Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

New Charter Middle School Opens August 27

City School, a new tuition-free public charter school located on Robertson Blvd, will open its doors to a slew of 6-8th graders later this month with the aim to nurture “good kids with great minds.” With a focus on civic responsibility, public speaking, and the written word, City School is geared up to begin classes on August 27th. The school still has a few spaces available for 6th and 7th graders for the 2012-13 school year and an open house for prospective families is scheduled for this Thursday, August 23rd  5-7 pm at the school, 1518 S. Robertson Blvd, just south of Pico Blvd.

With a dearth of viable public Middle School options for students in the area, a group of education activists took it upon themselves to build a new Charter school not far from the Larchmont area. A key founder of the school, Rossmore Blvd resident Lindsay Sturman, was integral to the founding of the Larchmont Charter School. “Families have re-discovered Larchmont as an amazing neighborhood to raise kids,” said Sturman. “Ten years ago, there were very few great public school options — and now there are several, but most have long wait lists.  From conversations I’ve had with parents, there is still a need for more great public school options.”

The mission of City School will be to nurture students to engage, argue, and question – all with a good dose of poise, dignity and respect. City School’s website details the goals of the academic program, which will include an extensive Debate and Writing program (learning to “stand up and make an argument and write it down persuasively”) and an Arts and Enrichment program that includes art, music, dance, PE (down the street and a green park) and a community garden. The school is based on the constructivism model of learning where children learn actively through projects and problem-solving, rather than by rote memorization.

The City School will start with grades 6 and 7 this year, adding a grade each year to eventually become a 6-12 school. Class size is 14-24 students per class, with a total of 120 students per grade for middle school. Foreign language classes will be held four times a week, with Spanish, Hebrew, Mandarin and Korean languages being offered. City School is five miles southwest of the Larchmont Blvd, so many local Hancock Park area students have signed up.

“Larchmont is an amazing community – and community is one of the most important aspects of a great school,” noted Sturman. “It’s not surprising to me that Larchmont has been the birthplace of so many incredible endeavors – many of which have become LA institutions.”

City School Open House for incoming 6-7th graders
Thursday, Aug 23, 5-7 pm
1518 S Robertson Blvd (south of Pico)
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Julie Grist
Julie Grist
Julie co-founded the Larchmont Buzz with fellow buzzer Mary Hawley in 2011 and served as Editor, Publisher and writer for the hive for many years until the sale of the Buzz in August 2015. She is still circling the hive as an occasional writer.

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