Bend’s Ponderosa Elementary raises funds for burned school

(Update: Comments from principals, students)

When students at Ponderosa Elementary School in northeast Bend found out they had a “sister” school by the same name in Paradise, California that had burned in the devastating Camp Fire, they immediately wanted to help.

“Pennies for Paradise” began as a small project for one school to gather donations, but it grew to include 11 other schools across the country also named Ponderosa Elementary.

“When we started thinking about it, we thought, it’s more than just us,” said Steve Austin, principal at Bend’s Ponderosa Elementary. “So we looked online and found some other Ponderosa elementary schools around the country and sent an email to them and said, ‘Look, would you be interested in doing this, in joining with us in sending whatever you can to help that school in Paradise?'”

At Bend’s Ponderosa Elementary alone, they raised nearly $5,300.

The money was not raised by students alone. Many from the community, past Ponderosa students and another Bend-area elementary schools pitched in.

Vivian Warren, a fifth-grader at Ponderosa who helped organize the project, said Thursday, “I think that it’s important, because we get a great opportunity to have all that we have at our school, and I want them to have that same opportunity.”

Eli Zirkle, a third-grader, said he got involved “because I feel like all the Ponderosas should work together and be a big family.”

“It was important for me because if I were that person, I’d be devastated,” said Ava Chavez, a fifth-grader who wanted to do her part.

The principal of Ponderosa Elementary in Paradise said the call from Bend’s principal could not have come at a better time.

Before the fire, the Paradise school had 575 students. They now have 293 who meet at Durham Elementary School until they can rebuild the kindergarten wing, which was burned to the ground, as well as fix the partial fire damage to the cafeteria and office and sort through the other smoke-damaged areas.

Paradise Ponderosa’s principal, Ed Gregoria, said they hope to be back on their own school grounds by August.

Gregoria also said they are using some of the funds to purchase supplies for the empty rooms they are borrowing from Durham Elementary. The rest they are saving to replace lost and damaged items, once they move back to the school.

“On behalf of Paradise Unified School District and Ponderosa Elementary, we just feel so grateful for the outreach, the care, kindness and prayers that the whole community, the nation have shown us,” Gregoria said. “It really just has made such a difference.”