EAGLES Academy
| EAGLES Academy | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
7060 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, Los Angeles , California 90028 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1992 |
| Founder | Jerry B. Battey |
| Closed | 2004 |
| Principal | Jerry B. Battey |
| Grades | 7-12[2] |
| Enrollment | 35 students (1999)[1] |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | Los Angeles Unified School District |
EAGLES Academy Central High School (also known as EAGLES Academy Hollywood and EAGLES Center) was a public high school located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with the target group of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender young people, as well as those questioning their sexuality and educational dropouts. It was founded and opened in 1992 along with the "Educational Options" program by the LAUSD and closed down in 2004. It was the first public high school designed for LGBT youth from grade 7 onwards in the United States.
History
EAGLES Academy Central High School was a public high school run by the department of "Educational Options" of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), also known as EAGLES Academy Hollywood and EAGLLES Center.[3][4] EAGLES is an acronym from "Empasizing Adolescent Gay Lesbian Education Services."[2] The target group of this school was gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students, as well as those questioning their sexuality and educational dropouts.[5] The mission statement was A safe place for youth to receive their education.[6]
The school was supervised by Ruben Zacarias, in that time period LAUSD's superintendent of schools in charge, Elizabeth Newman, the options administrator, and Sunshine S. Sepulveda, an educational advisor to LAUSD. Founder and principal of the school was Jerry B. Battey, an English teacher, from 1992 to 2004.[7]
In 1996, the school had two campusses: Hollywood and a branch located in South Bay, Los Angeles.[4]
In 1999, eleven teachers worked at EAGLES.[1]
In the same year, there were also one full-time and four part-time volunteer school counselors.[1]
The school was closed in the Summer of 2004 due to financial shortages by the LAUSD. Although there was a tax-exempt organization called "Friends of EAGLES Center-Los Angeles, Inc." for raising money and commodity contributions, it was impossible to keep the school alive based only on donations.[4]
Curriculum
The curriculum followed the Carnegie Unit and Student Hour system with 45 minute units in core subjects like English, science, social studies, and mathematics plus German and Spanish as second languages.[1]
A long-term collaboration between EAGLES and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) patronized several graduates to develop their talents like Marc Imme to become an actor, later known for the role of "Luke" in Ryan's Life (2004),[1][8] and Miguel Lopez, the playwright of Mariposas (2001), a play for children.[1][9]
In statewide comparisions, the students of EAGLE reached in the Junior to Senior ratings of 1998 (known as the "Stanford 9 Assessment tests") six stars.[10]
Criticism
In 2001, some students graduated from EAGLES Academy without fulfilling all requirements.[7]
Literature
- David Campos: Sex, Youth, and Sex Education: A Reference Handbook. Contemporary Education Issues, 2002. EAGLES Academy: Pages 164, 166-167. ISBN 978-1576077764.
- Arianne MacBean, Greg Christensen, Alexander-Martin Sardina: Sweet Fantasy - Writing and Performance with High School Students. A Venture by the Los Angeles Central High School, Hollywood, in Collaboration with the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Los Angeles (California Institute of the Arts), 1999. Paperback and digital copy archived at the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. No ISBN.[1][11]
- Lisa Meyer: "Hostile Classrooms – The state of hate." In: The Advocate, No. 33, April 13, 1999. Pages 33-35. ISSN 0001-8996.
- Mary Louise Rasmussen: Becoming Subjects: Sexualities and Secondary Schooling, Series "Reconstructing the Public Sphere in Curriculum Studies", Paragraph on "EAGLES Center" (Page 168), Routledge , 2005. ISBN 978-0415951616.
See also
Media
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Entry in the OPAC of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, retrieved on Jue 8th, 2018.
- ^ a b Lisa Meyer: "Hostile Classrooms – The state of hate." In: The Advocate, No. 33, April 13, 1999. Pages 33-35.
- ^ Entry on the LAUSD website, retrieved on June 8th, 2018.
- ^ a b c archived press release "EAGLES Center expands services - sets sights on South Bay" of March 23, 1996, retrieved on June 9th, 2018.
- ^ Article "COLUMN ONE : Gay Rights Fight Moves on Campus : Activists on both sides have targeted high schools in battles over curriculum and support groups. Some celebrate a new boldness, others say values are best taught at home." by Tammerlin Drummond and Bettina Boxall, January 10th, 1994, in the Los Angeles Times, retrieved on June 9th, 2018.
- ^ David Campos: Sex, Youth, and Sex Education: A Reference Handbook. Contemporary Education Issues, 2002. Page 167. ISBN 978-1576077764.
- ^ a b 'Graduates' Honored at a Dubious Exercise in the Los Angeles Times, July 27th, 2001, by Duke Helfand, retrieved on June 8th, 2018.
- ^ Entry for Marc Imme at the IMDb, retrieved on June 8th, 2018.
- ^ Norma Bowles, Mark E. Rosenthal: Cootie Shots: Theatrical Inoculations Against Bigotry for Kids, Parents, and Teachers.Plays, Poems & Songs. Pages 153, 154, 156. Theatre Communications Group, 2001. ISBN 978-1559361842.
- ^ Article "THE 'STANFORD 9' ASSESSMENT TESTS – L.A. Unified Report Card – How did your school do on the statewide tests?" (Junior-Senior High Eagles Center Hollywood) in the Los Angeles Times of July 14, 1998, retrieved on June 9th, 2018.
- ^ Entry in the WorldCat, retrieved on June 9th, 2018.
