POLICE SEEK ALMA SCHRADER BURGLARS; TWO ANONYMOUS DONORS GIVE SCHOOL $500 TO REPLACE STOLEN FUNDS

A burglary over the weekend at Alma Schrader Elementary School ended in a silver lining when two anonymous donors gave the school the approximate amount that was stolen.

The donors presented the school $500 Monday afternoon to offset the loss, said principal Frank Ellis.

The money that was stolen was a combination of a collection by the sixth grade for a field trip to the St. Louis Science Center and money brought in by parents for an upcoming Race Day. Items the students had collected for an Alma Schrader student with cancer who is getting treatment at St. Jude Children's Hospital in St. Louis also were stolen. They included an electronic game board and football and basketball caps.

"These two men called and asked me how much was lost, and I estimated a ball park figure of $500," said Ellis. "They didn't want their names publicized. One of the men came in and gave me two checks for $250 a piece."

People started saying what a random act of kindness the gesture was since the region is marking Random Acts of Kindness Week, said Ellis. "I got on the intercom after lunch and talked to the kids, and let them know there are great people in Cape," he said.

Cape Girardeau police were investigating the burglary, which was discovered by head custodian Larry Martin about 6:20 a.m. Monday when he arrived for work. Students were not allowed into the building until about 8:30 a.m. to give police time to investigate.

"That was a safety precaution, and it also gave us time to search the building and determine exactly what had happened," said Ellis. "We needed time to see what was taken out, but we also wanted to make sure nothing had been left at the school that might have endangered our students."

Police are unsure how many people were involved or how they entered the building. Officers worked with school staff most of Monday morning assessing property damage and missing items from a number of classrooms, administrative offices, the library and kitchen area.

Being a school, numerous fingerprints were found throughout the building. It could be weeks or months before all of the evidence collected can be processed, police said.

"Right now we just have a lot of questions, so we're documenting the damage and collecting any evidence we can find," said police Cpl. Joyce Statler.

Ellis said the school was ransacked, and there was extensive damage, mostly in his office area and a nearby teachers' workroom. The thieves broke into a safe in Ellis' office and file cabinets and desks throughout the building.

Despite the mess and property damage, school records and paperwork were not harmed during the burglary. The computer lab, which is protected by a security system, was not bothered nor were other computers in the building.

Ellis and other staff spent much of the day answering calls from parents wanting to know what happened and if their children were all right. For the most part, students wanted to know if the burglars had ruined the new computer lab and whether they had been caught.

"I saw one or two who expressed some fear, but the younger kids seemed to think we had (the burglars) locked in my office," Ellis said. "The older ones were more aware and were more concerned about whether they would be caught and prosecuted."

Tonia Lane, president of the school's Parent Teacher Association, said she expects calls from parents wanting to know about the incident and how they can help. Ellis sent letters home to parents Monday informing them of the burglary.

"I'm helping out around here until we find out anything and know how we can help," said Lane.