CHAPMAN ? One can never be 100 percent ready for the start of school, but Chapman will be doing its best – even after a June tornado damaged or destroyed much of the district’s facilities.

“It’s not what we’re used to, but it will be fine,” Superintendent Tony Frieze said Friday afternoon, dispelling rumors that the city’s school wouldn’t be ready to open Monday.

The district has received lots of assistance in recent weeks. Nearly 20 students and coaches from Salina South High School’s basketball team assisted last week, and a dozen employees from the Salina school district’s maintenance and operations department spent three days helping out.

“We’re on target to have school,” Frieze said, adding that “predictions of gloom started the day after the tornado,” which was June 11.

Frieze said buses will be running their regular routes, and a districtwide assembly is planned for 9:45 a.m. Monday.

“Our facilities will be temporary facilities,” Frieze said, but the 48 new portable classrooms taking the place of the damaged and destroyed classrooms will have all plumbing connections, heating and air-conditioning and sidewalks ready by Monday.

“We’ve had lots of school districts send people,” Frieze said. “We’re ready for school on the first day.”

Frieze said he wanted to thank “lots of volunteers and alumni from across the nation.”

“To have school going on on the 18th, it says a lot about the community,” he said.