From the Ashes to the Bowl: A Graduation Like No Other
- Publisher
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
On a sunny, warm June afternoon beneath the iconic arches of the Hollywood Bowl, the seniors of Palisades Charter High School’s Class of 2025 tossed their caps into the air – not only in celebration of their graduation, but in triumph over adversity. For these students, commencement wasn’t just a milestone. It was a powerful exhale after four years of holding their breath.
Their final weeks of school were spent not in the familiar halls of their beloved Pali High, but in the hollowed remains of a once-bustling Sears building in Santa
Monica. Dubbed “Pali South” by students and staff, the makeshift campus stood as a symbol of adaptation and resilience. There were no quad rallies or senior pranks in those sterile, echoing spaces – only determination and grit.
But, if the end of their senior year felt displaced, the choice of graduation venue did not. The Hollywood Bowl, with its storied stage and panoramic skyline, served as both a stark contrast and a poetic counterbalance to the chaos that preceded it. It was a gift – a gesture of recognition for all that these young men and women had endured.
Adapting to trying times is nothing new for this class. Their journey began in the eerie silence of pandemic lockdowns. The Class of 2025 entered high school not with fanfare and friendship, but through Zoom screens and muted microphones. They were just 14 and 15 years old when the death of George Floyd sent shockwaves across the country and National Guard troops stood watch in the Palisades Village. Instead of finding lockers and classrooms, they found themselves navigating social unrest, civic reckoning, and the isolation of remote learning.
Eventually, schools reopened. The sounds of lunch bells and campus chatter returned. Dances were planned, teams competed, and seniors began to dream of a traditional finish. But once again, their world was upended.
This time, it was fire – not just metaphorical, but painfully real. The Palisades fires devastated the community, reducing homes to ash and displacing families. For many students, this wasn’t just a school disruption – it was personal. Bedrooms, photo albums, cherished heirlooms – all gone in an instant. Friends scattered across Los Angeles. Classmates logged in from hotel rooms, temporary apartments, even relatives’ couches. Yet through it all, they stayed connected. They stayed committed.
This class knows loss. But more than that, they know how to rebuild. They’ve learned how to find community in unlikely places. They’ve mastered the art of showing up – imperfectly, but wholeheartedly. They’ve discovered that resilience isn’t just a buzz-word – it’s a muscle, strengthened every time you choose hope over despair.
As I looked out at the sea of blue gowns against the Hollywood Hills backdrop, I saw more than graduates. I saw future leaders, artists, engineers, entrepreneurs – each of them uniquely prepared not in spite of their trials, but because of them.
To the Class of 2025: You are not defined by what happened to you, but by how you responded. You have endured the unthinkable – and emerged with compassion, courage, and character. Your education has not only come from textbooks and teachers, but from life itself. And, while the world ahead is uncertain, it is also wide open – with opportunity, with need, with promise.
May you walk forward with heads held high – not only because of what you’ve overcome, but because of who you’ve become. The world doesn’t just need graduates. It needs rebuilders. And you, dear Pali seniors, are just that.
Congratulations. The Bowl was only the beginning!
By Richard Lombari
Lombari has been in real estate sales for over three decades. Richard is an author, speaker,coach, and trainer. To learn more about Richard, visit https://lombarirealestatewealthadvisors.com/about, email Richard@TheLombari Group.com, or call 310-903-6509.
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