Jones County Star Reach teacher Sandra Lindsey said it took losing nearly everything in her classroom to fire one year ago to realize how much teaching meant to her.

Lindsey, an 18-year teaching veteran, said she was sitting at home in her favorite chair, drinking coffee and reading her morning devotional when she heard the report of a possible fire at the old Ellisville Elementary School, which is now the Star Reach Center.

“I thought, and even said out loud, ‘Oh no, my room is on fire,’” Lindsey wrote in her memories of that day called “My Greatest Challenge.”

“Chills ran down my spine as I tried to believe that this was probably just a false alarm,” she wrote. “Then the second call came; the fireman screamed for more trucks and manpower. I was in shock as I envisioned the scene; my investment of hard work and money was going up in smoke.”

Lindsey, a former Teacher of the Year award recipient, said she was feeling many emotions on the morning of April 28, 2009, when she lost many of her belongings to fire. She recalled some of those memories Friday as she held an open house for her newly remodeled classroom.

“They believe the refrigerator started it,” she said. “There was an electrical surge that started the fire. A lady putting her garbage out reported it, but it had been smoldering for hours.”

Lindsey said the fire burned a hole in the floor and sent smoke into the hallways, not to mention the many books, photos and other supplies she lost.

“When I got here, it was terribly dark and smelled bad,” she said. “It was awful. But, if they hadn’t found it when they did, the loss would have been unmeasurable.”

About the nearly one year remodeling process, Lindsey said she had to “go from scratch” on her classroom.

“We had to totally replace the floors,” she said. “There was some insurance, but it was not enough. We spend a lot of our own money in our classrooms.”

Lindsey is one of 22 teachers at Star Reach, a true pullout program of the Jones County School District where gifted students are bussed from all the elementary schools to one central location.

“Each day, I teach a different grade from second through sixth grade,” she said. “This is a challenge in itself, but developing challenging and inspiring units to meet students’ individuals needs is a great test of my teaching skills. Using a variety of methods, I strive to provide differentiated activities in a classroom community where students feel safe, a sense of belonging and support for learning.”

Approximately 900 Jones County students are bussed to the Star Reach Center during a week’s time.

Rebuilding is, of course, nothing new for Lindsey, who says teaching is a second career. In her professional biography, Lindsey noted that she became a single parent through a tragedy, but was able to overcome those struggles.

“When my son finished high school, because of my sincere desire to be a teacher, I gambled by taking a part-time job and entered college with him,” she wrote. “To add to this complicated situation, my daughter divorced, came back home and entered college to become a nurse. This was a trying time in all of our lives. The three of us worked together, accomplished our goals and earned our degrees according to our plans.”

While Lindsey’s classroom is now freshly painted and filled with artwork and books from Mississippi natives, there’s still at least one item that reminds her of how far she’s come.

“Here’s a Bible that was in a bookcase during the fire,” Lindsey says, holding a Bible with scorched corners. “It stood the test.”

While Lindsey calls the fire her “greatest challenge,” the next school year will provide yet another as the Star Reach Center will be closed.

Dr. Chuck Benigno, director of school improvement for the Jones County School District, said the school board recently voted to keep gifted students at their elementary schools with teachers guiding them throughout the week.

“It’s expected to save about $200,000,” he said. “We will be keeping all of those teachers, but spreading them out to all of our other home sites. We’ll still have gifted studies but without all of the travel, electricity and operational costs.”