Photo: Nora Camargo / Courtesy
Since Nora Camargo’s three children entered kindergarten they have attended charter schools. One of them recently graduated from high school and the other two are studying degrees 11 and 03 at Russell Westbrook School, which is part of the LA Promise Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving student academic and career achievement.
The mother of the family assured that sending her children to charter schools has been one of the best decisions she has made. As a child she attended public schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in South Central Los Angeles and experienced the lack of attention students receive.
Until a year ago, her children attended another charter school but it closed and they were sent to Russell Westbrook. She said that from the moment she arrived at the parent orientation she was shocked.
“The team they have is very solid, they work very well, they pay a lot of attention to the students, they discipline them,” said Camargo.
She added that she also appreciates that charter schools require students to wear a uniform. This, in her opinion, reduces bullying as children are not questioning each other because they dress a certain way or wear certain brands.
“When it’s a uniform, all children are the same,” said Camargo. “The school stands out and I like that.”
Additionally, he indicated that one of his children is part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). which is offered for students with learning needs.
“When a child has an IEP, the school looks for strategies so that the student benefits of the help they are giving him… My oldest son also received an IEP and graduated with honors”, said the mother of the family.
He said that what he likes most is that the teachers work for the success of the students without going overboard. They go at the student’s pace which allows them to learn better without feeling overwhelmed.
Veronica Melvin, president of the LA Promise Fund, said the organization runs two Russell Westbrook schools, a middle school and a high school, serving students in south and southeast Los Angeles. .
Approximately 77% of the student population is Latino and the LA Promise Fund makes sure to motivate students to be academic achievers, athletes and activists.
“We also have a professional approach because we strongly believe in hands-on learning and project-based learning, which is why we want to emphasize film and digital media arts as a career exposure for students,” explained Melvin.
Knowing your talents
Ms. a Olga Rodríguez, who has a daughter in the eighth grade, said that she is very happy that her daughter attends LA Promise Fund schools because she has seen how the teachers offer support and dedication to the students.
“I also like that they are bilingual and just as someone who doesn’t speak English feels good that we don’t have to look for someone to translate for us,” Rodríguez said.
Mother A family member said that her daughter started attending the charter school starting in the sixth grade. At that time the girl was shy but she began to get involved in extracurricular activities including the cheerleading group.
“She was very pleased because she saw that there is a lot of support and today that she is in grade 8 she is also in volleyball”, said the mother of the family.
Rodríguez said that the school also offers a lot of help for parents with presentations with health experts, education experts and some parents have even had the opportunity to visit universities with their children to get to know the environment of higher education.
“They have taken us and that it motivates us more because we already know what our children are talking about,” said Rodríguez, who was a volunteer mother at the school until the covid pandemic arrived-11.
During these difficult times the school has not left the most needy families alone and has commissioned to offer them weekly pantries so that they can have food at home.
Those interested in learning more about the LA Promise Fund and the opportunities it offers its students visit: https://www.lapromisefund.org/whynotacademy-enroll/.