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A Message from Principal Truscott Booster Club News Melrose Trading Post Links |
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Fairfax Adult School Prop BB Improvements Why Go to Fairfax High? |
| A Message from Principal Truscott | |
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On May 22, 1999, Fairfax High School will officially celebrate its 75th Diamond Anniversary. This will be a celebration of the past and a pep rally for the future. The spirit of the school's commitment to excellence is alive and well today. Despite the challenge public schools are confronted with today, Fairfax High School continues to be a vital educational institution in the community. The faculty, staff and school community members have committed themselves to providing students with an educational program that will prepare them to become literate, productive and contributing citizens in our society. In 1994, Fairfax High School developed and implemented a five-year school plan. This plan serves as the compass for the school and assists with keeping the school community focused on and meeting the goals set forth in the school-wide plan. I am very pleased to report that Fairfax High School is on course. We are in our fourth year of reform and restructuring and I would like to take a moment to highlight a few of the many wonderful things that are happening at Fairfax today:
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| Partnerships have been developed with the Getty Educational Institute. Fairfax and seven other schools in the Fairfax Complex will develop curriculum to integrate art in all subject areas. This curriculum will be used as a model in schools throughout the nation. | Fairfax is working with UCLA and the MESA Program. This is a program to get underrepresented students more involved in the field of math, engineering and applied science. Students are actively engaged in activities sponsored by UCLA and work with mentors to encourage and nurture their interests in these fields. |
| Cedars-Sinai Hospital has developed a Health Careers Academy. Fairfax students are partnered with hospital personnel and are introduced and trained in the various professions involved in running a successful medical center. This program is very successful and is used as a nationwide model for other medical institutions. | 
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I have only highlighted a few of the many wonderful things that are happening at Fairfax today. These programs are but a few examples of how the faculty and staff continue to refine and create meaningful curriculum for the diverse student body it serves. Our mission statement states that "Fairfax High School is a community of learners committed to valuing individual potential, developing responsible citizens, and ensuring success for all. "I believe that this has always been the goal of Fairfax High School. So, please join us on May 22, 1999. Your attendance and continued support of Fairfax High School on this very special day would be appreciated. Carol Truscott is a native of California. She grew up and attended school in Compton. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in business education from Woodbury College and a Master of Arts degree in secondary education from California State University, Los Angeles. She has held a variety of teaching and administrative positions in Los Angeles Unified School District before receiving her assignment as the first female principal to Fairfax High School in September, 1994. | |
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| Proposition BB Improvements | |
| Fairfax High School is undergoing renovation and repairs funded by Proposition BB, a school bond measure that is providing $2,400,000,000 for repairs of old schools and the construction of new ones. According to the contract with the Board of Education, an estimated three million dollars are being spent on the Fairfax campus. | |
So much work was planned during the summer that regular summer school classes were held at Bancroft Middle School. So far, improvements to the Fairfax campus have included the following: air conditioning of all classrooms and the auditorium, replacement of deteriorating concrete, installation of high voltage cables, replacement of exterior doors and casements, and installing chain link fencing
Work that is yet to be completed include replacement of obsolete lighting; the renovation and reroofing of the auditorium; replacing bleachers and gym lockers; and painting of all classrooms and exterior walls. In addition, classrooms will be networked for computers and new security alarm and intercom systems for emergency communication will be installed.
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| Fairfax Adult School: Learn to Speak Another Language | ||||
| CONVERSATIONAL SPANISH | ||||
| Beg. | M | 12-2:45 pm | Park La Brea | 351 S. Fuller |
| Beg. | F | 9-11:45 am | Park La Brea | 351 S. Fuller |
| Beg. | MW | 6:15-9 pm | Fairfax HS | 7850 Melrose |
| Int. | WF | 12-2:15 pm | Park La Brea | 386 S. Burnside |
| Int. | TTh | 6:15-9 pm | Fairfax HS | 7850 Melrose |
| CONVERSATIONAL FRENCH | ||||
| Beg. | T | 12-4:15 pm | Park La Brea | 351 S. Fuller |
| Int. | W | 12-4:15 pm | Park La Brea | 351 S. Fuller |
| CONVERSATIONAL HEBREW | ||||
| Beg. | M | 12:30-3:45 pm | Temple Beth El | Library |
| Int. | MW | 8:45 am-12:00 pm | Temple Beth El | Library |
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| Booster Club News | |
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Booster Club Builds School Funds, Reputation by Marie Kim Fairfax High School Student Two members of the New Attitude Productions Theater Company and the Fairfax Parent Association Committee, Pierson Blaetz and Whitney Weston, started the Melrose Trading Post, a Booster club, in November, 1997, to help support clubs and student organizations at Fairfax High School. |
The Melrose Trading Post, an antiques and collectibles market held at the school's parking lot on Sundays from 10 am-6 pm, carries sundry articles from vintage clothing to contemporary household products at bargain prices. "I love the market - - they have everything anybody can possibly think of," remarked Junior Christina Coffey. "I get all my accessories there." |
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ATTENTION SHOPPERS *GREAT DEALS* at  a fabulous outdoor market featuring unique antiques and affordable collectibles Every Sunday 10 am to 6 pm at Fairfax High School $2 - Adults $1 - Students & Seniors All proceeds go directly to Fairfax students & clubs. For more information call: (323) 655-7678 |
The Melrose Trading Post is an ongoing fundraiser that increases community involvement and alleviates monetary burdens for school clubs. Not only do all proceeds go directly to Fairfax students and clubs, but they also help extra co-curricular activities and fund projects that the school's budget cannot cover. Fairfax High School parents Jill Boyd and Maureen Barclift have also contributed greatly to the success of this club. The Melrose Trading Post has raised $50,000 already and continues to be a success. "The Melrose Trading Post is just the beginning of increased support for FAX students by the surrounding community," said founder Pierson Blaetz. |
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Weekly advertisements in flyers, newspapers, and street banners help increase participation of booth vendors and neighborhood shoppers. Providing funding for the Boys' Tennis Team uniforms, plane tickets for two national basketball tournaments, two Junior State of America debating conventions, ROTC camping trip supplies, three full scholarships for Washington D.C.'s "Close-Up" trip, books for the Academic Decathlon and Science team, four college scholarships for seniors, Best Buddies field trips, 1998 Graduation, and Christmas dinners for ten families are some of the ways the members of the Booster Club have contributed to Fairfax. Whitney Weston succinctly remarked, "It's about time that the neighborhood really sees how great Fairfax High School students are." The Booster club has directly affected FAX students in many positive ways and continues to build the school's reputation in the community. | |
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| Links | |
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LAUSD/Fairfax High School Home Page Information about Fairfax HS, Fairfax Magnet Center for Visual Arts, Fairfax Community Adult School, Faculty Pages, Alumni Pages, Calendar, & Links. www.FairfaxLA.com A Guide to Mid-City Los Angeles brings together internet resources of this rich community in one place to present another picture of Los Angeles to the world. |
| Why Go to Fairfax High? by Penny Atkinson Horstman | |
As part of the 1998 Los Angeles dialogue on race relations, I'd like to deal with a question that my husband and I are often asked: "Why do you send your kids to Fairfax High?" My question back is: "Why won't you send your kids there?"Is this a racial issue? After all, the American dream is about getting a good job, moving into a nice neighborhood and sending your kids to great schools- - the kind of schools with strong test scores, winning sports teams, active parents and numerous clubs, activities and enrichment programs. Often that means a white school. My husband and I are products of that American dream, growing up in suburbia with wonderful memories of school dances, pep rallies, night football games, a school newspaper and all the committees of kids who worked together to make these events happen. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream also. We were affected greatly by his message in our college years. Along with many of our generation, we dreamed of a world where race was no longer a divisive factor. We vowed to support public schools and never send our children to private - - or equally elitist - - suburban white schools. Fairfax High has given us the chance to keep that vow. At one time, Fairfax High's students population was overwhelmingly Jewish and the school had an excellent academic standing in the city. Certainly, we knew our neighborhood was predominantly Jewish when we bought our home in 1974, and we enjoyed our status as the "different" family on the block.  By 1986, when our first child started Fairfax High, we found the school to be a natural urban mix of races and languages. Our son walked to school with several friends from his childhood, played on the baseball team and made new friends of all colors and nationalities.Five years later, our second child started Fairfax. By this time, the neighbor kids had found other schools to attend. Magnet schools were a big factor in the sudden drop of neighborhood attendance. But what sent them on those long bus rides? I wanted to blame it on racism, but a magnet school, by definition, must be racially balanced - - that can mean no less than 30% white: In a school district that is 12% white overall, a magnet school can look like white suburbia. Fairfax lost large numbers of its white population and several of its top teachers to magnet schools. By the time our third child started Fairfax, the school also had lost many of the activities we expect to see in a high school. There was no band or orchestra, no chorus, no drill team or half-time shows at football games, no newspaper, no musical productions. There was only one school dance all year. The football and baseball programs were weakened. the audiences at drama productions and sporting events were almost non-existent. Test scores hit an all-time low. Why had all the activities suffered? Were the children attending Fairfax now somehow different kids who didn't like sports, dances? Or were they too poor to stay after school? Or did the district and administration give up when the active, educated, middle-class parents took their children elsewhere? We agonized over the right thing to do: Send our third child to Fairfax or to a nearby magnet school with more going for it? Our older children were polled and their answers were enthusiastic votes for Fairfax High. Both felt their academic preparation for college (UC Riverside and UC Davis) was excellent and their multiethnic experiences and friendships were infinitely richer than those of their college friends. Today, Fairfax is 46% Latino, 21% black, 12% Asian, 2% Filipino and 19% other/white. The white population consists mainly of immigrants from Russia and Israel, and language can be more of a barrier than race. This third child of ours has found many new friends and groups to take part in. The current administration has reinstituted a small band and chorus and other improvements. Proposition BB is helping restore the buildings and landscaping. A new independent parent group has been formed and raises money for programs that cannot support themselves. There is this wonderful, rich diversity socially and now this feeling of renewal in the school. So neighbors, come and look at Fairfax High. Why don't you send your kids there? Penny Atkinson Horstmann is a teacher in North Hollywood. |
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