When preschool students arrived at Mary Belle McCorkle Academy of Excellence on Monday morning, they were carefully guided around their outdoor play area that had been destroyed by vandals the night before.
Toys were knocked over, fiberglass pots were broken, plants they had placed into the Earth and cared for had been ripped out, and their butterfly terrarium was shattered.
The butterfly terrarium that was destroyed in the incident late Oct. 2.
The shattered glass from the terrarium made its way into the wood chips and the sandbox, forcing the Tucson Unified School District to haul those materials out, limiting children’s play options over the last week.
While it is unclear who is responsible for the damage, the school is now working to restore what once was a point of pride at the southwest side school.
“The biggest thing the children are sad about is the pots — they had a lot of pots with plants and their gardens were stepped all over,” said Principal Sandra Thiffault. “We had a counselor come in and talk to the kids about the damage.”
Before the play area was vandalized, preschoolers cared for the plants in the garden.
How you can help:
Many of the original materials — pots, flowers, plants, soil — were donated to the school.
Monetary donations can be sent to the school, 4455 S. Mission Rd., with a memo for the money to be used for the preschool garden.
Donated materials can be dropped off at the school when classes resume on Oct. 17 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
For more information, call 877-2000.
