Edward R. Roybal Learning Center

Last updated
Edward R. Roybal Learning Center
Ed Roybal Learning Center.jpg
Location
Edward R. Roybal Learning Center
1200 Colton Street
Los Angeles, California
United States
Information
TypePublic
Motto"Once a Titan, Always a Titan!"
EstablishedSeptember 3, 2008
School district LAUSD
PrincipalBlanca Cruz
Staff49.33 (FTE) [1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment829 (2018–19) [1]
Student to teacher ratio16.81 [1]
CampusUrban
Color(s)  Maroon
MascotTitans
Website www.roybaltitans.net

Edward R. Roybal Learning Center (formerly known as Belmont Learning Center, Vista Hermosa Learning Center, and Central Los Angeles High School 11), is a secondary school located in the Westlake area of Los Angeles, California. Built to alleviate overcrowding at the nearby Belmont High School, the school's construction was met with controversy surrounding its cost and the discoveries of harmful gases and an earthquake fault, leading to a temporary suspension in 1999 that wasn't lifted until 2003. While development began in 1988, the school did not open until 20 years later on September 3, 2008. [2]

Contents

History

Roybal Learning Center before its opening in May 2008. Roybal Learning Center.jpg
Roybal Learning Center before its opening in May 2008.
The Vista Hermosa Natural Park, which is connected to the school, in 2013. 2013, Vista Hermosa Natural Park - panoramio.jpg
The Vista Hermosa Natural Park, which is connected to the school, in 2013.

Early planning and construction of a new school called the Belmont Learning Center began in 1988 as an effort to reduce overcrowding at the nearby Belmont High School, with some of the land previously used for the Los Angeles City Oil Field. [3] [4] The school received some pushback due to the cost and how it would be financed. [5] It was designed by McLarand Vasquez & Partners, with the construction beginning in 1997. However, this was halted in 1999 after tests revealed methane and hydrogen sulfide gases within the land, stemming from the oil field. [6] Two years later, with the construction stalled, it was revealed that the land was also situated on a major earthquake fault. [7]

After the project was temporarily suspended in 2002, WWCOT took over from McLarand Vasquez & Partners in 2003 with the backing of new Superintendent Roy Romer and the LAUSD Board of Education. [8] [9] In 2004, more than half of the buildings were demolished in light of the earthquake fault. [9] Construction was restarted in 2006, necessitating the demolition of some of the already completed classroom buildings and administration building. [8] The total cost for the school was estimated to be around $400 million. [9]

Edward R. Roybal (1916-2005), whom the school was renamed after in 2008. Edward R Roybal.jpg
Edward R. Roybal (1916–2005), whom the school was renamed after in 2008.

On March 25, 2008, the LAUSD Board of Education voted to rename the Vista Hermosa Learning Center to the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, honoring former city councilman and Congressman Edward R. Roybal, who represented the area where the school is situated. [10] On July 19, 2008, Vista Hermosa Park opened its doors before the fall opening of Roybal Learning Center, with an opening-day celebration that featured Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Supervisor Gloria Molina. [11] [12] On September 3, 2008, Roybal Learning Center opened for 2,400 students, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held the day before. [13] [14] [15]

Academics and programs

The Roybal Learning Center opened with four small learning communities—the International School of Languages (ISL), the Activists for Educational Empowerment (AEE), the Business and Finance Academy (BFA), and the Computer Science Academy (CSA)—as well as two independent pilot schools—Civitas School of Leadership and the School for Visual Arts and Humanities. [14] The school later replaced ISL with the Academy for Social Work and Child Development (SWCD) and renamed the Activists for Educational Empowerment to Academy of Educational Empowerment. Each Academy has its own purpose and different techniques of teaching: BFA is more about involving students with the business atmosphere; SWCD trains students for jobs in the fields of social work and child development; CSA is about involving students with the computer atmosphere; and AEE provides their students with a sense of empowerment and helps them get involved.

In 2021, a new magnet school called the Roybal School of Film and Television Production opened on campus, with the support of high-profile celebrities such as George Clooney, Mindy Kaling, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria and Don Cheadle. [16]

Schools housed alongside Roybal

Current schools

Former schools

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Pedro, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

San Pedro is a neighborhood located within the South Bay and Harbor region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located within San Pedro. The district has grown from being dominated by the fishing industry, to a working-class community within the city of Los Angeles, to an increasingly dense and diverse community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westchester, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in the United States

Westchester is a neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles and the South Bay Region of Los Angeles County, California, United States.

Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets (WESM) is a magnet high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, West Region. It is located in Westchester, a neighborhood adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport and bordered by Playa Vista to the north, Inglewood to the east, El Segundo to the south, and Playa del Rey to the west. Until the 2010–11 school year, the school was a comprehensive high school known as Westchester High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont High School (Los Angeles)</span> School in Los Angeles, California

Belmont Senior High School is a public high school located at 1575 West 2nd Street in the Westlake community of Los Angeles, California. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hollywood High School</span> Public school in North Hollywood, California, United States

North Hollywood High School (NHHS) is a public high school in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is in the San Fernando Valley and enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Several neighborhoods, including most of North Hollywood, Valley Village, Studio City and Sun Valley, send students to it. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Its principal is Ricardo Rosales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venice High School (Los Angeles)</span> School in Venice, Los Angeles, California, United States

Venice High School (VHS) is a public school located in the Westside area of Los Angeles, California and within the Local District West area of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Hermosa may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miguel Contreras Learning Complex</span> Public school

Miguel Contreras Learning Complex (MCLC) is a high school in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States.

James Monroe High School (JMHS), at 9229 Haskell Avenue in North Hills, California, is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is home to Small Learning Communities (SLCs) and two magnet schools. Its mascot is the Viking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Magnets High School</span> School in Los Angeles, California, United States

Downtown Magnets High School (DMHS) is an alternate magnet high school located in the Temple-Beaudry neighborhood near Downtown Los Angeles. The school belongs to the Downtown/MacArthur Park Community of Schools and houses three magnet programs: Business (DBM), and Electronic Information (EIM), and the International Baccalaureate (IB). The three magnets combined hold a total student population of approximately 1,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Street (Los Angeles)</span> Street in Los Angeles, California, United States

Temple Street is a street in the City of Los Angeles, California. The street is an east-west thoroughfare that runs through Downtown Los Angeles parallel to the Hollywood Freeway between Virgil Avenue past Alameda Street to the banks of the Los Angeles River. It was developed as a simple one-block long lane by Jonathan Temple, a mid-19th Century Los Angeles cattle rancher and merchant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phineas Banning High School</span> Public school in Wilmington, California, United States

Phineas Banning High School is located in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, and is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies</span> Public, magnet, college-prep school in Los Angeles, California, United States

The Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies is a public university preparatory secondary school located on 18th Street between La Cienega Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in the Faircrest Heights district of Los Angeles, California, on the former site of Louis Pasteur Middle School.

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in the United States, with only the New York City Department of Education having a larger student population. During the 2022–2023 school year, LAUSD served 565,479 students, including 11,795 early childhood education students and 27,740 adult students. During the same school year, it had 24,769 teachers and 49,231 other employees. It is the second largest employer in Los Angeles County after the county government. The school district's budget for the 2021–2022 school year was $10.7 billion, increasing to $12.6 billion for the 2022–2023 school year.

The LAMDL, a non-profit organization, is devoted to bringing debate to urban high schools in the Los Angeles area. The LAMDL is part of a “public-private” partnership, relying on financial contributions from private sources and collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District (“LAUSD”). LAMDL also works closely with the University of Southern California. Currently, ten high schools are active in the LAMDL. The LAMDL is associated with the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (“NAUDL”).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community Magnet Charter School</span> Magnet school in Los Angeles, California, United States

Community Magnet Charter School (CMCS) is a magnet primary school of the Los Angeles Unified School District, located in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California. It was previously located on the property of the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in Mid-City. Community is among the oldest magnet schools in LAUSD. It is racially and ethnically diverse, and its students consistently receive among the highest scores in standardized testing within LAUSD. In 1999 Martha Groves of the Los Angeles Times said that Community was a "high-achieving, innovative elementary school." In 2002 Carol Lynn Mithers, a writer and a parent of a Community magnet student, said in a Los Angeles Times opinion column that the school "is one of the district's jewels." The school also serves as one of two meeting places for the Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CIF Los Angeles City Section</span>

The CIF Los Angeles City Section (CIF-LA) is the governing body of high school athletics for public schools in the city of Los Angeles and some surrounding communities. All of these schools were once associated with the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is one of ten sections that constitute the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School</span> Magnet, public school in Los Angeles, California, United States

Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School is an alternate magnet high school located in the Historic South Central neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. The school is located near the Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital on the property donated by the hospital. The school houses approximately 800 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vista Hermosa Natural Park</span>

The Vista Hermosa Natural Park is an urban public park located in Echo Park, Los Angeles, immediately west of Civic Center, Los Angeles. Vista Hermosa Natural Park sits on a former oil field of 10.5 acres (4.2 ha), bounded by Toluca Street and West 1st Street, Los Angeles. During construction, the polluted topsoil was removed and replaced, and a ventilation system was installed to control the flow of dangerous gases. The park includes walking trails, streams, meadows, oak savannahs, picnic grounds, a nature-themed playground, and a soccer field.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Edward R. Roybal Learning Center". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  2. Smith, Robert (October 20, 1999). "Belmont Learning Center". National Public Radio .
  3. Purdum, Todd S. (July 28, 1999). "A $200 Million School That May Never Open". The New York Times .
  4. Guzman, Richard. "Finally, a Class Act". Los Angeles Daily News .
  5. Pyle, Amy (August 6, 1996). "Despite Funding Questions, Board Moves to Build Belmont Learning Center". Los Angeles Times .
  6. Hoag, Christina (September 5, 2008). "Long-awaited school finally opens in L.A." SFGATE .
  7. Pollock, Danny (December 4, 2002). "Quake Fault Found Under L.A. School". SFGATE .
  8. 1 2 "A New Start. Finally". The Architect's Newspaper . September 5, 2008.
  9. 1 2 3 "A $400 million lesson". Press-Telegram . April 10, 2008.
  10. Blume, Howard (August 10, 2008). "New name, new life for Belmont school". Los Angeles Times .
  11. "Opening Set for Vista Hermosa Park". Los Angeles Downtown News . July 7, 2008.
  12. Watanabe, Teresa (July 20, 1998). "New park a sight for sore eyes". Los Angeles Times .
  13. "School starts today for LAUSD students". Daily Breeze . September 3, 2008.
  14. 1 2 3 4 William-Ross, Lindsay (October 18, 2008). "The Most Expensive High School in LA's History Finally Opens". LAist .
  15. Vaillancourt, Ryan (September 8, 2008). "First Day, Few Jitters". Los Angeles Downtown News .
  16. Tso, Phoenix (June 21, 2021). "LAUSD Forms A New Magnet School To Train Hollywood Hopefuls". LAist .
  17. "Farewell DMHS Campus". Downtown Magnets. June 6, 2022.
  18. Lee, Wendy (September 12, 2022). "Why George Clooney pushed for a new L.A. public school to train movie and TV crews". Los Angeles Times .

Bibliography

34°3′39″N118°15′16″W / 34.06083°N 118.25444°W / 34.06083; -118.25444