Wednesday, August 20, 2025

After Wildfire Destroyed Their School, Children Found Their Voice Through Disposable Cameras and Poetry

By THERESE EDU

Healing through art: How a local charter school helped young students process trauma after losing so much in the devastating Eaton Fire

When the Eaton Fire swept through in Altadena in January, destroying the Aveson Charter School’s TK-5 campus, educators developed an innovative trauma recovery program combining mindful photography with creative writing workshops.

“I chose to really zoom in on the idea of how powerful that their voice is,” said Amelia Weinstock, Fifth Grade Advisor at the campus known as ‘Aveson School of Leaders.’ “That became kind of like the theme of the whole project was the power of their story.”

The project, “The Rise From The Flashes,” provided fifth-grade students with 35mm disposable cameras limited to 24-26 shots, supported by the Greater Los Angeles Foundation. The intentional limitation forced students to carefully consider each image, transforming the process into a mindful emotional exercise.

Byron Flitsch, Coordinator of Community Engagement, explained: “I wanted the students to take every single available photo and really intentionally assign some sort of feeling and emotion to them.”

The fire’s impact was devastating. Seventy families lost their homes, hundreds of students were displaced, and 15 faculty members were left homeless.

The school’s entire TK-5 campus—including three playgrounds, a garden, chicken coop, and 16 classrooms—was completely destroyed.

One poignant moment unfolded when a student who had lost everything wanted to write their name on the camera.

“Just seeing them hold the camera and the first thing they wanted to do was write their name on it so that it was theirs,” Flitsch recalled.

Students studied historical narratives before creating their own accounts, experiencing breakthrough moments of emotional expression. “One student said, I didn’t know how to explain how I felt, but when I saw my photos, I thought that’s it. That was what it looked like inside my head,” Flitsch shared.

The project produced a photography book titled “Rise From the Ashes” and is now being expanded to other schools across Southern California.

Executive Director of Aveson Charter Schools Ian McFeat reflected: “What has changed is that now this is part of our story and that it holds for us a lot of hurt, but it also holds for us a lot of hope.”

Operating from temporary facilities, the school continues to prioritize student well-being.

“It’s okay to take the time to really check in on a whole student’s wellbeing,” Weinstock said.

“I knew that educational momentum would return, but only if kids were feeling safe and loved.”