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Schools

After the Fire, Hope Abounds

The Gifford School looks to rebound and rebuild after a fire consumed the Fenn Center.

It was the morning of Dec. 23, 2009. Parents, students and staff were arriving at Gifford School, expecting to attend "Holiday Follies," an annual variety show culminating in a visit from Santa Claus. Everyone expected an ordinary day for the school, which offers special education to students with a variety of developmental and physical delays.

Instead, what they saw was the school's Fenn Center engulfed in flames.

It took 60 firefighters from Weston, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Wellesley, Lexington, Lincoln, Natick, Newton, and Sudbury to extinguish the four-alarm blaze before it could overtake any other buildings on campus. However, the Fenn Center, which contained among other facilities, the kitchen, gym, nurse's office, computer lab and greenhouse, burned to the ground.

"The mutual aid system worked really well," said Weston Fire Chief David Soar.  Firefighters arrived on the scene a mere four minutes after the call went out.  

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"I think that they did an outstanding job containing the fire," Soar said.

It was not an easy loss, but the students and staff rallied and used temporary trailers to make up for the loss of the space, said the school's executive director, Michael Bassichis. 

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He said the school community is incredibly grateful toward the Weston Fire Department, and the fire chief spoke at the school's graduation in May.

In total, Bassichis said, the loss of the Fenn Center cost the school $4 million. The building, constructed in 1989, was built with money from hundreds of donors and from ventures ranging from yard sales to car washes. 

After an insurance settlement, and taking out some new loans, the school is rebuilding a new and improved Fenn Center, said Bassichis. Their goal is to raise $1 million to help offset the cost, and so far, they're nearly three-quarters of the way there, with $700,000 raised.

"The Weston community has been incredible. Absolutely incredible," said Bassichis. Biogen Idec has donated $25,000 toward a new science lab; individuals and foundations have also contributed.

Parents and students at the school have also been supportive, with some students contributing their own money, said Bassichis.

New center construction began July 1 and is scheduled to be completed this coming May, said Bassichis. Plans call for the center to be 13,000 square feet, with a combination gym/cafeteria and industrial kitchen to be used for the school's culinary arts program. 

There will also be a new media classroom and new science and computer labs, said Bassichis. 

Despite the loss, students and staff have remained optimistic, said Bassichis. But it wouldn't be possible without help from the greater community.

"With a lot of help from a lot of people, Gifford is doing fine," he said.

Donations can be made at the school's website, and are tax-deductible.

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