Palisades High School Returns to School in Santa Monica Sears Building After Wildfires

A Bittersweet Return to School

• 🏫 Palisades Charter High School students began their new school year at a temporary location after January's wildfires destroyed parts of their campus.
• 📍 The temporary campus is located in the old Sears building in Santa Monica.
• 😊 Despite the unexpected location, students and staff are returning with resilience and optimism, excited to be reunited.

Community and Resilience

• 🤝 The school's commitment has been to keep all students together, rather than scattering them across different campuses.
• 🏡 Parent Ashela Count, who lost her home twice, found the community's support and motivation throughout the experience to be incredibly refreshing.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The situation has highlighted the importance of team effort, relying on students, parents, and co-workers to navigate challenges.

Athletic and Academic Journey

• ⚾ Student athlete Hudson notes the absence of a baseball field and gym but emphasizes the team's commitment to sticking together.
• 🎓 For seniors, there is optimism and hope to graduate on their original campus.

Path to Rebuilding

• ⏳ Additional cleanup and road closures have delayed the return to the main Palisades campus.
• 🗓️ School officials are hoping for students to return to their rebuilt campus in January 2026 for the spring semester.
• 🎉 The eventual return to their home campus is anticipated to be a big celebration.