Latest news with #PalisadesCharterHighSchool
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Pali High's football stadium burned. Their Hollywood Bowl graduation is bittersweet
It is among the most storied stages in Los Angeles. And on Wednesday afternoon, 740 graduating seniors from Palisades Charter High School got the chance to walk across it. After a school year riven by the Palisades fire, which badly damaged their high school, students said they were honored to relocate their graduation to the Hollywood Bowl. Yet the venue — which has hosted the Beatles, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Aaron Copland — wasn't their beloved Stadium by the Sea, long the site of commencement ceremonies. But Pali High students and staff have learned to adjust. The January conflagration upended their lives, destroying the homes of many students, some of whom left the school. Some faculty and members of the school's board of directors also lost houses. Students initially returned to school online and later resumed in-person classes at a Santa Monica building that formerly housed a Sears. After months of making do, the seniors' graduation ceremony on a stage reserved for stars served as a capstone, illustrating their resilience. Ahead of the ceremony, senior Cash Allen said it was 'bittersweet' to graduate at the Bowl instead the Stadium by the Sea, where he played for Pali's football team. 'There's just been so many memories — so not being able to finish out the four years of high school on that field is definitely sad,' Allen said. 'But I think everyone also is grateful that we get the opportunity to walk at the Hollywood Bowl.' 'I can't even imagine the adversity you faced — obviously the fires in January that brought us here,' said Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors, a Pali alumnus who spoke at the graduation. 'Although this is a pretty nice alternative.' With graduates filling the high-end box seats, the ceremony featured remarks from several students and a videotaped message from Gov. Gavin Newsom. He thanked the students and urged them on, saying, 'The future is not just something to experience, it is something to manifest.' Showbiz speaker Billy Crystal, a longtime Palisades resident whose home burned down in January, joked about the students wrapping up the school year in an 'abandoned Sears building' where he 'once bought a washer-dryer.' Turning to a more serious note, Crystal said the Palisades fire, for all of its 'chaos and tragedy,' offered the students important life lessons: 'Out of pain comes growth; out of loss comes wins; out of despair comes joy.' Valedictorian Annalisa Hurd recalled how she had once been so certain about the future. But now she understands that 'unexpected' turns weren't 'necessarily a downside.' 'Sometimes being laser-focused on only one route means we miss out on the other ones that may be faster, more scenic, or take us to a completely new destination entirely,' she said. Principal Pamela Magee said administrators talked to venues across L.A. Among those on the list was the Bowl, which is owned by L.A. County and operated by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As word of Pali's interest traveled, Magee said, the Philharmonic's board of directors learned of the school's situation. The organization offered to 'gift' its time at the Bowl to the high school, she said. 'The people that we spoke with, ultimately, were folks at the Bowl who do the permits and the leases,' Magee said. 'They talked with others who said, 'We want to do this for your school.'' Magee said the school paid only a 'small usage fee' for the venue. 'For what the normal rental would be, this is a gift,' she said. Other parts of the program came together organically, with Nick Melvoin, a Los Angeles school board member, helping secure some of the speakers, including Crystal. 'People were trying to make it work,' said Melvoin, who spoke at the commencement, joking in his speech that the Bowl could be dubbed 'Pali East.' Nancy Fracchiolla, Pali's theater teacher who has long produced the school's graduation event, said the ceremony carried extra meaning for her. Fracchiolla lost her home in the fire, and she is retiring after 13 years at the school. The Bowl made for a thrilling send-off for Fracchiolla — even if it was a discombobulating change. 'It was a little daunting,' she said. 'Because it was almost like I thought: 'Oh, it's my last year. I've got this graduation thing locked and loaded. Nope, you don't. You really don't!' ' The ceremony proceeded with the usual traditions: student musical performances, an array of speakers extolling the graduates, the calling of names. Some families of graduates were content to call the celebration 'normal.' 'I think that they're feeling just like any other high school graduating class, which is — with everything that the majority of these kids have been through — the most beautiful thing they can have,' said Isabelle Rust, the sister of two graduates. Guests' time to soak up the atmosphere of the picturesque venue was limited. Fracchiolla said she was told by Bowl officials that the graduation attendees needed to vacate quickly as staff there needed to prepare for a Thursday concert by soul singer Leon Bridges. 'They said, 'Just make sure you tell your seniors to take their photos beforehand, because when they leave graduation, there's going to be a different thing on the marquee,'' she said. Rashad Rhodes, assistant coach of Pali High's junior varsity football team and father of a graduate, said seeing the school community reunite for the celebration was surreal — and proof of the motto 'Pali Strong.' The graduation, he said, 'shows that people are here to stay.' Allen, the senior, said his middle school graduation was held at Pali's football field in 2021 because the outdoor venue allowed for a socially distanced event during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he's weathered two commencements buffeted by change. 'This class has been through more than most,' he said. And finally, like seniors everywhere, the graduates tossed their mortarboards into the air and the crowd cheered for the Pali High Class of 2025.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Raise Pali' golf tournament supports wildfire recovery efforts for local high school
Community members hit the golf course Sunday morning for the 'Raise Pali' golf tournament, which supported wildfire recovery efforts for Palisades Charter High School. Around 40% of Pali High's campus was lost in the Palisades Fire, which also burned down the homes of 11 staff members and more than 500 students, school officials said in a press release. 'Everyone lost in-person access to their campus, friends, teachers, extracurricular activities and their daily sense of normalcy,' the press release reads. 'Dangerous heat' and elevated fire weather possible in Southern California this week To restore some of that normalcy, the school reopened at a temporary location on April 22: the old Sears department store located at the corner of Colorado Avenue and 4th Street in Santa Monica. The new campus, dubbed Pali South, was constructed in about eight weeks, according to a Santa Monica city spokeswoman. But that spot isn't permanent, and funds are needed to continue Palisades Charter High's recovery efforts that include maintaining the temporary space, rebuilding and ultimately, returning to campus. Thus, the 'Raise Pali' golf tournament was created, offering tee times and on-course fundraising activities. The event, founded by parents and students and supported by the broader Pacific Palisades and Los Angeles communities, took place at Penmar Golf Course in Venice. A park that was damaged in the Eaton Fire is now a 'super park' Speaking to KTLA 5's Jennifer McGraw, one student, Laila, said that getting back to in-person learning from two spells of Zoom classes (once during the COVID-19 pandemic and again because of the fire) has been 'an amazing experience.' 'Coming from Zoom school twice, I'm so grateful we were able to receive an opportunity like this,' she said. 'Especially at a campus that's so close to what we used to have before.' Palisades Charter High School Dr. Pamela Magee stressed that the school, since it is not part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, has to rely on fundraisers like Sunday's golf tournament in order for them to afford the rebuild. 'We have lots of support from our community, but there are so many things that our school will need going forward,' Dr. Magee told KTLA. 'We are in this temporary location that we feel really blessed that we were able to find and build, but there are many, many expenses that will be part of continuing that until we can return to our home campus.' KTLA is a proud sponsor of the 'Raise Pali' golf tournament, which hits home for several KTLA family members who were affected by the fire burning down Palisades Charter High: Lauren Lyster, Cher Calvin, Wendy Burch and Courtney Friel are all connected to the school through their children and stepchildren. For those who could not make Sunday's golf outing but still would like to help out, you can donate to the PCHS Fund by clicking here. Additionally, the Palisades High Booster Club, which focuses on the immediate needs of students not covered by the school's budget, is also accepting donations. A complete guide on donating to Pali High can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
School newspapers thousands of miles apart team up to heal from wildfires
After a wildfire decimated a California high school's newsroom, destroying its cameras, computers and archived newspapers spanning six decades, one of the first offers of help that its journalism adviser received came from the other side of the country. Claire Smith, founding executive director of Temple University's sports media center, had known Lisa Nehus Saxon since they helped carve out a place for women journalists in Major League Baseball more than 40 years ago. They'd supported each other through the days of being barred from locker rooms, and now with much of Palisades Charter High School damaged , Smith wanted to be there for her friend again.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
School newspapers thousands of miles apart team up to heal from wildfires
After a wildfire decimated a California high school's newsroom, destroying its cameras, computers and archived newspapers spanning six decades, one of the first offers of help that its journalism adviser received came from the other side of the country. Claire Smith, founding executive director of Temple University 's sports media center, had known Lisa Nehus Saxon since they helped carve out a place for women journalists in Major League Baseball more than 40 years ago. They'd supported each other through the days of being barred from locker rooms, and now with much of Palisades Charter High School damaged, Smith wanted to be there for her friend again. 'I just thought, 'What can we do? How can we help with healing?'' Smith said. Earlier this week, she traveled from Philadelphia to deliver the result of that offer: a university paper featuring the high school students' articles. Across nearly a dozen pages, the insert showcased articles on price gouging in the rental market after the wildfire and the school returning to in-person lessons, along with poignant firsthand accounts of losing everything to the fire. There were also poems and hand-drawn pictures by students from Pasadena Rosebud Academy, a transitional kindergarten through eighth-grade school in Altadena, California, that was destroyed in the fire. Wildfires in January ravaged the Los Angeles area, wiping out nearly 17,000 structures including homes, schools, businesses and places of worship. The Palisades high school, made up of about 3,000 students in Los Angeles, saw about 40% of its campus damaged and had to move temporarily into an old Sears building. Nehus Saxon estimated that around a quarter of its newspaper staff members lost their homes, with some forced to move out of the community and switch schools. This project, she and Smith said, was a way to give students a project to focus on after the tragedy while also providing them a place to tell a larger audience the experience of their community. Smith said she thought the project would be healing for the students 'but also give them something that they could hold in their hands and, when they grow up, show their children and grandchildren." Inside a basement classroom in Santa Monica on Wednesday, Smith and Samuel O'Neal, The Temple News' editor-in-chief, handed out the papers to the high school staff. It was the first time they had seen their Tideline articles in print, as the paper had moved online years ago due to the cost. Kate Swain, 18, a co-editor-in-chief for the paper, said it felt surreal to finally flip through the printed pages. 'Because of everything that we've gone through together, everything that we've had to persevere through and everyone's had all these personal things that they've been dealing with," she said. "And yet simultaneously, we've been pouring all this time and energy and all of our passion for journalism into writing these articles.' Gigi Appelbaum, 18, a co-editor-in-chief of the paper who lost her home in the fire, said the project felt especially distinct because it involved people thousands of miles away. 'The fact that people from across the country are aware of what's going on with us and emphasize with our situation and want to get our voices out there, it's really special,' said Appelbaum, who has been on the paper for four years. One of the things she lost in the fire was a box filled with important cards and messages. She said she plans to store her copy in a new box as she works to restart the collection. Smith and Nehus Saxon met in 1983 during a game between the Angels and Yankees in Anaheim, California. Nehus Saxon said she walked over to Smith to introduce herself and found her hustling to meet a deadline. 'Who knew that little introduction would blossom into this,' said Nehus Saxon. In the years since, they've traveled to London together for Major League Baseball's first games in Europe, and they cried together in 2017 as Smith became the first woman to win the Baseball Writers' Association of America's Career Excellence Award. 'We don't talk every week,' Nehus Saxon said. 'Sometimes we can go, you know, months and months without talking. But all we have to do is send each other a text message and we know the other will be there immediately.' That bond was made all the more clear when Nehus Saxon heard from Smith as fire engulfed her community. Her home was only three blocks from the school. While it survived the blaze, it's filled with led laden ash and may not be safe to live in for years. But with the help of Smith, she and her students have been able to move forward and produce the final edition of the school year. After the papers were handed out, Nehus Saxon kept one for the school's archive. 'When you've lost everything you've got to start somewhere,' Smith said.
Associated Press
16-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
School newspapers thousands of miles apart team up to heal from wildfires
After a wildfire decimated a California high school's newsroom, destroying its cameras, computers and archived newspapers spanning six decades, one of the first offers of help that its journalism adviser received came from the other side of the country. Claire Smith, founding executive director of Temple University's sports media center, had known Lisa Nehus Saxon since they helped carve out a place for women journalists in Major League Baseball more than 40 years ago. They'd supported each other through the days of being barred from locker rooms, and now with much of Palisades Charter High School damaged, Smith wanted to be there for her friend again. 'I just thought, 'What can we do? How can we help with healing?'' Smith said. Earlier this week, she traveled from Philadelphia to deliver the result of that offer: a university paper featuring the high school students' articles. Across nearly a dozen pages, the insert showcased articles on price gouging in the rental market after the wildfire and the school returning to in-person lessons, along with poignant firsthand accounts of losing everything to the fire. There were also poems and hand-drawn pictures by students from Pasadena Rosebud Academy, a transitional kindergarten through eighth-grade school in Altadena, California, that was destroyed in the fire. Wildfires in January ravaged the Los Angeles area, wiping out nearly 17,000 structures including homes, schools, businesses and places of worship. The Palisades high school, made up of about 3,000 students in Los Angeles, saw about 40% of its campus damaged and had to move temporarily into an old Sears building. Nehus Saxon estimated that around a quarter of its newspaper staff members lost their homes, with some forced to move out of the community and switch schools. This project, she and Smith said, was a way to give students a project to focus on after the tragedy while also providing them a place to tell a larger audience the experience of their community. Smith said she thought the project would be healing for the students 'but also give them something that they could hold in their hands and, when they grow up, show their children and grandchildren.' Inside a basement classroom in Santa Monica on Wednesday, Smith and Samuel O'Neal, The Temple News' editor-in-chief, handed out the papers to the high school staff. It was the first time they had seen their Tideline articles in print, as the paper had moved online years ago due to the cost. Kate Swain, 18, a co-editor-in-chief for the paper, said it felt surreal to finally flip through the printed pages. 'Because of everything that we've gone through together, everything that we've had to persevere through and everyone's had all these personal things that they've been dealing with,' she said. 'And yet simultaneously, we've been pouring all this time and energy and all of our passion for journalism into writing these articles.' Gigi Appelbaum, 18, a co-editor-in-chief of the paper who lost her home in the fire, said the project felt especially distinct because it involved people thousands of miles away. 'The fact that people from across the country are aware of what's going on with us and emphasize with our situation and want to get our voices out there, it's really special,' said Appelbaum, who has been on the paper for four years. One of the things she lost in the fire was a box filled with important cards and messages. She said she plans to store her copy in a new box as she works to restart the collection. Smith and Nehus Saxon met in 1983 during a game between the Angels and Yankees in Anaheim, California. Nehus Saxon said she walked over to Smith to introduce herself and found her hustling to meet a deadline. 'Who knew that little introduction would blossom into this,' said Nehus Saxon. In the years since, they've traveled to London together for Major League Baseball's first games in Europe, and they cried together in 2017 as Smith became the first woman to win the Baseball Writers' Association of America's Career Excellence Award. 'We don't talk every week,' Nehus Saxon said. 'Sometimes we can go, you know, months and months without talking. But all we have to do is send each other a text message and we know the other will be there immediately.' That bond was made all the more clear when Nehus Saxon heard from Smith as fire engulfed her community. Her home was only three blocks from the school. While it survived the blaze, it's filled with led laden ash and may not be safe to live in for years. But with the help of Smith, she and her students have been able to move forward and produce the final edition of the school year. After the papers were handed out, Nehus Saxon kept one for the school's archive. 'When you've lost everything you've got to start somewhere,' Smith said.
