Making Dreams Real

Wow. Today was the grand opening celebration for The Accelerated School’s partners and donors. There has been so much preparation for this event, and dressing the campus up to look as nice as possible for al the people who have in some way made it possible, including a few others who took the opportunity to look good politically by saying a few words.

After we ushered our class into the gym and sat down (the kids all had a TAS word search to keep them occupied) it became apparent that this was the place to be, politically speaking, in the State of California. Governor Arnold and LA Mayor Hahn were there, as was Jan Perry, who represents that district of South LA. Also there was Richard Riordan, former mayor of LA and current State Secretary of Education. There were also a number of billionaires—among them, Wallis Annenberg, of the Annenberg Foundation, whose donation of $10 Million made it possible for our founders and principals Jonathan Williams and Kevin Sved to realize their dream of building a charter school in South LA.

There were a few themes that stuck out to me during the speeches. First of all, there was the theme of TAS as being the realization of a dream 10 years in the making. Everyone who spoke made the point that this was a vision that began with Jonathan and Kevin, but became the vision of others who generously contributed to its realization. I was actually impressed with the partnership between rich and poor that this school represents. Not that the billionaires and politicians are in touch with the poor community this school serves, but their generosity has allowed there to be not only a school, but TAS is also a public library, a fitness center, a professional development center, a health clinic, adult education, a pre-school, a Charter Dual Language immersion elementary school—all in an amazing, towering state of the art campus. It is rare that something like this happens.

It was interesting to learn a little bit about the history of the dream, and how the school, in the last 10 years, has really transformed the community. 10 years ago, the land in South LA that the new campus now sits on was the property of Carol Little and Leonard Rabinowitz, multi-millionaire fashion designers who owned a textile factory on the site. They said that they grew to love the community and when it came time for them to move their factory, they decided to give the land of the old factory to Jonathan and Kevin , along with $5 million to invest in making a new school. Over the years, these men and their vision attracted the attention of many other foundations and corporations, including The Annenberg, and Wells Fargo, which have given in the tens of millions of dollars.

Jonathan Williams said that part of his vision was to have a school that participated in the economic and social development of the community. This really stuck out to me. Also powerful was the speech of a 10th grader, Genesis Contreras, who articulated beautifully what the school has meant to her and her community.

The Governator and Mayor Hahn also spoke—about how they are committed to better schools and children are the future and all that….Politricks.

Another thing that stuck out was Councilwoman Jan Perry’s remarks about the recent violence at Jefferson High, which is in the same neighborhood as TAS, and how we hope to see TAS be an example in reconciliation and peace- and that it already has been.

Overall, a pretty momentous day…..but a day of ceremony and show. The real value of the school of course is in the teachers and children and the work they do every day, no matter how big and beautiful the campus is.
I am blessed to be a part of this place.