Thousands of Palisades Charter High students returned to campus on Tuesday, more than a year after it was damaged in the Palisades Fire.
Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Palisades, called it a “big milestone.”
“We are welcoming, I don't know, 2,300 kids right back on campus in the heart of the Pacific Palisades,” she told KNX News’ Craig Fiegener. “It's breathing new life and new energy back into this community, which it desperately needs.”
Pali High students were previously attending classes at the old Sears building in Santa Monica. For one freshman, he said it felt strange to start his high school experience at the Sears building.
“It wasn't the best of spirits starting school there, and then now that I'm going back to the real main campus and seeing how happy and excited everyone is, and like how happy all the teachers were to set up their classrooms, it’s making me really excited to go back to the campus since I've never experienced it,” he said.
For other students, coming back feels like the first step to recovery
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“Yesterday, we were all here helping set up and kind of walking around the village area…but it's not like the same life force that we used to have in the Palisades with everyone here,” another student said. “And suddenly, these thousands of students are coming back, and I think this is really the first big step towards the recovery of the Palisades,” another student said.
Councilmember Park said there’s still plenty of work that needs to be done and that she will “continue my efforts to clear the costs and the bureaucratic hurdles and make sure that there is certainty for people as they continue to struggle. “
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