News yesterday that arson was the cause of a fire that destroyed a building at the University Laboratory School shocked students and alumni who hold the school dear.

Circuit Judge Steve Alm, a 1971 graduate, said the first feeling he had yesterday was sadness.

"It's such a cruel thing to do to a wonderful old building," said Alm, who spent his entire school career at the Lab School, from preschool through high school.

Alm, whose parents both worked in the building during long careers in education, spent many an afternoon hanging out at the school waiting for a ride home. He and his brother Robbie, now a vice president at Hawaiian Electric, played football, tag, basketball and threw kiawe beans at each other.

"It was safe, a real positive place," he said. "It was just a nice old building with wooden stairways and walkways. You'd walk around and there'd be an airy feeling. There were lots of windows and the porch on one side was where you'd play at recess.

"It was just a shock for everybody," said Alm of the fire.

Kara Yoshinaga just finished eighth grade at the school and was looking forward to returning as a freshman in the fall. She gasped when told the fire was intentionally set.

"I don't know anyone who would have wanted to intentionally destroy our school," she said. "Everybody loves the school."

Yoshinaga, a violin player in the school's intermediate orchestra, said the fate of the orchestra program is up in the air.

"I'm just thinking we may not have that class next year," said Yoshinaga, who has attended the school since kindergarten. "We don't even have instruments anymore."

Celia Khim, owner of Gift and Gourmet in downtown, attended the school from age 4 through graduation at 18. She said she had suspected that arson was involved.

"The way the fire escalated was very suspicious," she said. "I can't believe someone would do something like that."

Khim said students always felt lucky to have attended the school, that they were a part of a special group.

"It's no one from our school," she said. "It can't be, because people love the school so much."

Margot Chock has been a student at the school for only a year, but already she said she feels like it is a special place.

"It's really a good school. I like how they make it mandatory to take drama or choir," she said.

Chock said news that the fire was intentionally set is "really sad" and that she never thought there were people who disliked the school.

"It took a while for our orchestra program to get all those instruments. Now they're gone," she said.

Others have decided to use the tragedy to bring alumni closer together.

Elizabeth Lee, a 1986 graduate, wants to urge other former students to help the school by donating time or money. She has decided to donate $20,000 to the UH Alumni Association to help purchase new string instruments for the orchestra, she said.

"Hopefully this helps the students appreciate what they do have," she said. "I want to make sure that the programs are restored."

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.