In yesterday's news, the principal of St Matthew's Government School in the Cayo District lamented the loss of 8 classrooms after a fire broke out around 4 on Saturday morning. Since then, they have been working to clean the debris, but there will need to be some major repairs before the children can return to classes.
In the meantime, they'll have to go back to distance learning - a nightmare for parents and students who were relieved when schools reopened following the pandemic. Now these kids are at risk to fall even more behind than they already were.
It's an entire community affected, since they lost their only school, but was this fire intentionally set?
Courtney Menzies went west today to find out. Here's that story.
"The school is on fire" - those words struck fear into the staff and students of St Matthew's Government School. The flames broke out on Saturday morning and engulfed 5 classrooms on the main building, leaving the walls charred and turning the furniture into ash.
And the classes that weren't burnt received water damage when firefighters came to extinguish the blaze.
And though it's only the classrooms housing standard 2 to 5 that were destroyed, all of the children have an extended weekend while the school's management and the ministry come up with a plan to move forward.
But while you may think the kids are enjoying their free time, according to 9-year-old Kreitler and 10-year-old Esau, it's actually the opposite.
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you live around here?"
Kreitler Beltran, Student, St Matthews
"Yes."
Courtney Menzies:
"So you saw the fire?"
Kreitler Beltran, Student, St Matthews
"Yes."
Courtney Menzies:
"Were you scared?"
Kreitler Beltran, Student, St Matthews
"Yeah. I was sad because I like to go to school because I can learn new things and I can see my best friends. I was so sad that I was going to cry. I think that I lost a chart that I did to present."
Reporter:
"How do you feel that you're going to have to be working from home again?"
Kreitler Beltran, Student, St Matthews
"I done past that experience but it's so sad again because I can't see my best friends that don't live in the village."
"It's easier being in the classroom with my teacher but working at home is easy too because if you can read there is no problem, but if you cannot read, there is the problem."
Esau Avelar, Student, St Matthews
"Sad because I learn a lot from my teacher and she's very nice with me and I do my effort to pass the year so I pray to God that the school get fixed soon so I could learn more and go to school."
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you feel like you'll be missing out a lot?"
Esau Avelar, Student, St Matthews
"Yes. I think it's much easier to go to school, go in our classroom, because when the school packages come, I fail a lot, so I learn more going in the classroom."
Reporter:
"And your mommy sells food right across the school, how do you think this is going to affect her now that the students won't be there?"
Esau Avelar, Student, St Matthews
"She will not sell a lot because a lot of my friends come with they are with me they come buy here, so it will be affecting her that she will not sell a lot of food."
And just like Esau's mom, the school's on-campus cafeteria vendor is also trying to come to terms with the aftermath of the fire:
Odalis Salguero, Cafeteria Vendor
"I got the call from the chairlady about 5:40, I was sleeping and I missed the first call, the second call I just heard noise at the back and she said Ms Odalis, please come and take out your stuff, the school is on fire. I mean, just me knowing how hard I work for my stuff, how long it took me to be here, the trust of the people to have me here, and first thing that came to my mind was that I was going to lose everything, my stuff, my… everything."
"Thank God the fire was a little bit away but I feel it for the teachers. Me as a vendor know how hard I work for my stuff and I know how hard they work for their charts, their stuff."
"It affects me because I will not be selling as before. This is not really what I live off of because I have a husband that has his job but this is what I love. I love cooking, I love dealing with kids, this is what I love, this is why I'm here, this is why the principal have me here. So I really feel it for the kids, not just for me, but for the kids."
Courtney Menzies:
"And you said your daughter was supposed to start here in September?"
Odalis Salguero, Cafeteria Vendor
"Yes, in September she was supposed to start but I'm not sure if it will be ready, I don't think so, so I think she will need to go to Belmopan."
Courtney Menzies:
"And she'll be further away from you."
Odalis Salguero, Cafeteria Vendor
"Yes, way further and then I will have someone maybe babysitting her, my sister or something."
And a third vendor will also have to find a plan B for her daughter who was set to start school this year, and she also worries for her son, who was supposed to graduate.
Voice of: Maria Jolon, Parent/Vendor
"It's affecting him because he can't continue now to study but really appreciate to continue to fix the school back, not only my son, but my daughter is in preschool to graduate but she's going to infant 1 but I don't know what is the process to the government that I will do, and the principal, I know the teachers is working hard, and I know this teacher long too, passing around to teach students, but right now, I feel sad, I don't feel happy because I expect my child, see him graduate from standard six."
And while the staff continue to clean the campus and prepare the paper-based packages for the students, they still have no idea what could have started the fire.
But teachers report seeing strange scribblings on the chalkboards and walls, kind of like this drawing which seemingly shows a man smoking, and indicates that he is responsible for the fire.
But the principal is waiting for the official report before drawing any conclusions.
The Ministries of Education and Infrastructure Development are working with the school to prepare packages that fit in with the news curriculum, which is supposed to be more hands-on.
