After a year of gradual measures to restore the Palisades community to some semblance of normalcy, Pali administration’s efforts culminated in the school’s long-awaited return to its Temescal campus–leaving behind the building dubbed by administrators as “Pali South.” 

Nestled on the corner of Colorado and 4th Street, this retrofitted department store was drastically different from Pali’s original campus, with distinctions that prompted students, parents and community members to compare the two. 

Unfortunately, circumstances behind the relocation and a profound attachment towards the Temescal campus created a negative perception of Pali South.

However, considering the almost three months it took to facilitate such a move following the wildfire, there were several attributes of this alternate campus that warranted praise. 

In Pali’s 2025-26 School Profile put together by the College Center, it was documented that students from over 112 area codes beyond 90272, the Pacific Palisades, attend Pali— highlighting its recognized demographic diversity.

Pali South posed a solution for many of these students to get to school in an efficient and cost-effective manner. 

Aside from having a designated carpool area, public parking lots and similar access to Metro transportation as the Temescal campus, Pali South’s location was even more accessible to students due to its location directly parallel to the LA Metro E Line, a train that is of no cost to students via their school-issued Transit Access Pass cards and spans 29 stations situated across LA.

Unlike at the Temescal campus, where students coming to school from a multitude of areas must traverse roadways such as Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Boulevard and Chautauqua Boulevard during constant traffic, and if traveling by school bus, oftentimes have to pay fees, resources such as the LA Metro E Line train streamlined students’ ease in traveling to Pali’s campus. 

Students and administrators that used to have to spend profuse amounts of their time going to and from school were given the opportunity to use that time elsewhere. Especially since many students had new-found living situations after losing their home in the fires, it was more beneficial in the context of the greater Los Angeles area to have a school in centralized and accessible Santa Monica.

Besides accessibility, Pali South deviated from Palisades’ students norm in that it was an almost entirely indoor campus.

While a primarily outdoor campus has a host of its own advantages, from natural scenery to most classrooms having exposure to open air, Pali South’s indoor layout provided students protection from weather conditions that are often difficult to avoid at the Temescal campus.

On days where the weather was more extreme, students had more indoor spaces to seek refuge in. As an insulated building equipped with an air conditioning system, students could avoid disruptive conditions like rain, heatwaves and turbulent winds with much more ease. 

Aside from providing shelter from unsavory weather, Pali South’s indoor campus had social benefits as well.

Whereas the original campus spanned nearly a million square feet, which housed almost 3,000 students in attendance, Pali South gave the remaining approximately 2,500 students what they needed in a time of loss: increased connectivity. In a densely packed building, different groups of friends had less leisure to spread out into separated areas, leaving students with no choice but to consolidate closer to their peers.

Being relegated to sit next to unknown peers, Pali students had the opportunity to talk to people outside of their circle without having to actively search for people on a crowded and vast campus. In doing so, students were exposed to more perspectives than ever, a reality that increased social interaction and encouraged growth after losing the Temescal campus.

According to an article from the National Library of Medicine, feeling socially connected with family, peers, school and community is fundamental to adolescent health and long-term wellbeing.

After the fires, students were taken away from the school where they spent the majority of their time socializing while having to simultaneously undergo substantial loss. With Pali South being much smaller than its predecessor, students could experience the proximity that was necessary for their wellbeing.

There is no disputing that the original Palisades campus is wonderful in its own regard, and that students’ return has provided the closure that so many have needed after the events of last year. 

Even so, while students are returning to their old classroom spaces and acquainting themselves with an adjusted campus layout, I wish to issue a formal farewell to Pali South: the campus that no one expected, nor wanted, but that fulfilled its due diligence in giving the Dolphins a temporary home.