LEMON GROVE — It’s “back to school” in more ways than one for St. John of the Cross School.
A day of record rainfall last January led to severe flooding at the school, making it necessary for it to find a temporary home on the campus of St. Michael Academy, which had closed three years earlier.
Repairs at St. John of the Cross are expected to be completed by mid-August, in time for the first day of school on Aug. 26.
“It’s like coming home again,” said Greg Krumm, the school’s principal. “It’s like we’ve been gone for a long time and we’re finally coming home.”
Krumm estimated that repairs to the entire St. John of the Cross Parish campus, including the church and parish hall as well as the school, cost around $2 million. The money was raised through a combination of flood insurance; donations from parishioners, alumni, and other Catholic parishes and schools.
As of July 17, Krumm said that all roofs had been either repaired or replaced and ceilings restored. New flooring and cabinetry will be installed, and new turf may be laid down in the schoolyard, he added.
“Every classroom and office (has) been refurbished, sanitized and painted. It looks like a brand-new school almost,” said Krumm, who noted that everyone is “raring to go to start the school year.”
In mid-August, he said, the school will begin taking inventory of the items that were quickly placed in storage after the flood.
“We don’t really know just how much is in storage and how much was discarded or thrown away,” he said, noting that this remains “the big question mark.”
The school was evacuated on the morning of Jan. 22. It transitioned to distance-learning between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2, before resuming in-person instruction on the St. Michael Academy campus on Feb. 5.
At the time, Krumm said that the school could finish the year at St. Michael’s “if necessary,” but that he hoped they would be able to return earlier. It turned out to be necessary.
The school wrapped up the academic year on its temporary campus, though the eighth-grade graduation was held in St. John of the Cross Parish Church.
Krumm thanked the diocese, especially the Office for Schools, for its support.
He also expressed gratitude for the hospitality of St. Michael Parish and St. Michael Academy Preschool.
“They were just absolutely wonderful. It was hard to say goodbye,” he said, adding that he now considers St. Michael Academy Preschool to be “our sister school.”
Reflecting on his community’s experience last school year, Krumm saw a silver lining.
“Yes, we were not at our school; yes, our school got decimated by a flood,” he said, “but we were able to experience another school, another parish, another faith-based community like ours.”
He added, “They took us in like we were family, and … I think I speak for all our school community – our parents, our kids, our teachers – we cannot thank them enough.”
