Students to return to school after blaze

The hope is that the 16,000 youths from the fire-ravaged towns will get back a sense of normalcy

CHICO >> His new math book in hand, 14-year-old George Rood walked over to the impromptu photo backdrop in the Pleasant Valley High School library to get his picture taken for his new student ID card.

George never expected to be starting anew at this stage in high school. The Paradise High freshman was forced out of his Magalia home when California’s deadliest and most destructive fire ever swept down on the ridge where his family lived. He fled with his grandmother and little brother, leaving behind the last sense of normalcy he’ll have for a while.

He’s ready to start getting it back.

“I’m happy I get to go and do something, and not sit around and wait to hear what the condition my house is in,” said George, whose family home was lost in the fire.

“I’m happy I get to go and do something, and not sit around and wait to hear what the condition my house is in.” — George Rood, 14, Pleasant Valley High School student

The 153,336-acre Camp Fire ignited near Pulga on Nov. 8 and killed 88 people while destroying 13,972 residences, 528 commercial buildings and 4,293 other structures there and in the nearby towns of Paradise and Magalia. Of the 88 who died, the sheriff’s office has tentatively identified 42 and positively identified 41.

On Monday, George and more than 16,000 other students from

elementary to high school in Chico, Paradise and Magalia will return to school after a threeweek hiatus caused by a combination of displaced families and dangerous smoky air.

“We do want kids to get back into their routine,” said Kelly Staley, superintendent of the Chico Unified School District. “For both kids and adults, the sooner you can get back and take some of those steps that are normal parts of life, the faster you get normalcy.”

Chico Unified enrolled about 300 students from the fire-ravaged areas. All district employees, from teachers to bus drivers, underwent some degree of training from school psychologists, counselors and trauma experts to swiftly identify students struggling to cope.

“We’ll be watching how the kids are doing and getting help for them early if we see things starting to go south,” Staley said. “It’s going to take a lot of patience

and a lot of flexibility.”

Eight of the nine campuses in the Paradise Unified School District were destroyed or damaged. The high school survived, but the town center, where the high school is located, is still under evacuation.

Most high school and middle school students are expected to participate in an independent study program that includes access to still-forming drop-in labs at storefronts at Chico Mall.

Elementary school students who attended Paradise schools will be bused to schools in Durham and

Oroville, while many Magalia students will return to their schools. Charter schools that served Paradise will resume instruction at Living Hope Fellowship, Life Church and CORE Butte Gymnasium in Chico.

At Pleasant Valley High, Friday was orientation day for transitioning students like George: They got to meet with their new teachers and were paired with campus students who can familiarize them with the new school environment.

“The focus is on whatever the kids need to meet their goals,” said Pleasant Valley Principal John Shepherd. “And it has to happen on an individualized basis. We’re going to meet the students where they are

and go from there.”

Shepherd and Staley are also mindful of the long classroom instruction time lost because of the fire and plan to restructure lesson plans so that students facing rigid academic touchstones such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams in the spring can catch up in their study.

Educators also are expected to address the fires in classroom discussions.

“Most if not all teachers will develop lessons around what are things you value, what are things you are thankful for, and help kids deal with some of the things they faced, while moving forward in a positive approach,” Staley said.

Bridget Rood, George’s mother, marveled at the work performed by educators to prepare for Monday and to welcome her son.

“They really opened their arms to us and everyone,” she said. “I can’t express my gratitude enough.”

When school starts, Shepherd will look to minimize the fanfare to help students settle in.

There will be no rally or assembly at Pleasant Valley, just a warm acknowledgement during the morning announcements.

“What we’re trying to do,” he said, “is keep things as normal as possible.”