Minutes after the bell rang Thursday morning, kindergartners at Pasadena's Willard Elementary School — returning to class for the first time since the Eaton Fire roared through the area — were fully engaged in what 5-year-olds do best: play.
There were four children for a dinner party with plastic dishes and toys. “Ice cream and tomatoes – great!” A girl told her colleague. “If you eat it, you get a doo-doo.”
Pasadena Unified School officials enjoyed the small, light moment, a respite from more than two weeks of tragedy and a major cleanup effort to prepare campuses to reopen.
In all, 10 district schools and programs welcomed more than 3,400 students Thursday as part of the initial phase of reopening. They include Hamilton Elementary School, Blair Middle School and Rose City High School. among others.
“It's great to see a beautiful school building open,” said Pasadena Unified Board of Education President Jennifer Hall Lee. “Reconstruction and rebirth is necessary. For all people in PUSD and beyond.”
The district, which closed 24 of its campuses on Jan. 8 — the day after the fire began — can only retrieve children after testing confirms they are safe under state emergency services standards. A delicate clean-up operation involving 1,500 workers has been going on for the past two weeks and more than 100 tonnes of garbage has been removed so far.
“If someone had told me I was going to rebuild a school district in 14 days, I would have told them it was impossible,” said Supt. Elizabeth Blanco. “But … we have the right group of people who love this district.”
Five school properties owned by the district were severely damaged or destroyed, including the historic Eliot Arts Magnet. Three charter schools Among those lost are seats in school districts.
Phase II schools reopening will bring an additional 5,400 students back into classrooms. The third phase will add another 5,000. The district aims to return all students to in-person learning by the end of January.
Parents milled around the entrance, framed by two rows of palm trees, as children raced to Willard before classes began at 7:50 a.m. One dad, Arthur Sierra, said he was nervous about sending his 5-year-old daughter, Alina, to kindergarten, but was reassured when he learned the district had undertaken an extensive cleanup plan. He said Alina has asthma.
“We were worried because of what was happening — the media was portraying the negative possibilities that could happen based on what we breathe,” Sierra said. “[District personnel] They do all the due diligence, but still have that chance.
Still, Sierra said she's excited for her daughter to be back in school — and she's also a bit relieved. “It's hard to provide the same level of stimulation that parents get in eight hours of school,” he said.
As Sierra spoke, workers in neon yellow overalls cleared nearby brush.
“We're just hoping for the best,” he said. “You know, day by day.”