March 10, 2025
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Handmade signs created by EF Academy students welcome Saint Mark's to their campus.
A curriculum for global citizens
EF Academy Pasadena’s Innovation and Impact Program is unique to EF. One of the first things students learn through this program is the importance of empathy when creating meaningful solutions to global problems. It is also aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Empathy is central to the EF Academy curriculum. In the aftermath of the LA fires, EF Academy Pasadena showed how valuable empathy can be in helping a beloved neighborhood school get back on its feet.
The start of 2025 will be remembered as the time when our screens turned red with the blaze of the Los Angeles fires. For almost the entire month of January, wildfires ripped through communities and ecosystems, razing whole neighborhoods.
The damage to property is estimated at up to 53.8 billion USD. In reality that number means the destruction of at least 18,000 buildings – many of them homes – and tragic loss of 29 lives.
Our EF Academy high school in Pasadena was spared, but our teachers and students immediately turned to their community to help those who had lost so much.
Since 1960, the beautiful campus of Saint Mark’s School – with its church dating back to 1906 – was a pillar of the Altadena community. Schooling over 320 students from three to 12 years old, Saint Mark’s prides itself on diversity and close ties with its neighborhood. Sadly, the school and its church were engulfed in the flames of the Eton fire.
“We knew immediately we would have to relocate”, Saint Mark’s Head of School Jenn Tolbert sighed, remembering the days following the fire. For Jenn the loss was particularly poignant, as it also meant the destruction of the head’s residence – her home for the past three years.
“It was a gut-punch. We had such a beautiful campus, and it was part of the community. But I am trying to find hope; if you can’t find hope, then you can lose yourself.”
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Saint Mark's School was reduced to rubble and ashes by the Eaton Fire.
Saint Mark’s was a cornerstone of the Altadena community, a place where people could come together, and a school that partnered with local charities to support those in need.
“Saint Mark’s has always stood out among independent schools because of its strong sense of community”, said Annie Chang, mother to two children – one in preschool and the other in second grade. “My partner and I both grew up in the area, but it wasn’t until our children started at Saint Mark’s that we truly appreciated what Altadena has to offer.”
When she learned of the school’s destruction, Annie described feeling “numb”, but that was soon replaced with a determination to help the school and her neighborhood to rebuild.
For many parents, however, that sudden heartbreak left them wondering what would happen next. Mother of two Jessica Hunt was left asking, “Will there ever be a Saint Mark’s again or is this it? Should we be looking for a new school? What do we do?”
Standing just 3km away, the EF Academy campus in Pasadena was spared, but the fires still resulted in the six-day evacuation of the school at the same time as students were returning to campus from all over the world from winter break.
While still juggling the needs of EF’s own students, EF Academy Head of School Dr. Sally Mingarelli and her team knew they wanted to support their community in the wake of this disaster. A name kept appearing as they sought out who they could help: Saint Mark’s School.
“As educators, there is no us and them”, Sally explained. “We are in this together; we share a responsibility to prepare our youth for the future. For me and the team here, supporting Saint Mark’s was the only thing we could do.”
Top: EF Academy students crafted handmade banners to welcome Saint Mark's to their campus.
Bottom left: EF students put on a show to welcome Saint Mark's
Bottom right: Local politicians and dignitaries gather alongside EF's Sally Mingarelli (center left) and Saint Mark's' Jenn Tolbert (center right) to open the Saint Mark's Village at EF Academy Pasadena.
EF Academy Pasadena has now opened its doors to Saint Mark’s students and teachers, providing temporary classrooms for the next 18 months to over 200 students. Spanning developmental kindergarten to grade six, children also have access to many campus facilities, such as our design labs, art rooms, and gymnasium.
EF’s own students have been eager to welcome their campus peers and help in any way they can, showcasing the very best values taught at our schools. “Empathy is an essential value we teach in our curriculum”, Sally said. “EF students learn the importance of community, and are constantly providing suggestions and ideas to help Saint Mark’s students integrate and get back to some kind of normality.”
For first grade mom, Chelsea Clark, having a new campus so close to their neighborhood left her “overjoyed”. She added:
“We were so relieved to know that we had a place where we could all be together still, on a campus that is just as beautiful and special as the one we lost. In finding a home at the EF Academy, we can still say our school is a neighborhood school and it has not abandoned its community.”
EF Academy Pasadena has also offered several other support packages for the broader LA community, such as a scholarship to those most in need, and temporary accommodation to some of our local students, staff, and their families trying to get back on their feet.
For Saint Mark’s, their attention is now on supporting students and their families to adjust to the new normal, as well as raising funds to facilitate the rebuilding of their school in Altadena.
200
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Saint Mark's students hosted on campus
18,000
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buildings razed by the LA fires
30
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nationalities represented at EF Academy Pasadena
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