This morning, Hamilton students woke up to dark skies, the smell of smoke, terrible air quality, and large flames in the distance. Although Hamilton is currently not in danger from the fires themselves, the fires and winds have been affecting all that attend.
Wildfires currently surround Los Angeles, including the Palisades fire, the Hurst fire, the Eaton fire, and the Woodley fire, which has just recently been put out this morning. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, including some Hamilton staff, and hundreds have lost their homes.
A lot of Hamilton students expressed worry about the occurring wildfires. Because of these fires, many students did not show up to school or they were picked up early. The school rescheduled the I-Ready testing that was supposed to commence today and changed the schedule to a normal day. Around 11:30 am, the school announced that Hami was going to shift again to a minimum day schedule and release students at 1:28 p.m.
Throughout the day, students and staff expressed many concerns about the fire and its path of destruction; many students showed frustration with Hamilton continuing to stay open and operational during this time. “It should have been [closed], really,” said Yaniv Wozniak, a junior in BIT. “The air quality is garbage.”
Sympathy for those who had to evacuate or who lost their homes has been a prominent feeling on campus. The worry and the fear of where the fire may spread next prohibited many from being able to focus in school; many teachers gave students an easier time in class because of this.
Ms. Gur, an AMPA chemistry teacher, said she was one of the Hamilton community members who was heavily impacted by the fire. “I know a lot of people in the Palisades that lost their businesses, evacuated their houses, and their homes burned down,” she said. “The dentist I went to last week…today it’s no longer there.”
As the day went on, the sun came out and the physical atmosphere around Hamilton lightened, though the mental strain and the worry that has enveloped many minds since last night remained heavy.
Chris Arnold and Kimmora Gladden contributed reporting to this article.
