Jones High School opened Monday

NEWS 9

Jones High School reopens Monday morning in portable classrooms after a fire destroyed the building during last month's ice storm.

Jones students will have new classrooms and computers when they return to classes. The Great Plains Technology Center in Lawton donated refurbished military computers for the school and installed them last week.

"Priority number one was let's get kids back in class and let's have school," Jones Principal Carl Johnson said. "We're grateful not just that they're going to present the equipment that they're going to give us the equipment but that they thought of us when there are so many other districts obviously a lot closer to them than we are."

A class from the technology center hand-delivered the computers and installed them, giving them practical experience as well as a sense of pride.

"If it helps somebody else, I'm really happy with it because I mean, the kids here have nothing," said Wilma Clay, a Great Plains student.

The principal's searching for a way to rebuild bigger and better which may include a future bond issue and fundraising campaign.

Fire investigators said fallen power lines or lightning most likely sparked the fire that destroyed Jones High School. However, an official cause has not been determined.