{"id":14689,"date":"2026-01-13T10:45:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T15:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=14689"},"modified":"2026-01-14T13:49:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T18:49:06","slug":"school-communities-help-families-recover-after-holiday-home-fires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/school-communities-help-families-recover-after-holiday-home-fires\/","title":{"rendered":"School communities help families recover after holiday home fires"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Malibu Elementary\u2019s school counselor Honey McClendon, students Shane and Jack Lefkowitz, and principal Courtney Scarcelli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Fire damage at The Palms apartments<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Virginia Beach City Public Schools community came out in full force after home fires affected multiple families over winter break.<\/p>\n

Schools, charitable organizations and PTAs reached out to the victims of three fires to make sure they could still celebrate the holidays with presents, housing and essential items.<\/p>\n

A fire at The Palms apartment complex affected three Malibu Elementary students. Home fires on Atlantis Drive and Gadwall Place the same weekend impacted students from \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Birdneck Elementary, Green Run High School and An Achievable Dream (AAD) at Lynnhaven and Seatack.<\/p>\n

After hearing about the fire at The Palms on the Friday before winter break, Malibu PTA President Amanda Tanguay contacted the principal and asked for help on Facebook. Principal Courtney Scarcelli and school counselor Honey McClendon organized an impromptu event the following Monday to collect donations.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the entire hour, we had nonstop people,\u201d Scarcelli said. Current and former staff members, students, parents and community members showed up with cash, gift cards, clothing, shoes, toiletries, cleaning products and even television sets. Through generous donations from staff and the community, about $6,000 was collected for each family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hoping we\u2019d be able to give each family maybe $500,\u201d McClendon said. \u201cPeople were so generous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Students Shane and Jack Lefkowitz raised $600 by selling lemonade in their neighborhood. Two of the school\u2019s teachers took a student to Target to buy clothes to replace some of what was lost in the fire. Multiple teachers made gift baskets for each family. All three Malibu families are back in permanent housing.<\/p>\n

Faiza Hayeb, mother of a second grader affected by the fire, had this message for school and community members: \u201cWe\u2019re happy for your help and generosity. Thank you, and God bless all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another parent, Michelle Dance, shared: \u201cThe people at Malibu stepped up and helped me and my family out in so many ways. Malibu Elementary will forever have a special place in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The division\u2019s Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE)<\/a> connected families with help from community partners The River Ellis Foundation<\/a> and We Are VB<\/a>, including housing assistance and gift cards for food and clothing, said Dr. Admon Alexander, FACE director.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth organizations have expressed willingness to collaborate and provide a range of services based on the family\u2019s needs, reinforcing how valuable community partnerships are in creating a strong, supportive network for families,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n

A Collaborative Effort<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Pictured are Chris Middleton, AAD\u2019s executive director of elementary academies in Virginia Beach; Dr. Dawn Kramer, principal of Lynnhaven Middle School & An Achievable Dream Academy-Lynnhaven; Joi Boone, coordinator, An Achievable Dream Academy \u2013 Lynnhaven; and Nikki Thornton, VBCPS student support specialist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Malibu fire also affected students who attend Green Run High School and An Achievable Dream locations at Lynnhaven Middle and at Seatack Elementary An Achievable Dream Academy. The Atlantis fire destroyed the home of a family whose children attend Birdneck Elementary and An Achievable Dream Middle and High School at Lynnhaven.<\/p>\n

VBCPS and AAD staff collaborated in the effort. Erica Francis, Lynnhaven Middle guidance chair, worked with The River Ellis Foundation to secure lodging for the families. Chris Middleton, AAD\u2019s executive director of elementary academies in Virginia Beach, gathered support to provide clothes, gift cards for gifts and needed items, including a hot meal for Christmas from Cracker Barrel. AAD teacher Katrina Kelley, upon learning about a family in need, immediately took the coat off her back and donated it to the effort.<\/p>\n

Even family pets received some help. When Lynnhaven Middle principal Dr. Dawn Kramer checked on one family, she found out their dog was injured in the fire. The school\u2019s staff donated $500 toward vet bills.<\/p>\n

“Through the remarkable teamwork of VBCPS and AAD staff, we were able to secure lodging, provide essential supplies, arrange meals, and support families during a challenging time,\u201d Kramer said. \u201cI am so proud and grateful to be part of two organizations that work together so seamlessly \u2014 an effort that truly embodies the strength, compassion, and unity of our VBCPS and AAD school community.”<\/p>\n

Francis was also able to secure gift cards from We Are VB for two families, which AAD Lynnhaven Coordinator Joi Boone delivered along with additional donations of coats, shoes and clothing items for the families\u2019 parents and the children.<\/p>\n

Lessons in empathy and collective action<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Donations collected at Birdneck Elementary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Birdneck Elementary, staff and community partners quickly mobilized \u2013 sending clothing, food, person hygiene items, transportation and other support to the family, said principal Karla Young.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing everyone come together like this reminds us that our school is more than a place to learn, it\u2019s a family,\u201d Young said. \u201cOur students see that when someone is hurting, we step up together, and that makes them feel safe, supported, and proud of their school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community partners included Charity Trackers, Faith In Action, Union Baptist, Project Hope, and the Birdneck PTA.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents, too, have felt the impact of this shared effort,\u201d Young said. \u201cMany expressed a sense of pride and reassurance, knowing their school community stands together in times of need. The experience has reinforced important lessons about empathy, generosity, and the power of collective action.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Virginia Beach City Public Schools community came out in full force after home fires affected multiple families over winter break. Schools, charitable organizations and PTAs reached out to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,10,213,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-connections","category-featured","category-staff-stories","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14689"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14710,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14689\/revisions\/14710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}