Tent school opens in quake zone
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Associated Press
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 17, 2009 00:00
POGGIO PICENZE, Italy - Children toting knapsacks and notebooks entered three "classrooms" erected in a blue tent city yesterday, a symbolic return to normalcy for some of the youngest victims of Italy's quake.
The mayor of the tiny village of Poggio Picenze rang a small bell to summon the children to their desks, arranged in rows in the tent with a blackboard in front as school reopened a few miles from the hard-hit city of L'Aquila for the first time since the April 6 temblor.
The children were kept away from the media, but Sky TG24 television interviewed one fourth grader who said she was thrilled to go back since she had missed school. "I'm happy," said the youngster, who wasn't identified. "I missed my friends and teachers."
Middle school teacher Liberata Marchi said most of the year's school work had already been completed before the quake struck. But she stressed the need for classes to continue. "Being together, playing with other children, letting them have fun, this is important," she said. "It will be tough, but we'll put everything we have into being here to help these children."
Some volunteers started lessons Wednesday in another tent city, but yesterday's opening in Poggio Picenze marked the official restart of the school year for victims of the 6.3-magnitude quake, which killed 294 people.
The children were kept away from the media, but Sky TG24 television interviewed one fourth grader who said she was thrilled to go back since she had missed school. "I'm happy," said the youngster, who wasn't identified. "I missed my friends and teachers."
Middle school teacher Liberata Marchi said most of the year's school work had already been completed before the quake struck. But she stressed the need for classes to continue. "Being together, playing with other children, letting them have fun, this is important," she said. "It will be tough, but we'll put everything we have into being here to help these children."
Some volunteers started lessons Wednesday in another tent city, but yesterday's opening in Poggio Picenze marked the official restart of the school year for victims of the 6.3-magnitude quake, which killed 294 people.