- Daniel Pearl Magnet High School
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Coordinates: 34°11′27″N 118°30′06″W / 34.190972°N 118.501578°W
Daniel Pearl Magnet High School 
Non multa sed multum (Not many but mighty)Location Lake Balboa, Los Angeles, California Information Type Public Magnet School Established 2009 School district Los Angeles Unified School District Principal Janet Kiddoo Staff 3 Faculty 15 Grades 9-12 Enrollment 330 Color(s) Turquoise & Black Mascot Shark Magnet Coordinator Laverne Potter Website Official website Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) is a magnet school within the Los Angeles Unified School District in Lake Balboa, Los Angeles, California,[1][2] near Van Nuys,[3] in the San Fernando Valley.
It is the smallest high school in LAUSD.[citation needed] The high school offers a complete academic program, with an emphasis on journalism and communications.
Contents
History
The school started as a part of Birmingham High School in 1995[citation needed]. In May, 2007, the Magnet was renamed. Its current name honors Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter killed by terrorists who was an alumnus of Birmingham High School.[3]
Prior to Pearl's separation from Birmingham, Birmingham became an independent charter school within LAUSD. About 66% of the faculty members of the school supported it. Because of the divisions within teachers and other staff members, the faculty and staff of the magnet program received permission from LAUSD to split from Birmingham. In 2009, DPMHS was formed as an independent high school on the Birmingham campus. Connie Llanos of the Los Angeles Daily News said that Pearl "got off to a rocky start." During the first year as a standalone school, one third of the students left. Some left due to conflicts with Birmingham staff and students; some Birmingham students and staff members tormented Pearl students. Some left because Pearl was so small; they wanted a more comprehensive high school experience.[3]
DPMHS showed academic prowess as a standalone school. In the Spring 2011 semester, 94% of the tenth grade students passed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) on the first attempt. It is one of the highest passing rates of the rates of the high schools within the district. As of 2011 the school has an 80% graduation rate, while the average LAUSD graduation rate is 56%. In addition, 72% of the Pearl classes meet university entrance requirements.[3]
In 2010 Pearl moved into a former special education center adjacent to Birmingham.[3] Its current location is made up of the last buildings remaining from Birmingham General Hospital; the site had previously been occupied by West Valley School since 1970.[citation needed] During that year the school had 313 students, while it had a capacity of 500. Pearl is among the smallest high schools in the LAUSD. Most classes had 30 or less students, and some classes had 12 students each. Many LAUSD high schools have classes of 40 students. The school expected its enrollment to increase by 30% in the Fall 2011 semester.[3]
Academics
DPMHS offers a complete college preparation program, with 72% of the courses offered meeting entrance requirements of the University of California [4].
The school had a 94% pass rate for the 2011 CAHSEE, the third highest in LAUSD[5]. In addition, it had an API Score of 803 [6] for the 2010-2011 academic year.At the June, 2010 graduation, 65 of 68 seniors graduated, which gave the school a 95.5% pass rate, compared to 53% for LAUSD[7]. For the June, 2011 graduation, 59 of 61 seniors will graduate, which will be a 96.7% pass rate.
All areas of academic classes are offered at DPMHS:
- Mathematics
- Algebra I
- Geometry
- Algebra II
- Trigonometry
- AP Calculus
- English
- Composition
- American Literature
- World Literature
- AP English Literature
- AP English Language
- Social Sciences
- World History
- Geography
- US History
- Government
- Economics
- Modern Languages
- Spanish
- Spanish for Spanish Speakers
- Science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Anatomy & Physiology
- AP Biology
- Journalism
- Journalism
- Newspaper
- Yearbook
- Media
- Video Production
- Film Making
- Music
- Choir
- Guitar
- Athletics
- Physical Education
- Sports (at Birmingham High School)
Publications
The Pearl Post is the student newspaper published at DPMHS.
Houses
In the Spring 2011 semester, Houses were introduced as a part of the school culture. The houses are named after famous journalists. Members of the Houses are awarded House Points for academic, athletic, or service achievements; points are deducted for infractions such as tardiness, missing homework, or violation of class or school rules. All of the Houses compete for the House Cup, which is awarded at an annual Banquet at the end of the school year.
Houses at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School Name Namesake Colors Symbol Clemens House Samuel Clemens black and gold Ship's Wheel Hersey House John Hersey red and gold Sunburst Higgins House Marguerite Higgins blue and silver Griffin Salazar House Ruben Salazar green and silver Castle Tower The House of the Year for 2010-2011 was Salazar House.
References
- ^ Map. Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "Home." Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. Retrieved on September 1, 2011. "6649 Balboa Blvd., Van Nuys, California 91406-5529"
- ^ a b c d e f Llanos, Connie. "Daniel Pearl Magnet High School small but mighty." Los Angeles Daily News. August 19, 2011. Retrieved on September 1, 2011.
- ^ Llanos, Connie (10 May 2011). "Many students failing college prep courses". Los Angeles Daily News. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18037782?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "Appendix B". CAHSEE Pass Rates for Current 12th, 11th and 10th Graders, as of the March 2011 Administration. LAUSD Office of Data and Accountability. http://notebook.lausd.net/pls/ptl/docs/PAGE/CA_LAUSD/FLDR_LAUSD_NEWS/FLDR_ANNOUNCEMENTS/ATTACH%20B%20CAHSEE%20GRADES%2010-12%20MARCH%202011.PDF.
- ^ California Department of Education. "2011 Gowth API Schools Report". Daniel Pearl Magnet High School. http://api.cde.ca.gov/Acnt2011/2011GrowthSch.aspx?allcds=19647330120360. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ Dobrer, Johnathan (26 September 2011). "Daniel Pearl Magnet High School: A Mighty Heart Leaves A Mighty Legacy". Los Angeles Daily News. http://www.insidesocal.com/friendlyfire/2010/09/daniel-pearl-magnet-high-schoo.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
External links
Full Magnet schools Sherman Oaks CES · Daniel Pearl MagnetHigh schools Birmingham · Canoga Park · Chatsworth · Cleveland · Daniel Pearl Magnet · El Camino Real · Granada Hills · Kennedy · Monroe · Northridge Academy · Panorama · Reseda · TaftMiddle school Patrick Henry · MillikanElementary school Categories:- High schools in the San Fernando Valley
- Educational institutions established in 2009
- Los Angeles Unified School District schools
- High schools in Los Angeles, California
- Mathematics
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