JOSEPH — The kindergarten- through fourth-grade students displaced from their classrooms after the Jan. 16 fire returned to the Joseph Charter School campus Monday, Feb. 10.

The students have been holding classes in space rented at the Wallowa County Professional Building in Enterprise occupied by the Wallowa County Education Service District and Viridian Management.

Lance Homan, K-4 principal and district superintendent, said the students and teachers have done well in the borrowed space.

“It’s been a great space for what we needed,” he said. The ESD and Viridian have been very welcoming.”

The blaze severely damaged the school gym — where it started — and caused smoke and water damage to most of the rest of the school. The K-4 classrooms received the least amount of damage and thus were quickest to repair.

However, there is still work going on in the rest of the school. On Thursday, Feb. 6, Homan said cleaning and painting were underway in a couple classrooms and a computer lab.

Engineers visited the campus early this month to assess the damage to the gym. Homan said the assessment is still incomplete.

“There’s still no word on the gym,” he said.

Viridian President Patrick Patterson had earlier said his offices were moving from their current quarters behind the Wallowa County Courthouse to the professional building by Feb. 8. However, that was before Viridian had agreed to rent space to the Joseph school. Now, he’s hoping Viridian can be relocated by end of February.

“It worked out perfect,” he said, adding that the desks Viridian workers had just placed in the building were adjustable so they could be lowered for the young kids.

“It was cool to see all those happy, smiling faces there,” Patterson said. “They seemed be enjoying it.”