Palisades Charter High School students returned to campus today.
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
Parents and community members lined up on Temescal to welcome students back.
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
This was the first day back at Palisades Charter High School for students since December 2024. The town and a portion of the school were destroyed in the Palisades January 2025 Fire, which destroyed nearly 7,000 homes and businesses.
Principal Pam Magee said simply, “We got our Dolphins home.
“It’s great to have our kids back,” she said. “This is the first step. The next phase is a new building.”
Principal Pam Magee (center) joined in the celebration of having students back
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
About 100 parents and community members stood on the street corner of Temescal Canyon Road and Bowdoin Street, waving signs to welcome students back to the campus on January 27.
About 30 percent of the buildings at the back of the campus were destroyed during the fire and construction for a new building to replace them is slated to start at the end of the summer 2026 and be completed by fall 2028.
After the Fire, PaliHi students who had been locked out of schools during Covid and spent time on Zoom classes, once again found themselves on Zoom. They were isolated in apartments and different areas of the city because so many had also lost their homes and belongings during the fire.
The school quickly pivoted to find a building to accommodate the nearly 3,000 students. The old Sears Department Store Building in Santa Monica was modified into classrooms, albeit most did not have doors and the transition to classes in this three story “vertical” building was difficult. Additionally, “Pali South” had no gym, fields, pool or kitchen space.
As CTN reporter and Pali Senior Henry Kamer wrote in August “Being together with friends is always better than being online, even when your school is a renovated department store with no classroom doors or windows. So, just like Dr. Magee said, this year will be defined not by what happened to the Pali community but how the Pali community responds to what has happened.
“So, even if this isn’t the best case whatsoever, Dolphins can still turn a bad situation good by demonstrating resilience and unity. Until Pali hopefully returns to our beautiful Palisades campus in January 2026, it will stay #PaliStrong.”
Today, as Kamer went to school he said, “It kind of feels like being home.”
Students were happy to be back on campus and with their friends.
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
The sentiment was shared by most students. Freshman Oscar said, “This will be my first day ever of being on this campus. It’s so exciting.”
He explained that the start of high school is a big experience and his was “stolen,” but now, it’s like my first day of high school.”
Another student Bryan, was not so sure about returning. His family had lived through a prior wildfire and he still had concerns about air quality. He was assured that there were four air-monitoring stations on campus.
Zoey, a sophomore, was happy, “I’m very excited to back.”
Three students carpooled from their apartments in Santa Monica. All had lost their homes in the fire. Even though they still didn’t have homes to return to, they now had their school back.
Sam, a junior said, “It’s good to be back where we belong.” Ella, also a junior added, “It’s nice to be back to a normal school.”
Sydney, a senior said, “I’m so happy. It’s good to be back. Sears was terrible, even though they made is as good as they could.”
Councilmember Traci Park was on hand, joining parents to cheer students as they walked by parents gathered on the sidewalk. “It’s the best day so far . . .and there are going to be more coming, too,” she said.
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
The Big Blue Bus stopped at the corner of Temescal, dropping off students, as did the Metro bus. Several yellow school buses also dropped students on the campus. Construction workers, parents and commuters on Temescal Canyon Road, honked their horns in support of students, before class started at 8:30 a.m.
Marquez Elementary Principal Lisa Timmerman was on hand with several teachers and a big sign welcoming students back. “We wanted to support Pali,” Timmerman said. “We’re better together.
“Some of these kids were our kids (Marquez Elementary grads). We’re family,” she said.
A new turf field for the stadium is almost completed, leaving only the track to be laid. The pool may open next month, and the first athletic events will be held in the gym this week and include wrestling and boys/girls basketball.
Students were serenaded by a school choir as they returned.
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
The PaliHi jazz band welcomed students back.
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
As someone who attended Pali (Class of 1970), who taught English and Spanish there for over 30 years and co-wrote the Charter, and whose children attended Pali, I HAD to participate in the community welcome for the students, even though only a handful know me these days. Our house isn’t quite ready for us to move back in, but I was able to sleep Monday night in my own bed so I could get down to campus by 8:00 AM. Many returning students looked less than jubilant—they WERE beginning a new semester in school after all—but many others looked excited, waving from buses and using their phones to record the welcome, or honking their car horns to acknowledge the turnout. I was thrilled to greet former colleagues and stand with fellow parents and accept a “Welcome Back” sign and a pom-pom to wave as students walked or drove by. Once more, I want to say, “Welcome HOME, Dolphins! Sincerely, Ruth Mills
Sue, absolutely spectacular story. So beautiful. maybe the most fantastic thing to happen to our town since that January day. Steve’s picture of those kids singing is better than any nature picture of the Palisades. That’s the real stuff. Right there in that picture right there in your art and Steve’s art. You bless this town.
I was so thrilled to have the Pali High students come back (and I still am!), but it was a real bummer to be screamed and cursed at in the vilest, most aggressive way by a group of six walking down the rec center sidewalk on the very first day. They didn’t like my little dog running over to them. Welcome back.
My 18 yo who graduated last year went to greet kids. She got up at 5 am in order to use metro to get there on time. She said it was very exciting and people were nice. She also walked around the village. I have not gone back, yet. (We currently have an apt on the Westside).
So heartening to see PaliHi students back on campus. Thank you, Sue, for capturing what this milestone means for families and the whole community—and Steve’s photos really bring the day to life. Wishing continued healing and steady progress on the rebuild.