In May 2017 part of Oakdale Elementary School burned to the ground. The State Fire Marshal's Office determined 80 percent of the school had been lost due to an electrical issue.
Parent Jamie Gordon watched in horror two years ago as it happened.
“I was standing in my front yard and literally you could see the smoke,” Gordon said. “It broke your heart because you were watching all this and knew how much it meant to the community."
The fire destroyed second through fourth-grade classrooms and more. Those students, including Gordon’s son Jackson, were housed at Oakdale Middle. Gordon also had school in the same building when she was young.
"It did not feel like home,” Gordon said. “I was telling the actual principal when we came, this feels like home. It is different, but it still feels like home."