Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 2, No. 40 - October 1, 2020
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
Classifieds............................2
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne............................3
Hawthorne Hotspot............3
Lawndale..............................4
Inglewood.............................5
Legals.................................6,7
Pets........................................8
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Sunny
83˚/65˚
Saturday
Sunny
82˚/64˚
Sunday
Mostly
Sunny
80˚/63˚
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Featuring the Weekly Newspapers of Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lawndale
The South Bay is Making
Strides Against Breast Cancer
The American Cancer Society started Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks to unite communities in the fight against this deadly disease. Today, Making Strides is the largest network of breast cancer
events in the nation - and we do more than just walk. We raise money to help the American Cancer Society fund groundbreaking breast cancer research and provide patient services like free rides to chemo,
free places to stay near treatment, and a live 24/7 cancer helpline. While the pandemic has changed our event plans for this year, we are still fighting back boldly and relentlessly against breast cancer.
Your support matters now more than ever, and we hope that you will join us for a safe, contactless drive-through parade Saturday, October 17th. For more information go to: www.makingstrideswalk.
org/SouthBayCA. Photo courtesy Making Strides.
Da Vinci Schools Embrace the
Future of Education
By Dr. Don Brann
In my previous column titled “Charters 101,”
I provided information about charter schools
in general and the role they play in education
reform. In this week’s column, I wish to share
detailed information about Da Vinci Schools,
where I am a founder and president of the Da
Vinci Schools Board of Trustees. Da Vinci
Schools are free, public independent charter
schools authorized by the Wiseburn Unified
School District (WUSD), with the exception
of Da Vinci RISE High. (RISE is a countywide
charter authorized by the L.A. County Office
of Education.) Several of Da Vinci’s schools
are located on the commercial eastern border
of El Segundo.
With five schools and a dual enrollment college
program serving close to 2,500 students,
Da Vinci Schools are known for developing
innovative school models that meet the unique
needs and interests of a variety of students
and families.
The instructional delivery models vary, yet
all Da Vinci schools favor a combination of
project-based, real-world learning, digital
skills, and social-emotional learning. A major
focus at Da Vinci is to reduce the opportunity
gap, so all students reach their full potential,
secure the job of their dreams, and lead happy
independent lives.
Founded in 2008, Da Vinci serves students
from 113 zip codes, including neighborhoods
within WUSD—Hollyglen, Del Aire and
Wiseburn. WUSD entered into an agreement
with Da Vinci to run its high school program,
motivated because its students were matriculating
into the under-performing Centinela Valley
Union High School District, which eventually,
in 2014, WUSD withdrew from when it unified.
Da Vinci’s charter high schools serve as the
“home” high schools for Wiseburn in a creative
district-charter partnership model.
Students who reside within the boundaries
of WUSD are guaranteed a spot at Da Vinci
Communications, Da Vinci Design, or Da Vinci
Science high school, located at 201 N. Douglas
Street, El Segundo. The high schools’ remaining
spots are filled by lottery. (In California, if the
number of applications exceeds the number of
available spots, a lottery is held). Additional
enrollment priorities to attend Da Vinci high
schools are given to students who attend Da
Vinci’s K-8, Wiseburn schools on a permit,
and siblings of currently enrolled students.
Currently, just 21 students – less than 1% of
Da Vinci’s total student population – are from El
Segundo due to the competitive lottery process
and lengthy waiting list (approximately 1,250
at press time). El Segundo families do not have
the ability to attend Da Vinci any more than
a family from Santa Monica or Palos Verdes.
(A difference between charter and traditional
public schools is that charters use a lottery
to fill open spaces, whereas school districts,
like El Segundo, select from a pool of permit
applications.)
Innovative School Models and
Learning Environments
At the 210,000 square feet main campus at
201 N. Douglas Street, there are three high
schools co-located in a four-story building and
center atrium that looks less like a school and
more like a modern-day workplace. Each school
occupies a separate floor with 24 classrooms
per floor, specialized labs, lots of glass and
light, and a university vibe that emphasizes
teamwork and transparency. All the classrooms,
maker, and presentation spaces are designed
for hands-on, project-based learning where
students design, build and prototype their
ideas in a collaborative environment. Da Vinci
and Wiseburn’s administrative offices occupy
the first floor. There is also a theater, music
classroom/recording studios, conference center,
special education services, food services, and
security all on the first floor.
The 13-acre campus also features a world-class
gym that can host multiple sports and games
simultaneously, and an adjacent aquatics center
operated by the City of El Segundo Recreation
& Parks Department. Both El Segundo High’s
aquatics teams and Da Vinci’s schools get
pool time for practices and games. To date,
more than $165 million has been invested in
the campus with major funding coming from
local school bonds, State funds allocated for
charter school facilities, and private funders.
The Da Vinci campus is a destination for
visitors and professionals from across the
world. Indeed, more than 3,000 educators from
six continents have come to Da Vinci to study
their best practices since inception. They come
to study the smart and healthy culture where
students thrive. Enjoying the amazing campus
and world-class facilities is a bonus.
A Range of Educational Options
Da Vinci Schools are not one-size-fits-all
schools. There are a wide range of educational
models to serve a variety of student/family
needs and interests:
• Da Vinci Communications, Design and Science
high schools at 201 N. Douglas Street use a
hands-on learning approach via a project-based,
real-world learning curriculum. The college prep
meets career technical education curriculum is
supplemented by10 career pathways, internships,
and other real-world learning opportunities
that are supported by industry partners such as
Northrop Grumman, Chevron, Boeing, SpaceX,
Belkin, Gensler, Children’s Hospital L.A., and
many more. Student progress is measured via
mastery-based grading, oral presentations of
See Da Vinci, page 4