Numerous installments of this column over the years have stressed the importance of public education—particularly in the arts and the high-tech sector—as it relates to helping to create a viable workforce for the new millennium. So it’s with considerable pleasure that we report on Cleveland High School, Reseda, Calif., which now has a Media Academy up and running.
Back in 1996, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the region’s entertainment industry, and Workforce LA, an organization dedicated to bringing real world experiences to high school teaching and learning, formed a partnership to improve secondary school education for thousands of Los Angeles students. One such program is the formation of Media Academies at different schools throughout the Southland. A prime sponsor is the Entertainment Industry Development Corp. (EIDC), perhaps best known as the entity overseeing the joint Los Angeles City/ County Film Office. But the EIDC is also involved in several initiatives, including the Media Academies, which are designed to groom young talent for varied industry capacities spanning production, postproduction, visual effects and audio.
Media Academies are up and running in several inner city Los Angeles high schools, as well in Hollywood, Tujunga and Pacific Palisades. Some $1.6 million was put into the remodeling of Cleveland High School to set up a Hollywood-style studio where the school metal shop used to be. Students can access high-tech/new-media resources and—just as importantly—creative professionals who can offer their expertise to educate, nurture and mentor promising students. And the education goes beyond the entertainment industry; traditional subjects are also taught with a focus on real-world applications.
Barry Sanders, co-chairman of Workforce LA, described the Cleveland High School Media Academy as being "a model for 21st century schooling. But its real value will be the experiences the students have inside, and the opportunity to interface with creative professionals. He and other sponsor representatives—including Kathleen Milnes, the EIDC’s senior VP, workforce & economic development, stressed the importance of establishing and then sustaining a connection among students, teachers and experts from the professional world.
The transformation of a metal shop to a Media Academy was made possible through a connection among the LAUSD, Workforce LA and architecture firms Berliner Architects and Gensler, both designers of creative production spaces for some of Hollywood’s major studios.
Of the Cleveland High School Media Academy, Richard Berliner, CEO of Berliner Architects, observed, "It’s a fantastic studio. The kids deserve this." He views this learning environment as a place where students will learn in the same ways that creative professionals learn. "They’ll try out their ideas, check them out with their classmates, make changes and show them to real filmmakers and get their feedback," Berliner noted. "We created a place where learning will be personal and social."
Speaking to parents, students and the public at large at the studio’s grand opening, Al Weiner, principal of Cleveland High School, related, "Schools used to send students to one corner of the campus to learn history, another to study art, and then to a place like this to learn a trade. These students are already spending lots of time here, during and after school, and they’re exploring many of their other subjects through visual and electronic communication."
"By configuring this space, we were able to create a learning environment that is conducive to hands-on experience," said LAUSD superintendent Roy Romer, who added, "Students are now able to learn first hand what it takes to work with these forms of media and get real work experience. And that can only benefit our students."
