Whitefield school still recovering from massive vandalism

WHITEFIELD, Okla - In July of 2009, three children between the ages of 12 and 14 were arrested for causing more than $400,000 in damage to the Whitefield School.

The gym was set on fire. It's lobby was splattered with paint. The exercise room was completely burned and classrooms inside the main building were gutted. The vandals even tried to set buses on fire.

The vanadium was a huge blow to the small, rural school district. Superintendent Brenda Edwards says the community response has been overwhelming. "We've learned to work together. We've learned to do without somethings and to make sacrifices. But we felt the love of this community and the family togetherness within the school."

More than 170 people showed up to help cleanup. Churches and neighboring districts offered up their facilities to students.

Edwards says, "Oklahomans do that. We've proved time and time again whenever people need help we're always there."

One year later, the gym is in better condition than before the fire. The classrooms are back in use and a portable building now sits atop the slab of the fitness center that burned down.

Edwards says, "My school board member said we're going to make this test into a testimony. And that is what we've done. We've proved that you can't keep us down. We're going to succeed. And we're going to come back better and stronger than we were before."

As for the three children who were arrested for the crime, the Haskell County District Attorney says their juvenile records are sealed. So he can't release information about what punishment they received.