MAYAGUEZ, Puerto Rico – As the island of Puerto Rico works to rebuild and restore its institutions, people are trying to get back to living normal lives, which includes sending children to school.
Francisco Mendez, the director at Manuel A Barreto Middle School, said he closed the doors at the school a day before Hurricane Maria devastated the island and reopened them about a month later.
In order to reopen, he must provide meals to the students, even though the cafeteria is no longer safe to use.
"Each day, I myself, I go to the high school. I have an agreement already made and I pick up the breakfast and the lunch," Mendez said.
Some students have lost everything. Thirteen have left the island but the teachers remain.
Without power, Mendez and his wife work long hours, and like so many others, go home to darkness.
But his outlook on the future is anything but dark.
"I am the leader, and the leader needs to be solid and we don't have a chance to demonstrate another thing to our students. The leaders need to be positive, almost like nothing happened," he said.
When asked if the students will return to the island and to class he said, "I believe that they will be back. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger say, 'They will be back.'"
