Going back to school

NEWPORT BEACH ? Trevor Dennis stayed silent Friday during his first visit back to Newport Heights Elementary School. The second-grader, who was badly burned in an accident over winter break, lost his ability to speak when fire damaged his vocal cords.

When Trevor arrived at the morning flagpole ceremony, however, the rest of the school community made noise enough for him ? as did the black monster truck, driven by the head janitor, that escorted him onto the playground.

“This young man was involved in an accident,” Principal Kurt Suhr told the crowd. “He is doing well. He is doing phenomenal, and he wanted to come back and remind everyone he is a fighter.”

On Dec. 30, Trevor was vacationing with his family in the desert near San Diego when the trailer he slept in caught fire. For the next month and a half, he received hospital treatment before moving back to his home in Costa Mesa. Friday marked the first time Trevor had seen his classmates since the new year.

Trevor, 8, spent most of the ceremony in a wheelchair on the sidelines, but he stepped briefly onto the basketball court to wave to the crowd. Despite some visible burns on his face and neck, he was easily recognizable as the slim, red-haired boy who played soccer and often volunteered to pick up trash around campus.

The weekly flagpole ceremony, held on Newport Heights’ Grandparents Day, also featured a basketball tournament in which two boy-girl pairs faced off against each other. After the game, the winning duo gave Trevor the ball.

It wasn’t the first time Newport Heights has rallied behind him since his accident. In February, the school held a day of charity events ? including a bake sale, a blood drive and a dinner ? to benefit Trevor and sent cards to him in the hospital. After Trevor checked out in mid-February, Suhr hoped to reintroduce him to the school at its annual spring Olympics, but the event was canceled twice due to weather.

The third time turned out to be the charm.

“I didn’t even tell him we were going until this morning because I didn’t want to get his hopes up and disappoint him,” said Trevor’s mother, Alysha Reed, who sat with him by the court Friday.

Reed said it might be next year until Trevor returns to school, but he is keeping busy at home even while he toughs out his treatment. He completes his schoolwork with a tutor and occasionally has friends over for an hour or so. His parents, Reed and Kenny Dennis, who run a painting company, have moved their business to the living room so they can attend to their son’s needs.

Meanwhile, Trevor communicates any way he can: writing notes, mouthing words, clicking his tongue once for yes and twice for no.

Trevor’s older sister, Ashleigh, was home sick on Friday, but her friends congregated around him after the game. Reed said Ashleigh, 10, missed the brother she tussled with on a regular basis.

“She says, ‘I would do anything to have him annoy me right now,’ ” Reed said. “She’s wishing he wasn’t so fragile so they could wrestle and play hard again.”dpt-25-dennis-3-dl-CPhotoInfoAA1PACO920060325iwno5wknPHOTOS BY DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Trevor Dennis watches a basketball tournament at Newport Heights Elementary School. He was badly burned in a fire and returned to school for the first time Friday. dpt-25-dennis-1-dl-CPhotoInfoAA1PACOC20060325iwno4qkn(LA)Newport Heights Principal Kurt Suhr welcomes Trevor Dennis back to school. dpt-25-dennis-2-dl-BPhotoInfoAA1PAESN20060325iwno5gknDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Trevor Dennis, left, walks into Newport Heights Elementary School with his mother, Alysha Reed.