Mount St. Mary Blaze Fails to Damage School Spirit

This was fortunate, as far as fires go:

The fire in the second-floor science lab did not cause any structural damage, but school officials decided to cancel classes to try to get the smoke out of the classrooms.

"The fire was not in the main building built in 1903,” said Chris Stiles, director of advancement for the school. "It was in the add-on addition built in the ’60s.”

Shortly after Thanksgiving but before the Christmas break, Rachel told us she wanted to go to a private school and Mount St. Mary's was her choice. That was fine with us and we started the application process which included a tour of the school and personal visit from the counselor and the principal, Talita DeNegri. (That's her on the left.)



A friendly, impressive school, just right for someone like Rachel. She spent a day visiting herself and judged it as just the thing she was looking for. But as Christmas break approached and word got out and tearful goodbyes were beginning to be said, she had second thoughts and ultimately decided against it. That was fine. We gave it our best shot and we were better people for having had the chance to experience a small part of what Mount St. Mary's is all about.

I'm not at all surprised with the school's reaction to the fire. It'll take more than that to bring 'em down.