Jimmy Kimmel going back to school to open computer lab he funded

It started with an old-fashioned letter from a principal to a former student — Jimmy Kimmel.

Principal Jill Pendleton didn’t know if her words would reach the ABC late-night talk show host and 1985 graduate of Las Vegas’ Clark High School, but it was worth a try.

That try ended Saturday with Kimmel coming back to his alma mater, near Desert Inn Road and Decatur Boulevard, to cut the ribbon on a computer lab he funded.

Built in 1964, the school recently received a multimillion-dollar modernization, replacing leaky roofs, an obsolete electrical system, plumbing and an air-conditioning system past its life expectancy. But Pendleton couldn’t squeeze a computer lab into the budget, no matter how hard she tried.

Still, she considered it a necessity.

“We have 3,000 students, and many don’t have computers at home,” she said.

Then she remembered Kimmel, one of the only students to wear a tie in his yearbook photos.

“He was getting ready way back in high school,” she jested.

Although Pendleton wasn’t principal when he attended, Kimmel is the one alumnus that all staff and students know.

So, she sent the letter outlining her problem. A few days later, someone called on behalf of Kimmel to get more details.

“I gave him the grand total, and that’s what he sent within days,” Pendleton said.

The $58,000 check bought 72 computers to fill two rooms. Pendleton named it the Jimmy Kimmel Technology Center and painted the words in big bold letters, not just because of the man who gave the money but to honor what he represents.

“There’s a bigger message,” she said. “Someone as prestigious as Jimmy Kimmel started here and is coming back. It’s an inspiring message for the student body.”

About two-thirds of Clark students meet federal poverty requirements qualifying them for free or reduced-price school meals.

The computer lab will be a constant reminder of students’ potential, said Pendleton, noting that Kimmel’s bandleader on his talk show, Cleto Escobedo III, was also his across-the-street neighbor in Las Vegas and a Clark graduate.

The school has already put the computers to use, but Pendleton wants to keep the lab open after school for students who need a computer for homework.

That’s her next goal: finding the money for an after-school staff person.

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.