Bellingham schools and district offices have phone and email service again, as of 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 20.

The systems were damaged during a power outage Thursday, Nov. 19.

Bellingham School District offices and schools were still without phone or voicemail service Thursday evening, Nov. 19. Crews were working to restore email service around 5:30 p.m.

Schools have 911 and emergency phone service.

The outage is due to hardware damage from a power outage.

Whatcom Middle School student Roy Evans and his friends raised $1,880 last Saturday, Nov. 14 through a bake sale benefiting the WMS teachers.

That amount also includes a donation from Apple Yarns, the store his mom owns. Ten percent of all sales last Saturday went to the bake sale fund.

Way to go! There are still several fundraising opportunities out there to benefit the Whatcom Middle School teachers and students. Click here to see a list.

All stories, photos, videos and memories about Whatcom Middle School are now in one location on the Bellingham Herald Web site.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/whatcomfire/

As stories are written about the aftermath and future plans, they will be posted to that section.

Since the Nov. 5 fire that severely damaged Whatcom Middle School, community members and organizations have been asking how they can help. Now there are several ways to donate your money or time to help students and staff at the school

The biggest needs right now revolve around replacing school supplies for low-income students, athletic equipment, musical instruments, playground equipment and teacher classroom supplies.

• People interested in donating money can choose one of these two options:

Whatcom Middle School PTSA: Checks can be made out to “WMSPTSA” and sent to 3014 Vallette St., Bellingham, WA 98225.

Whatcom Community Foundation: The foundation is working with the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation to create a Whatcom Middle School fund. Donations, which are tax deductible, can be made by sending checks to 133 Grand Ave., Suite A, Bellingham, WA 98225 or by using a credit or debit card online at www.whatcomcf.org.

• The Whatcom PTSA is collecting names of people who are willing to volunteer as needed in a variety of ways. If you’re interested, e-mail wmsvolunteers@comcast.net.

• GlobalMojo, a charitably focused Web browser, has created a special Whatcom Middle School-themed Internet browser that people can download and use to help generate revenue for the school. Through the end of 2009, when someone uses the Web browser to search, shop or plan travel, GlobalMojo will donate all revenue generated to the school. Click here to download the browser.

• All Bellingham middle school students are invited to a Citywide Middle School Social at the Bellingham Sportsplex on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sportsplex has donated the facility for students to ice skate or play soccer. The Whatcom PTSA is asking for a suggested donation of $5. Pizza and soda can be purchased separately. Community members also can drop off cash donations or student and teacher school supplies. All money and items gathered will go directly to teachers to re-create their classrooms.

• Donate to a school supply drive by emailing fourhildreths@earthlink.net for more information.

• Donate books through Scholastic Online by going to www.scholastic.com/parentordering. Sign in with the username “Books4WMS” and password “booksforteachers.”

• Bellingham Barnes & Noble has started a book drive. People can purchase a book from a list of teacher-submitted requests or select books on their own to donate.

• Launching Success Learning Store has started a “Wish List” for teachers that people can purchase items from. The store is located at 133 Prince St. in Bellingham.

Since Whatcom Middle School students are out of school until Thursday, local organizations are offering activities to keep them occupied.

Today, Monday, Nov. 9

Bellingham Boys & Girls Club is opening its doors for all Whatcom Middle School students. Free lunch and activities will be provided.

Allied Arts is offering free workshops at the following locations.

• RE Store Meeting Rooms, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for mask making and drawing.

• Pace Atelier Art Studio (3815 Bakerview Spur Road), 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for working with clay, collages, drawing, painting and more.

• Upfront Theatre, 11 a.m. to noon or 1 to 2 p.m.

Whatcom Family YMCA is offering free swimming from 2 to 3:15 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 10

Bellingham Boys & Girls Club is opening its doors at 11 a.m. for all Whatcom Middle School students. Free lunch and activities will be provided.

Allied Arts will offer the following workshops

• American Museum of Radio and Electricity, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for mixed media collages.

• RE Store, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for recycled art sculptures

• Pace Atelier Art Studio, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for working with clay, collages, drawing, painting and more.

Whatcom Family YMCA is offering free swimming from 11 a.m. to noon and 2 to 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 11

Whatcom Family YMCA is offering free swimming from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 3:15 p.m.

Please let me know of any other activities going on for Whatcom students.

Whatcom Middle School students and staff will be relocating to Bellingham High, Fairhaven Middle and Geneva Elementary schools.

The change starts Thursday, Nov. 12. The relocation is due to a fire that roared through the school Thursday morning, Nov. 5. The fire investigation is on hold until the structure can be stabilized enough to enter.

An information meeting for Whatcom families will be on Monday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in Bellingham High School’s auditorium. An emergency school board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m.

Students and staff will attend school based on the following plan:

• 8th graders and their teachers will attend Bellingham High. BHS staff are shuffling rooms to allow the middle school students to have their own wing.

• 7th graders and their teachers will attend Fairhaven Middle School.

• 6th graders and their teachers will attend Geneva Elementary School, which has seen an enrollment drop of nearly 150 students since the opening of Wade King Elementary.

Information about electives, transportation, sports, insurance claims, how to help and more will be avialable at the Monday meeting.

The schools were chosen partly for the quickness with which Whatcom students and staff will be able to return to class.

For more information, check out the Bellingham School District news release here. When I return to work on Monday, I’ll start gathering more information about insurance, what the plan for the building is, why Lowell Elementary wasn’t used, what the financial impact to the district will be and what will happen to Whatcom students and staff in the long-term.

Several people have been asking about ways they can help with this morning’s devastating fire. As I get information, I will post it.

• Former Whatcom Middle School teacher Sara Strommer, has started an account for the school at Scholastic Books online. People can donate gift certificates towards getting new books for the classrooms, or can simply order books that they know middle school classes might need. Go to www.scholastic.com/parentordering and sign in using the following:

Class User Name: Books4WMS
Password: booksforteachers

• People interested in making donations can also call the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation at 671-6150. They are working to set up a Whatcom Middle School fund, according to Tanya Rowe, district spokeswoman.

Updates are in red italics

As of 2 p.m., fire crews were still monitoring a hot spot or two, but the fire was out. Bellingham Fire and Police departments are joining to conduct the investigation, which may take several days.

Whatcom Middle School caught fire about 1 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5. By 6 a.m., the school was still on fire. (To read the initial story, click here.

Whatcom students and staff should not report to the school, but all other schools are open. Bellingham School District officials are meeting around 9 a.m. to figure out a plan of what to do with students and staff. For up to date information, click here.

Whatcom Middle School students will not have school Thursday or Friday. According to district spokeswoman Tanya Rowe, the building will not be inhabited any time soon.

The roof of the school is at least partially collapsed.

I was on scene from about 3:30 til 5 a.m. and here is what I found:

Bellingham Fire Department Chief Bill Boyd said a call came in just after 1 a.m. saying there were flames on the roof. By 1:15 a.m. when crews arrived, the 3-alarm fire had spread from the right corner of the school to across two-thirds of the roof. Fire crews were initially sent through the front door, but the fire spread “so quickly across the roof” it was not safe and crews were withdrawn. A secondary sweep of the school had not been done.

As of 5 a.m., the fire had been contained to the top floor of the school (which has a daylight basement and two floors above ground) and the roof. Boyd said they were trying to keep the fire from spreading to the wood floors in the classrooms on the first floor.

Crews have been successful in keeping the fire away from the gym, however the roof of the school is essentially gone.

Between 75 and 100 firefighters have been battling the fire, coming from departments across Whatcom County.

Fire crews have been worried about the winds, which may have help feed the fire on the roof. Neighborhood patrols have been looking for any spot fires in surrounding properties.

As of 5 a.m., roads surrounding the school and neighboring city blocks are closed wtih detours in place.

No cause has been determined at this point.

Whatcom Middle School, which was built in 1903 and is the district’s oldest school building, has been under a seismic retrofit since the middle of last school year.

This is the second Bellingham school to burn in recent memory. Kulshan Middle School burned down in the summer of 1993 just weeks before it was set to open. The cause of that fire was an faulty electrical connection between an extension cord and a soda machine.

Please check back later for more information.

I took the photos below about 4 a.m.

Whatcom Middle School caught fire early Thursday morning, Nov. 5.

Parkview Elementary School might be going a little “clucky.”

Principal Jane Tromburg and intervention specialist JoAnn Johnson teach students in Miss Jiminez's first-grade class the Chicken Dance

And while Tromburg enjoys “making a fool” of herself, there is a reason behind the madness: the students raised at least $16,500 during the school’s annual jog-a-thon earlier this month.

Tromburg makes a deal with the students each year to do something crazy if they meet their goal. This year’s goal was $15,500, beaten by at least $1,000 with more receipts still coming in.

The past two years, Tromburg has spent a day working from the roof of the school as a reward for the students, but she decided to switch it up this year.

And the students loved the surprise, exclaiming “that was funny!” and “oh my gosh, that was fun,” after doing the short dance. The chicken and her farmer, school prevention specialist JoAnn Johnson, also passed out Chicklettes for students to enjoy after school.

“I’m just so proud of the kids and all the money goes toward our curriculum enrichment program,” Tromburg said. “It’s worth celebrating all their efforts.”