COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER TO IMPROVE LAUSD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Short Avenue Elementary School builds new library and magical reading garden, and increases arts and academic programs with the help of community outreach and grants.
In the first days of 2010, amidst a dreary financial landscape for public education, students at Short Avenue Elementary School received more good news: They have been chosen to receive a $5,000 Lowe’s PTO Toolbox for Education Grant to build a magical, ecological reading garden and performance space. This is just one more exciting greening/beautification initiative amidst a slew of projects currently underway at this inspiring “secret oasis†traditional LAUSD School.
Short Avenue will be hosting “Walk n Talk†tours on February 9 and April 8, 2010 from 8:30 – 10 a.m. Parents and prospective students are invited to come see first-hand the improved school facilities, meet the new Principal, Dr. James Downing III, and participate in a conversation about the school and its successes. Isabel Alvarez, an involved parent of two students, comments, “Short Avenue Elementary is a hidden gem: The teachers are dedicated and very communicative with the parents; the administration is friendly and inviting; the involved parents put all their heart into the school; and now the community is joining in to make physical and academic improvements.â€
Over the past few years Short Avenue Elementary has received not one, but two Ann and Kirk Douglas playgrounds. In addition, two beautification grants from the LA City Council were provided to the school community to begin replacing as much concrete as possible with hundreds of trees, bushes, flowers and murals. Ground has been broken for an expansive “Wonder of Reading Library†, funded by the Annenberg Foundation and co-sponsored by LAUSD, with a projected opening of March 2010.
Short Avenue Elementary received $5,000 from Fox Studios to spearhead an after-school arts program entitled “Arts in the Afternoon.†Building on an upper-grade arts club run by sixth grade teacher Steve Springer, the program now encompasses grades K-2, with Short Avenue partnering with local artists/teachers from creative arts program SmartSpace, which was voted Nickelodeon’s Parents’ pick in 2009 for best day camp in Los Angeles.
Short Avenue continues to be an LAUSD Arts Program School, which means Short Avenue Elementary has rotating courses in music, dance, visual arts, and theater teachers throughout the year. With arts education funding being threatened by LAUSD, Short Avenue’s goal is to consistently increase arts education, using a combination of district funds and corporate and private donations.
It does not stop with the Arts. Loyola Marymount University (LMU), voted #4 by U.S. News and World Report in their feature on Best Colleges of 2010, has just signed up to be part of the Short Avenue Family. LMU’s Bookworm Project, a grassroots early childhood intervention program developed to fill the achievement gap between high- and low-income students, will be now be available to Kindergarten children who need supplemental literacy help as an after-school program. First grade teacher Marie Trapnell is also spearheading an after-school “gifted and talented†club for students who are identified as excelling in their grade levels.
Evidence of the success of these programs and the commitment of dedicated teachers and parents lies in the consistency with which Short Avenue students continue to raise their State Academic Performance Index (API) scores. Once at a low of 603 and placed “4 out of 10†in a statewide ranking, Short Avenue now stands proud with an API score of 859 and placed “8 out of 10†statewide and “10 out of 10†among similar schools!
Come see for yourself what Short Avenue Elementary School has to offer by participating in a “Walk N’ Talk†tour. For more information please contact the front office at (310) 397-4234 or visit the website: http://www.shortavenue.com.
Contact: Erika Ross – Outreach Coordinator/Publicity
Friends of Short Avenue Elementary School
Cell: (323) 547-8753
Fax: (310) 390-8940
Email: erikahigginsross@yahoo.com
