By LYNNE SACCARO
Former Principal
Los Alamos High School

As I read about the celebrations and efforts being made to honor the Los Alamos High School Class of 2020 because of the pandemic, I can’t help but think about the LAHS Class of 2000 and what happened to their senior year celebrations and graduation because of the Cerro Grande Fire.

Lawry Mann was on the County Council at the time of the fire when I was LAHS principal. He and I had a conversation about what we could do about senior prom. Lawry managed to persuade and cajole Fuller Lodge to allow us to hold prom there – the first time ever an event of that type was held in the Lodge. I chuckle thinking about the stipulations that were presented to me … “No duck taping of any decorations to any surface.”

With so many student and staff homes destroyed or damaged, prom dresses were also casualties. Communities – Santa Fe, Española, Pojoaque – came together to help us in ways that had not happened before as they do today. Dresses and tuxes were provided for the seniors who needed them, refreshments and music appeared.

The many kindnesses, and acts of collaboration by so many on behalf of our kids, continues to touch my heart.

Two LAHS senior classes, 20 years apart, touched by a crisis, embraced and celebrated by the Los Alamos  community.

Editor’s note: Dr. Lynne Saccaro is now principal of the Most Blessed Trinity Academy in the Greater Chicago Area.