Fires destroyed their bilingual school in Los Angeles. Now the community is lending a hand: ‘The response is amazing’
The founders of Rayuela School in Altadena are fighting to keep their mission alive: to build a community of children who are fluent in Spanish.
Rayuela School before and after the Eaton fire.
Liliana Martinez called the families of her bilingual school, one by one. Three of the 15 lost their homes. Seven, counting former students, part of the "Rayuela family" (as they christened the school, an ode the novel by Argentine Julio Cortázar). Fortunately, for the time being, there were no more injuries to report. However, one of the two buildings of Rayuela School was consumed by the flames of the Eaton fire, one of the devastating fires that have ravaged Los Angeles since last Tuesday. In April, the campus would have been 10 years old. The building had just been renovated.
Martinez, a Colombian immigrant who entered the country more than 30 years ago, decided to open a school to teach children in Spanish because of requests from parents. “Why don't you open something, there's a lot of demand…” Also because her own children, born in Los Angeles, were having difficulty with their parents' language. She rented a space, the first two children were admitted, the next week three more were added. Within a year, there was a waiting list.
Only rubble remains. Only a scorched playground survives, some truck wheels painted pink, green, yellow. Rayuela School is one of more than 17,000 structures victimized by the passage of the Eaton, according to Cal Fire estimates. As of Tuesday morning, the fire was still advancing, with just over 30% under control. Although second in acres burned, it was the deadliest: of the total 24 deaths recorded so far, 16 were found in its path. The number could rise.
Maestra Lili learned of the fate of the founding Rayuela building, which, after renting, she had managed to buy. A mother of a student had managed to enter the area before it was cordoned off. She was then able to see it with her own eyes, and share it for all to see:
"The community has come out in an awesome way," the Hispanic teacher’s husband, Pablo Scarpellini, tells VOZ. The reconstruction is a family and community effort. "It's been amazing," he says of the help, "not just in terms of money, but in time and love." The volunteers are cleaning up the campus so there won't be another fire, providing emotional support, donating. "The solidarity has overwhelmed us."
The school's own families, friends of the couple and their children ("an army of young kids") took it upon themselves to return the children to the classroom. That's what they're working on: setting up a new classroom space, perhaps in Rayuela Dos, the second building, which is still standing, and offering scholarships to the families affected by the fire. For that, they are asking for donations. "The price of a coffee, a Starbucks, or a hamburger, anything will do. It's been a very hard blow."
