John Muir High School is raising $100,000 for scholarships and emergency aid as the Pasadena campus prepares to mark its 100th anniversary on Nov. 1.

The Muir Centennial Legacy Fund, organized by the John Muir High School Alumni Association, will support scholarships, emergency needs and long-term growth at the Lincoln Avenue school, Pasadena Now reported. Pasadena Federal Credit Union kicked off the campaign with a $10,000 donation, the fund's first presenting sponsorship. Rick Flores presented the check to Principal Dr. Lawton Gray, himself a Muir alumnus.

The fundraising goal carries extra weight this year. More than 200 current Muir students and staff members lost homes in the Eaton Fire, according to the Alumni Association. An estimated 1,000 alumni lost homes or were displaced. Two of the 19 people who died in the fire were Muir graduates: Lora Swayne, Class of 1971, and Victor Shaw, Class of 1976.

"We are honored to support John Muir High School's Centennial Celebration," James Chang, chief executive officer of Pasadena Federal Credit Union, said. Chang called it a celebration of the generations of students and educators who shaped the school.

Among the fund's first initiatives is the Newman-Gray Scholarship, named for alumni principals Eddie Newman and Lawton Gray. It will be awarded annually to a student who exemplifies what organizers call the "Muir Spirit."

As of Friday, Aug. 28, the Givebutter campaign showed $2,900 raised toward the $100,000 goal. Donations can also be mailed by check to: Muir Centennial Fund, John Muir High School, 1905 N Lincoln Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103.

The formal celebration is set for Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. at Rufus Mead Auditorium, 1905 Lincoln Ave. The event will honor distinguished alumni including Jackie Robinson, who graduated in 1936, and science fiction author Octavia Butler, Class of 1965. Current students will perform, and organizers are planning a Homecoming Alumni Picnic in the school's "M" Quad and tours of the renovated Alumni Museum.

"This is our hundred year anniversary, so it's our Centennial this year … We're really excited about all these things that come forward this year at John Muir High School," Gray told Altadena Now on Aug. 18, at the school's first-day welcome for the 2026-27 year.

Founded in 1926 as John Muir Technical High School, the campus has produced Olympic champions, MacArthur fellows and Major League Baseball's barrier-breaking Jackie Robinson. The Alumni Association is accepting sponsorships at multiple levels ahead of the Nov. 1 event.