Carmel Unified flies to isolated Big Sur students via helicopter.

While it’s been warm and sunny this week, about 40 Carmel Unified School District students remain stranded in Big Sur, after Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge failed during a storm and mudslide on Feb. 15. The district flew in Julie Kolofer, principal of Captain Cooper Elementary, and former teacher Marie Rosen by helicopter to teach three days of lessons from March 13-15.

The three-passenger helicopter ride – which transported Rosen, Kolofer and a stack of lesson packets – cost the district $350. Post Ranch Inn put up the teachers for free, and students ranging from kindergartners through high-schoolers caught up on missed lessons in Post Ranch’s conference room for about two hours a day. They broke up into a few groups: grades K-2, 3-5 and high school.

At the beginning of every academic year, the district makes sure its Big Sur students have a host family that lives on the Monterey Peninsula. About half of enrolled Big Sur students are staying with their host families indefinitely and going through school with little academic disruption.

For those 40 students on the other side of the bridge, “We’ll see how it goes,” district spokesperson Paul Behan says. Administrators worry the students could fall behind, but Behan says small groups may be better for students catching up: “One-on-one time with teachers could be a good thing.”

Demolition of the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge began March 13, but a replacement is months away. Carmel Unified is considering using vans to transport students via alternate routes, or chaperoned hikes on trails to get to a bus stop north of the closure.