Juchitan, Mexico - Sept 12, 2017
1. Various of destroyed primary school
2. Classroom
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Roberto Mendoza, retired teacher (partially overlaid with shot 4):
"Today I come to say farewell to my school. I studied here when I was a child. After I grew up, I worked here and taught a lot of students. The student I taught have already taken their jobs."
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4. Damaged school
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5. Basketball stand
6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gonzalo Jimenez, student:
"I have left all my memories and other things in this school."
7. Bulldozer
8. Various of damaged school
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Josefina Zarate, teacher (partially overlaid with shot 10):
"I talked with my students and tried to encourage them. I explained to them why disasters occur and it is impossible to foretell natural phenomena. We do not know what fate will bring us. I could do nothing but encourage them to live on."
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10. Various of damaged school
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11. Various of teacher, students playing drums, trumpets to say goodbye to school
12. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Lucero, teacher (full name unknown):
"Many old buildings, like some churches, in Juchitan collapsed. I feel the old Juchitan disappearing."
13. People on street
14. Various of destroyed buildings

People in an earthquake-devastated small town could hardly bear to see its century-old primary school gone after the town authorities have decided to dismantle this nearly century-old school and rebuild it.

The primary school has a history of 97 years. It has cultivated dozens generations of children. Every family in this small town with a population of less than 100,000, has their precious memories of the school.

"Today I come to say farewell to my school. I studied here when I was a child. After I grew up, I worked here and taught a lot of students. The student I taught have already taken up jobs," said Reoberto Mendoza, a retired teacher.

"I have left all my memories and others things in this school," said Gonzalo Jimenez, a student.

The earthquake has killed more than 70 people and destroyed more than 5,000 homes in Juchistan, rendering thousands homeless. Though demolition of the primary school get most students and teachers down, they have no choice but to carry on.

"I talked with my students and tried to encourage them. I explained to them why the disasters occur and it's impossible to foretell the natural phenomena. We do not know what the fate will bring us. I could do nothing but encourage them to live on," said Josefina Zarate, a school teacher.

Teacher Lucero and some students in the drum corps chose to say farewell to the school with a simple ceremony.

"Many old buildings, like some churches, in Juchitan have collapsed. I feel the old Juchitan disappearing," said Lucero.

The military has promised to finish the demolition in a month's time and reconstruct the school in about half a year. During that period, teachers and students have to have their classes intermittently in other places.