Operations and Health Services Work to Keep Poly’s Campus Safe

During the week of January 6, Poly's campus was closed due to the Eaton Fires. The school’s leadership team worked around the clock, making important decisions with the health and safety of the community in mind. The Emergency Response Committee subcommittee was formed, led by Director of Operations Dale Rasmussen, Director of Health Services Hazel Diaz, and Chief Financial Officer Keith Huyssoon that focused on the preparation needed to safely reopen Poly’s campus and for it to remain open. These individuals and teams spearheaded campus cleanup and safety in the wake of the fires.

Though conditions were still difficult during the initial days of the school’s closure, the Operations team led campus cleanup efforts caused by the Santa Ana Winds. Many objects had blown over, debris covered the campus, and a large branch had fallen on Henley Patio, where students might injure themselves. Dale and his team, including Rudy Chavarria, Ruben Almonte, Gary Almonte, Cesar Angel, Ronald Cardona, Oscar Cervantes, Kevin Jones, David Rosales, Adrian Sanchez, Gary Wert, and Dave Yamaoka, all had a hand in mitigating damage to Poly’s North and South Campuses. 

“The team did a great job of getting everything picked up and cleaned up,” said Dale. “We also did detailed cleaning in all of the classrooms right away and continued cleaning the whole week the campus was closed.”

Hazel Diaz and Melissa Tomokiyo in the Health Office were also in close contact with the Pasadena Health Department and a network of school nurses deciding how to best keep their campuses safe. The team purchased particulate matter (PM) monitoring equipment and followed the air quality index to assess whether outdoor time was appropriate. Hazel and Melissa also saw an uptick of students visiting the Health Office when school resumed, making essential decisions for student health.

“Reaching out to other local schools has been essential in our decision-making,” said Hazel. “Having open communication with Operations has no doubt been important. Asking questions like ‘How do we move from here? What else do we need to do? What else should we implement?’ has been on our mind constantly.”

The Athletics Department also made important calls to cancel or move games and practices indoors. The air quality measurements greatly impacted the experience of many Middle and Upper School student-athletes competing during this time. Special attention was also given to ensure the pool was cleaned and safe for outdoor recreation.

The school invested in ensuring the HVAC filtration systems are up to date and continues to invest in extra classroom cleaning, especially as flu season coincides with our return to campus. Members of the Poly community generously provided additional resources and gifts-in-kind to maintain a healthy environment. Such gifts enabled Poly to purchase quality air purifiers for every classroom and office space, support cleaning efforts in the Lower School playground, replace the sand and wood chip material in the Lower School student play areas, enable ongoing soil testing in the kindergarten garden, and power wash campus.

We are grateful to the Emergency Response Committee and our Operations colleagues for ensuring a smooth return to campus and keeping our community’s wellness as their highest priority. The school continues to monitor conditions and implement processes to ensure that the campus is as safe as possible for our students.