Students adapting to new setting after fire burned down Northville Montessori school

Fire destroyed Northville Montessori school on March 3

LIVONIA – The last few weeks of school haven't been what Northville Montessori students are used to, but they say it already feels like home at Ladywood High School.

"Every time I tried to tell myself that my school burned down, I didn't believe myself," said Taylor Dotto, a Northville student. "I thought 'this is impossible.' This only happens in the movies."

It was devastating for Dotto, a sixth grader, when her school caught fire.

"I have gone there for a long time, and to see that the place where I went to school is gone was kind of hard," Dotto said.

The building on Haggerty Road in Northville Township was destroyed by a fire early in the morning on March 3.

As the fire burned, the head of the school, Keith Gall, was making calls to find a temporary home for his students. One of his calls went to Karen Moore at Ladywood High School in Livonia.

"I heard it on the news and we were devastated because it is a community member, and the day after the fire we got a call asking if there's a chance that we can help them out," Moore said.

Just days later she got the necessary approval, not only from the Ladywood community, but also from the state.

Students from preschool to eighth grade moved into the high school last Monday. Students only missed four days of school because of the fire.

"I had a huge crew of volunteers to come put together tables, shelves and so forth, move materials from our school got set up," Gall said. "And we were ready for Monday."

The effort taught students from both schools a real-world lesson.

"Incredible lesson in life when you have a community member that struggles," Moore said. "It is up to us. It's our mission to help those in need."

Gall says he doesn't know when they will start rebuilding their school. So for now, Ladywood is home for Northville students.

"I still have all my friends and wonderful teachers," Dotto said. "Everyone here has been so nice. It's not really that different."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.