Reopened Poway School Rejoins a Fractured Community

By Ana Tintocalis / Education Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published October 29, 2007 at 12:30 PM PDT

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

A Poway school reopened today, and for many people it was a chance to reconnect. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.

A Poway school reopened today, and for many people it was a chance to reconnect. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.

Westwood Elementary in Rancho Bernardo is part of the Poway Unified School District. Close to 90 families here still don't have a home to go back to. Three school employees lost their homes. Despite that, almost everyone showed-up for school, including moms and dads. Parents spent the morning huddled in little groups, chatting in the school auditorium.

Terry Inman says she needed to be here.

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Inman : You know what, my son is okay, and he's here. I think I came more for me, to see my friends and neighbors, just to see what I could do.

And what Terry and other parents did was console each other. Some helped hand out free school supplies to those who evacuated with little or nothing. A team of counselors will be here this week, helping the campus community.

Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.

Ana Tintocalis

Ana Tintocalis was a member of the KPBS radio news team from 2001 to 2011. She first served as a as a producer for "These Days" (now "Midday Edition") and then later as the station's education reporter. After graduating from California State University, Long Beach with a journalism degree, Ana began working as a field reporter and anchor at KLON Radio 88.1 FM in Long Beach, covering breaking news in Orange and Los Angeles counties. During that time she also freelanced for other print and broadcast news organizations, such as Metro Networks, the Associated Press, and Santa Clarita Our Times. In 2001, Ana traveled for more than three months in Cuba where she produced a radio series focusing on the street music in Havana. Upon returning from her journey, Ana freelanced as a reporter covering court cases for the Antelope Valley Press, a newspaper based in Palmdale, California.

See stories by Ana Tintocalis

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