The Eaton Fire: Aveson’s Story

January 6th was an ordinary day at Aveson Schools. Our youngest students dug in the sand on the playground, building channels to watch the water flow; older students scattered feed in the coop, completing their daily chicken check before heading back to class to work on projects. Teenagers slouched into math class, trying to appear coolly indifferent, but secretly excited about their Friday externships later in the week. We all went about our day as if it was one of many more to come at our quirky, love-worn campuses that offered every student of Altadena a tuition-free innovative education.

But on January 7th, everything changed. 

As the Santa Ana winds whipped through Altadena, our schools closed for everyone’s safety. We’d been through this before and thought we’d be back at school soon. 

But these winds were different, and by that evening, fire spread rapidly through Aveson School of Leaders and Aveson Global Leadership Academy, devastating the beloved schools we had built. Our position next to the San Gabriel Mountains—where our students once hiked, explored, and learned to love the outdoors—had exposed us to nature's worst fury.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, 18 years of the physical representation of our passion for learning was gone. Children's artwork, the library filled with dog-eared favorites, and years of lesson plans, all turned to ash. Our beloved butterfly garden and chicken coop along with our brand new playground, a labor of love built and fully funded by our PTO, was destroyed. Desks—etched with names carved deep—computers, furniture, and our brand new buses, destroyed. 

With the fire still smoldering in Altadena, it became horrifically clear that more than one-third of our school community, 67 students and 15 staff members, lost homes. Grief, shock, and disbelief radiated through our community. 

Look for the Helpers 

The iconic Mr. Rogers once shared his perspective  thoughts?advice for young children in the wake of a tragedy, advice that his mother had shared with him: "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” How right Mr. Rogers was!

In the aftermath of the fire, the entire Aveson community of neighbors, families, and first responders stepped up to help. There was an immediate outpouring of financial support and within days, Jennifer Wang, a parent and co-president of the Aveson Community Organization (ACO), launched a GoFundMe campaign, raising funds for "The Heart of Aveson" to cover salaries, supplies, and rebuilding costs. News outlets generously shared our story with the world and their attention helped keep our school’s loss in the minds of the nation.

With so many of our families displaced, our ParentSquare became a lifeline. Posts flew back and forth—offers of spare rooms, clothes, and toys mingled with pleas for help, creating an informal aid network. Volunteers stepped up to sort donations, while others drove supplies to those who’d fled outside of the area. One parent even opened their garage as a makeshift hub for kids’ books and art supplies, keeping a slice of Aveson’s spirit alive.

School staff and volunteers handed out hundreds of daily grab-and-go meals while numerous partners provided housing assistance, child care, mental health resources, and other support. Schoolchildren from around the country sent letters of hope and boxes of books. These glimmers of light led the way as we fumbled in the dark trying to figure out the next steps. 

The Search for a New School and a New Sense of Normal

Perhaps the most puzzling part of the rebuilding process was the struggle to find a new school building that would allow our students to move forward and continue their learning. The Pasadena Unified School District, which leases space to charters like Aveson, offered little help. We were granted the right to turn our instruction online as we rebuilt, but that permission cut like a double-edged sword, as our computers were also lost in the fire. The pandemic taught us that forcing students to learn online would not support healthy grieving after this disaster. 

In late January, our AGLA school community was offered a handful of classrooms on the beautiful Wilson campus in Pasadena. We immediately filled these spaces with our 6th-12th grade students and life began to slowly return to normal for those students. Challenges still abound, but for now, we are grateful to be in session. 

A home for our ASL students was much harder to come by. So many times we thought we had secured a school, only to have our hopes crushed as we were told “no”. It became clear we weren’t a priority of PUSD. From insurance fights to bureaucratic red tape, the fight has left us weary, but not beaten.

In mid-February, our ASL students finally returned to full days of school thanks to a deal that split up our TK-5 students between the Cleveland and Washington Campuses in Pasadena. The schools are 20 minutes apart from each other, making morning drop-offs more rushed, but our families have expressed so much joy in the sense of normalcy that returning to school has brought. Our volunteers made move-in day and a piece of cake and we eagerly unpacked a generous donation of books and supplies from @ladreamcenter! 

Now, nearly 2 months on, things are slowly morphing into our new normal. The teenagers are back to their regularly scheduled griping (bless them) but also working on passion projects and planning for their upcoming Rite of Passage trip to Peru. We recently held auditions for our spring musical, Alice in Wonderland, and our kitchen staff has been preparing and delivering lunches to each of our 3 campuses. There is nothing like the power of a nourishing meal to make us all feel loved and supported. 

Like a Phoenix, We Rise

Aveson’s community never wavered through this harrowing journey—we stitched ourselves back together, piece by piece. And while there are still more questions than answers about what Aveson’s future will look like, we have the extraordinary opportunity to rebuild, restore, and rise stronger than ever. We may have lost buildings, but not our school. Just as our mascot the Phoenix rises from the ashes, Aveson will rebuild with a renewed sense of purpose and appreciation for all we hold dear. We are #AvesonStrong.

About Aveson Schools

Since 2007, Aveson Schools have been nurturing the curiosity and potential of TK-12th 

grade students with a tuition-free transformative education. Aveson School of Leaders (TK-5) and Aveson Global Leadership Academy (6th-12th), provide boundless opportunities for students to discover their passions through award-winning arts instruction, experiential learning, preparation for college and global travel opportunities in a welcoming and inclusive school community in Pasadena. Get to know Aveson on social media @avesonschools and on the web at www.aveson.org.  A School of Possibilities.