By Estaban Febles—

It was the last day of May, and many of us were thinking about the weekend, but a huge fire that broke out just after 9:00 at 162 Gregory Avenue changed the normal progression of the day. This terrible fire has left 8 firefighters injured and forced the evacuation of PHS. All of the firefighters recovered. Most were treated for heat exhaustion and released.

As soon as the rumor of the fire spread, students were able to find out just how big this fire was through their phones. As the fire seemed to get worse by the minute, it became clear that something must be done at school. First, windows in the S-wing were closed to prevent any toxic smoke from entering the building. Later, the school was evacuated to Lincoln Middle School, School 11 and even the stadium. It was a hot day and tempers could have flared, but the faculty helped all the students get to where they needed to be.

An orderly evacuation to various other schools of over two thousand students and staff is a tricky proposition, but PHS was up to the challenge. “I am always so impressed with the level of maturity of our students,” said Mr. Weissman. He added, “I also wish to thank the faculty and staff who helped everyone get to where they needed to be.”

After the smoke cleared, it became apparent that many students were affected by this fire on a personal level. Some of our fellow students were of the over one hundred people who called 162 Gregory home. Immediately the members of the Octagon Club jumped into action. “We saw a need and went into action,” said Mr. Sheridan, Octagon Club advisor. In a matter of days fundraisers were put together and donations for the victims of this fire were collected. Over two thousand dollars was eventually collected by the students and staff of PHS.

One thing is certain, that when there is a threat or a need the members of the student body and the faculty and staff of PHS is up to the challenge. Thank you to the Octagon Club for making our city a better place.