Even before kids head back to class in schools near the Waldo Canyon fire burn area, staff and district officials are working on ways to help.

It’s not just about material needs — it’s also about planning ahead for such things as fire drills and to offer emotional support.

No schools were damaged in the 18,247-acre blaze that burned 346 homes, although it did burn close, in some cases scorching nearby trees. Two people died as the fire burned into Colorado Springs on June 26.

Colorado Springs School District 11 officials know of 98 student families impacted by the fire, plus the families of at least 17 staff members. In Academy School District 20 about 35 students and 20 staff members lived on streets that were listed as highly impacted.

The numbers of others affected by lengthy evacuations and damaged homes are harder to track, officials said.

District 11 officials know about students and staff whose homes were destroyed; they don’t know about those who may be displaced because of damages to their homes, said spokeswoman Devra Ashby.

There was a collective sigh of relief that no schools burned, she said. The district pulled records from schools closest to the blaze as evacuation orders were issued. Officials also made plans in case a school was lost.

“We’re excited to welcome back all students to their home schools,” said D-11 Superintendent Nicholas Gledich, adding thanks for first responders and firefighters.

Firefighters are working with districts as classes resume to answer questions, provide support and be visible for kids, Colorado Springs Fire Department spokeswoman Sunny Smaldino said.

Teachers and principals at schools nearest the Waldo Canyon fire burn area expect a lot of conversation about the fire.

How kids react depends on how much they were exposed to the trauma of the fire, be it through the media or their own experiences, said Monika Hannan, D-11 school psychologist.

“We don’t know what to expect,” she said. “Not all children will react the same way.”

How parents and other adults handled the situation heavily influences how kids will deal with it, she said.

Teachers and staff at many schools are getting crisis training, and will know how to recognize symptoms of stress, officials said.

Officials said they called other districts that have dealt with significant tragedies for advice on how to handle returning students, but much will depend on individual student needs.

Colorado Springs School District 11

Extra counselors will be available for the first two weeks of class, Ashby said.

“We’ll be opening that service up to anyone who needs it,” she said, adding that kids who didn’t evacuate will know families that did and they may also know families or staff who lost everything.

Schools are required by law to hold regular fire drills, and D-11 may hold special assemblies soon after school starts to give students, especially younger ones, opportunities to interact with firefighters.

“We’re being very sensitive,” Ashby said.

Coronado High School Principal David Engstrom will meet with impacted families before school starts, to learn how best to help them.

He said 31 students lost their homes in the blaze, although he said others will likely seek help.

“We have our work cut out for us,” Engstrom said. “We can support each student.

“The counselors will be doing the emotional heavy lifting.”

It will take time to heal, and he expects to make time to talk about what happened.

“Everybody needs to talk about it,” he said. “Everybody was concerned for everybody. We all were traumatized by it.”

Coronado’s student government hosted an ice cream social and movie night Friday — before classes start — and money raised will go directly toward meeting the needs of Coronado families impacted by the blaze.

Coronado’s charitable organization, Cougars Care, was set up to help those in need years ago. The group is run by Coronado staff and students, and will accept donations for the families impacted by the fire. Students need everything from graphing calculators to spirit wear.

About 30 families at Chipeta Elementary School lost their homes, said Principal Sarah Scott. One staff member also lost a home, she said.

“Most kids are doing pretty well,” she said.

Burned homes are not visible from the school, Scott said, which is a good thing for students.

“The kids won’t have to look at it every day,” she said.

In late July, Chipeta staff put together a community party for families and neighbors.

At Holmes Middle School, a teacher organized a trip to Water World in Denver for all students. The entire trip, tickets, snacks, drinks and lunch, was covered by donations. A grant covered bus transportation.

“We wanted a time for the students to feel like kids during the summer,” Ashby said.

Most of the students displaced by the fire are eligible for transportations under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

“It’s designed to protect students who are experiencing homelessness,” said Holly Brilliant, in the D-11 Title 1 office.

However, it also applies to those temporarily displaced by natural disaster, she said, adding that officials from several agencies and school districts made the assessment.

D-11 officials have contacted families whose homes were destroyed. They know there are others whose homes are not on the public damaged lists, but are uninhabitable because of damages inside. Brilliant said families who are displaced while those damages are repaired should contact the Title 1 office at 520-2422 so the district can help them with their needs.

“We’d like to help everyone we possibly can,” she said.

As of last week, District 11 expects to provide transportation for 27 students to their home schools. For others affected, transportation either wasn’t an issue or they are living close to their destroyed homes, Brilliant said. At least four kids aren’t returning to their home schools, choosing to attend a school elsewhere in the district or in another district, she said.

Academy School District 20

Six schools in mandatory evacuation or pre-evacuation zones were in Academy School District 20. Woodmen-Roberts Elementary on Orchard Road was the school closest to the fire, and it didn’t even sustain smoke damage, said Nanette Anderson, D-20 spokeswoman.

The district is waiting for families and others who were impacted by the blaze to contact it about their specific needs, she said.

At least five families at Air Academy High School lost their homes, said Principal Toria McGill.

“It was a community loss,” she said, adding that there will be discussions about the fire as everyone works through the grieving process.

“A lot of it is figuring out what people need,” she said. The Air Academy families said the biggest help would be cash to fill the gaps left by insurance, and the school is working to replace school-related items.

McGill expects students to take on fire-related volunteer projects when they return to school.

“We’ll take care of each other,” she said. “Everyone will feel better when they figure out a way to help.”

Assistance isn’t limited to current students, officials said. Recent graduates have contacted their schools about replacing memorabilia lost in the fire, and schools are pitching in to help.

The parents of two students who graduated from Air Academy a few months ago recently called the school about how to replace things that weren’t grabbed in the evacuation.

“It was heart wrenching to talk to people fresh from that loss,” McGill said.

Administrators and teachers are doing their best to make sure the two will have as much of their Air Academy history replaced as possible, including club awards and letter jackets.

Other districts

Although communities served by Manitou Springs School District 14 and Woodland Park School District RE-2 were evacuated and the burn scar is visible from schools, no students lost their homes, officials said.

Officials from all the impacted districts said returning to a consistent and predictable schedule and school activities will help staff and students alike find normalcy and move on.

“School is a good place, a safe place,” said Hannan, the school psychologist. She added that students and staff she has spoken with are looking forward to returning to the routine and social aspects of classes.

Making a difference

• Coronado High School will sell T-shirts with something like “Cougar Nation doesn’t burn” to raise money. It’s a way to make a statement and support the community, the principal said.

• Faculty at all D-20 high schools are planning a basketball tournament and silent auction on Aug. 17 to raise funds, McGill said, details will be posted on the Air Academy website.

• Officials at many schools said they expect efforts to continue during the school year.

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