friends at Fairington Elementary,” Dunwoody principal Jennifer Sanders said. “The DeKalb school district may be large, but we are still family. We take care of each other.”
Dallas Thompson, a fifth grade teacher at Centennial Arts Academy, said: “It is not often that children get to do something for other children. We hope that this will make a powerful impact not only on the children at Fairington, but also on the children at Centennial.”
Early Jan. 17, fire consumed a kindergarten classroom at Fairington. The main school building experienced extensive water, smoke and soot damage. Workers have been repairing the damage, but students aren’t expected to be able to return to their building until the week of Jan. 26, DeKalb County School District spokesman Quinn Hudson said. They have been attending class at Miller Grove High School since Tuesday, the first day of school after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
The fire has been investigated as a possible arson, and school officials Wednesday released a photo taken from a surveillance camera that shows someone who may be a suspect.
“When I saw their school was so fire-damaged they’d have to move their classrooms for a while, I told our commissioner those kids need our help,” said Lisa Bryson, transportation director for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.
From crayons to copy paper, Fairington Elementary is in need of a variety of supplies, the district said.
Anyone interested in donating any of these items may contact Linda Crowley at 678-676-2837 or linda_f_crowley@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us.
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