An open house was held at the newly reconstructed James Monroe Elementary School on Saturday.
EDISON -- In the midst of a myriad of hugs from parents and residents in the packed hallway, Principal Lynda Zapoticzny began to cry.
Zapoticzny was at an open house Saturday morning at the newly reconstructed James Monroe Elementary School. The school was destroyed in 2014, in a fire likely sparked by a cigarette discarded by a custodian, according to a previous report.
It was slushy and rainy Saturday morning, and the roads were atrocious, but parents and members of the community continued to bustle in and out to catch a glimpse of the new building.
"You name the emotion, you can probably put a check mark next to it," said Zapoticzny, who's been the principal of the school for 14 years.
"When the fire happened, in my mind there was no choice but to move forward," she said. "Although we lost our building we didn't lose our community."
Srini Raghupathy of Basking Ridge was about to walk inside. Raghupathy lived in Edison but moved after the fire. His 11-year-old son, Sanjiv, had attended the school when it was destroyed. After the blaze, Sanjiv, and his classmates attended school at temporary facilities at Middlesex County College and then St. Cecelia Middle School in Woodbridge.
"It was a surprise for the parents," said Srini Raghupathy, describing the days after the fire. "It was melancholy."
Sanjiv said he loved attending James Monroe, and his father said he was sad that his son wasn't able to finish there. They both noted the incredible support from the educators and the community.
The custodian, James C. Higgins, of East Brunswick, had been charged shortly after the March 22, 2014 fire for improperly discarding a cigarette into a waste paper can that likely ignited the blaze, previous reports said.
The inferno caused more than 450 students to be relocated.
An investigation into the fire had also found that the school, built in 1963, did not have sprinklers as fire code at that time didn't require them.
In October 2015, the Edison school district's former insurance company agreed to pay the district a total of $23.6 million to rebuild the school.
The new school now has sprinklers, a new dedicated gymnasium with a stage, a new cafeteria, a new art room and a new media center, according to Zapoticzny. An elevator was installed along with ramps compliant with the American Disabilities Act. The building also has improved ventilation and many more windows in the classrooms.
Just about everything has been moved into the new building except for the desks for the students and the teachers, according to school Superintendent Richard O'Malley. The school will officially open on Jan. 3.
O'Malley was at the open house and was talking to parents as they approached. He was standing in front of the James Monroe sign in the main hallway that has the original granite recovered from the wreckage.
"We symbolically incorporated the new with the old," O'Malley said.
He added, "This is just a lot to overcome. People have been very patient with us, and we are very thankful our family has come home."
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.