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$5K Stolen From Closing North Side Catholic School

(CBS) -- A Catholic school in the Logan Square neighborhood is reeling with the news today that $5,000 has been stolen from the school office.

The theft is adding salt to the wound, says Christine Huzenis, principal at St. Hyacinth Basilica School.

After being around for more than 100 years, the pre-K through eighth grade school is closing for good later this month.

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Principal Huzenis says the $5,000 that was stolen was going to be given to families to help them at their new schools.

"It's really quite unbelievable that someone would take money that they knew was for kids," she said.

Huzenis says thieves pried up cabinets in the office to get to a safe and then, because the safe was portable, they took the whole thing.

She says since word has gotten around about the theft, people have tried to make up for the loss.

"We've been getting phone calls from people trying to help us and it reassures me that there are good people out there and I will take that positive note with me," she said.

She said an anonymous donor stopped by the school this afternoon and gave them $5,000 and the school will be able to award the scholarships afterall. Another person contributed $3,000.

Huzenis says she doesn't know how the thief got in, but surveillance cameras likely caught the person in action. The problem is, the machine with all of the video surveillance on it was taken as well, she said.

Asked about the possibility of it being an inside job, Huzenis says, "I'm going to let the police decide that, but that would be a possibility."

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