Students return to their rebuilt school in Palisades months after wildfire

Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho on Tuesday morning was surrounded by happy students, teachers, politicians and members of the LAUSD Board as he announced that Marquez Charter Elementary School — destroyed in the January Palisades wildfire — has reopened in temporary buildings on the site until permanent buildings are completed.

“This is the pure definition of happiness,” Carvalho said at a press conference. “We promised the Palisades community that we would rebuild and rebuild better, and nine months later here we are, welcoming kids back to their school.”

“A lot of people have heard of the phoenix rising from the ashes,” he said. “The Seagulls of Marquez have risen from the ashes” — citing the name of the school’s mascot. He added, “It is a fantastic day for our community.”

Carvalho thanked Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles City Councilmember Tracy Park and Governor Newsom “for all that they did in cutting the red tape, expediting process, and never accepting no as the appropriate answer.”

After the wildfire destruction on January 7, students at Marquez Charter traveled to classes at Nora Sterry Elementary school in West Los Angeles, about 10 miles away from Pacific Palisades.

Among the children who spoke at the press conference on Tuesday was Lyla Stacknick, a fifth grader who was relocated to Nora Sterry Elementary. Lyla said going to a different school was “quite a ride. Kids were scared to see what the campus was like, or if the kids were nice. When we did arrive at Nora Sterry, the teachers were so supportive of us, and so were our families.”

She said that while she will miss Nora Sterry, “We are excited to go back to our second home, Marquez.”

In an effort to reach out to worried parents, teachers and others, Carvalho said on Tuesday, “The very first step was to ensure that as quickly as possible, after the extensive soil testing, and water testing, and air testing, that we would bring the community back to the Palisades. Today is that day.”

When the new school is completed, it will have 20 classrooms, a library, a multipurpose room, a cafeteria and a playground. Rebuilding is set to be completed in the 2028–2029 school year.