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Vandals strike again at Chambly Academy

St. Lambert Journal, Ocober 25, 2006
Arpon Basu

Chambly Academy High School made headlines in Montreal last week for all the wrong reasons, but principal Andy Nardozza says the small fire at the school was nothing but a case of mischevious kids.

At around 11 pm last Monday night, firefighters were called to the Green Street school to put out a fire in a classroom in the back of the building.

Reports out of Montreal made the incident sound like this was the work of terrorists, with one report stating that "two molotov cocktails were thrown through the window of a classroom".

In fact, Nardozza says, the "molotov cocktails" were two small, plastic bottles of lock de-icer, one of which never ignited.

"I think it was very exaggerated", he says, "It really was a non-issue after that initial morning of excitment".

Fiefighters arrived on the scene and found one of the lit bottles sitting on a window sill. That bottle caused the curtain, which is flame-retistant, to begin meting and give off smoke.

Damage at $4,000

The damage was estinated by Nardozza to be worth about $4,000.

The classroom was off limits last Tuesday to allow for the clean-up, but was back in use by Wednesday.

"They cleaned it in a jiffy", Nardozza says.

The vandalism was not limited to the fire, as the perpetrator also left graffiti pn the walls near the wondow offering some harsg criticism of Nardozza's work as principal, though it was in no way threatening.

"The kids generally like me here", Nardozza says.

A Longueuil police officer visited with Nardozza last Wednesday to gather more details, but the chances of catching the culprit are probably better for the Chambly Academy staff.

"It's a kid from the school who has a gripe," Nardozza says "so we're going to keep our ears open in case any names come up."

This was the second fire started by an arsonist to hit Chambly Academy in the last 2 years.

In May of 2004, the school's brand new music room was left out of commission after vandals set fire o some books and a window sill. The smoke from the fire caused extensive damage inside the room and it prevented Chambly's music students from giving a year-end concert.

That room, like the classroom in the latest incident, was found in the back of the builing.

The culprits of the 2004 fore were never found.