Palisades Charter High School Asks Los Angeles Community for Help With Relocating After Fire
The Palisades Charter High School, which has become recognizable to millions as a location where multiple movies and television series have been filmed inside its halls and exterior, is seeking a temporary campus after 40 percent of the property was scorched in the ongoing Palisades Fire.
Faculty and students are barred from entering the campus, according to an announcement from the school indicating that a decent portion of the school remains viable after the largest fire in Los Angeles history tore through the campus. Principal Dr. Pam McGee wrote that the charter schools’ classroom buildings and gyms were in good shape and its gyms, baseball field, stadium and aquatic center are all viable.
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The fires that are still burning in the area have led to the start of the semester being delayed until Jan. 21, when the school plans to offer online instruction when classes resume next week. The Palisades Fire was 19 percent contained and had spread across 23,713 acres as of Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire.
On Tuesday, the school’s administration sent out a press release announcing that it is now seeking a temporary space to keep the school’s community united so students can benefit from in-person learning and avoid any mental health issues that may emerge with remote learning.
“In-person learning is crucial for their emotional and social development; without it, students may experience increased feelings of isolation and anxiety, further complicating their recovery from the trauma of recent events,” the release states. “We urgently seek assistance from the Los Angeles community to help secure a temporary campus or shared space, ensuring that our students can maintain a sense of normalcy and stability in their lives. “
According to the release, the school’s administrators are seeking temporary classroom spaces or campuses available with large indoor and outdoor spaces suitable for hosting students and teachers. Their task also includes support from local organizations that can assist in logistics and operations and volunteers to help with “moving, setup and coordination.” The school also asks for access to athletic practice areas near the potential new learning environment.
The school — which for many film buffs has become an iconic representation of the Californian or general high school student — hosts some 3,000 students from over 100 zip codes. It was famously the backdrop in Brian de Palma’s horror classic, Carrie, and to Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday (2003), as well as MTV’s hit Teen Wolf series. Famous alumni of the high school include Susanna Hoffs, Katey Sagal and Antonio Sabàto Jr.
Meanwhile, a plea for help for the area’s elementary school also came from local Spencer Pratt, who posted support for the school on Instagram this week and linked to the school’s teachers’ Amazon wishlists. He and wife Heidi Montag, who both starred on MTV’s The Hills, were among the many who lost everything in the Palisades Fire.
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