Local schools help restock burned library

By KRISTI ALBERTSON/Daily Inter Lake

When Huntley Project High School burned down in September, John York was sympathetic.

York was sorry, of course, for the teachers and students who lost their school, including the gym and the library, in the Sept. 18 blaze. But York also knew what an enormous job lay ahead of the Huntley Project High library staff.

As the Glacier High School librarian, York has had experience building a library from scratch.

York, however, had time and resources when he helped build the state's newest high school library collection. The Huntley Project librarian would need books right away and would have to figure out some sort of organization system.

"They had to get everything into a catalogue, everything labeled," York said. "I can't imagine what a nightmare that would be."

Just as York was sympathizing with Huntley Project and trying to figure out a way to help, a suggestion arrived via e-mail. The state Office of Public Instruction and the School Administrators of Montana sent out a plea to school districts, asking them to donate surplus books and items to the school in Worden.

"They had started school," York said. "They needed something to function with."

After last year's districtwide reorganization, Kalispell Public Schools had surplus books it was willing to share. When ninth-graders moved from the junior high to Flathead and Glacier high schools, the junior high library books went with them. Sixth- and seventh-graders moving from the elementary schools and Linderman School brought age-appropriate books into the Kalispell Middle School library.

Libraries had several copies of some books. They also received some donations they didn't need.

"In all the shuffling, some things came up as surplus," York said. "We passed them on to what we thought was a very worthy cause."

In October, the school district shipped 31 boxes of books to Huntley Project High School. York didn't know for certain how many books were in the boxes, but he estimates Kalispell Public Schools shipped somewhere between 600 and 1,000 books to Worden.

This week, Kalispell Middle School sent several more boxes. Librarians Kerrie More and Lisa Lykins suggested to their sixth-grade Home Base classes that they collect books for Huntley Project.

"Since we're the library, we thought it would be a good one to do a book drive for Huntley Project," More said.

The drive netted "five or six good-sized boxes full," she said. "Their generosity was really cool."

UPS shipped the boxes at no cost to the school district. The company did the same with the school district's first 31 boxes.

People around the state have stepped up to help Huntley Project High School. Nine classrooms, the gym and the library were destroyed when the school burned in September.

Two teenagers have pleaded innocent to two counts of burglary and one count of arson in connection with the fire. Two other teenagers suspected of being involved in the fire were questioned and released to their parents.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com