Tonight on School Pride...
Our mission to restore pride and achievement
to America's schools
takes us to a middle school
that was doing so poorly
it was taken over by the mayor of Los Angeles.
The mayor of Los Angeles said, "I'm gonna take
a handful of schools and try to fix these schools up,"
but even the mayor needs help.
Since the mayor took over, academics have improved,
but the facilities are worse than ever.
He should be here getting dirty with us right now.
And I'm pissed because he's not here.
And when the mayor does show up at the school...
Mayor, thanks for coming. Thank you for having me.
He's forced to answer some tough questions.
Now that the exterior of the school is done,
what kind of commitment do we get from you
with the interior?
- Meanwhile, the seven-day clock is ticking away
on the biggest school renovation we've ever undertaken,
and we need to call in some local legends
to help us finish the job.
Championship gardening team right here.
You realize how lucky you are to have this school
rebuilt like this?
Four individuals from different walks of life
have come together
to help communities renovate their schools.
Are you ready?
Susie castillo, designer and former miss usa.
It's a proven fact that when children
have a better learning environment,
like what we're giving them,
test scores sky-rocket,
and they get better grades.
Jacob soboroff,
political journalist, determined to find out
why so many of our schools are on the brink of collapse.
I think that education in America's broken.
No teacher or no student should feel
like their school is a prison.
Kym whitley, comedian and former teacher.
If you can give a child a great beginning,
they could become anything.
And me, Tom stroup, team leader
and SWAT commander.
We're basically community organizers.
It's about going to a community,
helping the community help themselves.
This week, we're headed to hollenbeck middle school
in boyle heights, California.
Hey, what's up? My name's Danny,
and I'm in eighth grade.
And I'm Lauren. I'm also in eighth grade.
We love our community. We love our school.
But we need a lot of help.
A lot. Here. Come, let me show you.
Hollenbeck middle school is in east L.A.,
boyle heights, a really, really beautiful community.
Hollenbeck is a really good school.
But we just need big change here.
This is our outdoor eating area,
is our cafeteria.
Most of the students eat out here
and have lunch. It's horrible out here.
They're falling apart.
A lot of people actually come
and graffiti the school.
And, yeah, they try to cover it most of the time,
and it just doesn't match at all.
And it's actually pretty depressing.
It's just like a big, beige prison.
This is basically a computer junkyard.
They're not usable.
We really need new computers.
We really are in great need here.
We have a lot of great kids here,
a lot of great teachers,
but the school doesn't reflect that.
It's upsetting,
and it makes me very teary-eyed,
and it hurts me in the heart,
because they do have great potential.
And if we don't provide that for them,
then who else does?
Hollenbeck is a poor community.
It is a school with low test scores.
And the mayor offered to take over hollenbeck.
The mayor's partnership has helped with test scores.
However, where we haven't had enough help from the mayor
is in frastructure, better facilities,
up-to-date technologies.
In order for them to dream big,
we need to give them those tools as well.
Our school's good, but our buildings are failing.
Nbc, we need your help.
We really, really, really need your help.
Sync by mczolly www.addic7ed.com
[police sirens wail]
Here we come, hollenbeck.
Let me tell you something.
There are hundreds of schools in the lausd,
and some of these schools
are in really bad shape.
So the mayor of Los Angeles
said, "I'm gonna take a handful of schools,
"take 'em over with a non-profit group,
and try and fix these schools up."
But even the mayor needs help,
so we got to get in here
and we got to help hollenbeck
fix the problems that they've got.
- Yes. - Oh, we're here.
I think we're here.
This is a huge school.
Hollenbeck middle school, east L.A.,
here we come.
This is one of the largest schools
we've worked on yet.
And this school is old, and it's falling apart.
And we're here to help fix it.
[Fire alarm sounds]
- Hi. - Come on down!
Come on down! [overlapping shouting]
Come on down!
[Cheers]
This is not a fire.
We are the school pride team,
and we are here to help you
renovate your school.
[Cheers]
Where's Lauren? Right here.
Where's Danny?
We got your tape, and we think
your school needs a facelift.
[Cheers]
Hey, students, do you like the way your school looks now?
All: No!
Are you ready to renovate?
[Cheers]
- Okay. This is a seven-day clock.
And in seven days,
we're gonna totally renovate this school.
Are you ready to start this clock?
All: Yes!
Let's count down from ten. Ready?
All: Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
[Cheers and applause]
Let's go!
Now get back to those classrooms
and start packing those boxes.
We definitely need our makeover so we can
inspire students to want to come here every single day and say,
"oh, that's my school.
And look how cool it looks."
[Cheers and applause]
It's just such a joyous occasion
that there's not enough words to describe
how happy I am.
- Are you gonna help us out? - Yes.
- High five, bud. - I think it's about time.
This is something that our kids need,
something that's good coming out of this community,
and out of the city of Los Angeles
that people do care.
Come on, guys.
All right, everything needs to go.
Down and dirty, guys.
You can start taking some of those posters off.
Let's get a few more posters in this one.
You guys planning to move out?
No, I think what we're doing is we're planning to renovate.
[Laughter]
So this is your classroom then?
- This is my classroom. - And what do you teach?
History and leadership.
How many years have you been teaching here?
I've been here for seven years.
- Oh, no kidding. Wow. - Yeah.
I've been here for seven years.
This is my home. This is where my heart is.
I decided to be a teacher
because I wanted to give back
to the comnity
that's given so much to me and my family.
And I really wanted
to have an impact
with students and help be their advocate.
What challenge did you find teaching today's youth?
I would say getting them technology.
You know, these students
from this community need more access.
So, as a teacher, I should provide that access.
But, for me as a teacher, every year,
the money that I save up
to purchase some of these items,
and that's something I just... I can't do that.
So you spent your own money just to create
this environment for these children?
- Yes. - We have teachers
in a school that was taken over
by the mayor's partnership
that still have to spend their own money
just to insure a good teaching environment
for their students. Something's wrong with that.
So, Lauren, what is all of this?
What, I mean, what was this supposed to be?
All this stuff was supposed to be our garden area.
All this stuff. But I think
these bags has been here since last year.
Wow. So they just kind of left it here?
Yeah. We never really got it done.
Now what kind of a garden?
Well, I was hoping it would be a vegetable garden.
Because a vegetable garden, we can grow organic vegetables,
and we can have something healthier to eat.
I think, like, health awareness for students
is really important.
Yeah. Love you.
- [Giggles] - That's awesome.
My eyes just lit up,
because we can have an area where teachers can actually
teach about health and nutrition
and healthy recipes.
And that's an important part,
I think, of child development.
That is such a great idea.
And I am just so excited
that Lauren showed me the space.
- It's a big campus. - It sure is.
Mr. Rodriguez is a teacher at hollenbeck
who has taught here for 34 years,
and I figure there's no better person to ask
about what's going on here than him.
What's the biggest challenge for you
as a teacher at hollenbeck?
I don't think that we're funded properly
to give the resources.
Teachers put out a lot of money to buy those materials
and supplies to supplement some of the learning for the kids.
It's something that's not just here in L.A.
It's across the nation.
The way they put money into the war,
we need to put money... We have a war in education.
And we need to make sure that our troops,
which are our students,
are gonna be educated properly.
What have you seen or heard
about what the mayor's done here since he took over the school?
I was one of the forefronters to really get the faculty,
"let's give it a shot."
But as the years went by,
there's a big division in our faculty
that we're still questioning,
what has the partnership done?
My view for the partnership has changed.
I don't feel that it's done what it set out to do.
And right now, if we had to vote
on the partnership, I would vote no.
I want to make sure this week
that Mr. Rodriguez's questions
about the mayor's partnership are answered
and that he feels like he's able to get all of the help
that he needs in teaching his students.
Hollenbeck middle school, all right.
It's a big school.
We got a big laundry list of stuff.
So, susie, what do you have in mind?
One of the things that I want to do for the kids here,
I think it would be so much fun,
is to give them a teaching garden
where the kids and the teachers can grow
their own organic fruits and vegetables.
Eating right is something super important.
Yes.
And I think we should start it
right here in hollenbeck. Exactly.
And I want to focus on some of the exterior landscaping.
In conjunction with your garden,
I think it'll really tie it all together.
And one other thing I want to do,
Mr. legaspi's classroom.
This guy teaches leadership.
He's one of the most popular teachers in school.
And I want a chance to do a classroom.
- Done deal. - Done and done.
Well, I'm interested in the cafeteria area.
You know, the kids eat outside.
I want to do something to brighten that up.
Awesome, Jacob, I know that you have
some pet project that you're interested in.
What have you got? You know
this school was taken over
by the mayor of Los Angeles Antonio villaraigosa.
I think there's a lot of confusion in the community
about what h the mayor's partnership done.
Has it been effective? Has it not?
We need to get in touch with the mayor.
We need to get him down here
and say, "how do we keep this school
moving in the right direction?"
Awesome. Busy week. Let's get going.
- Let's go. - This school is crumbling.
These kids deserve better.
Life's tough enough.
Let's give them a chance, early on in life,
so they don't get discouraged later.
There you go. Thank you for coming, guys.
This is the biggest school we've ever done,
and we have a lot of work ahead of us.
We've got the field.
We've got the basketball courts.
We've got inside the building.
I mean, just the outside is gonna take
over 2,000 gallons of paint.
Daniel, what's going on, man?
All right. How are you today?
Very good, thank you.
Daniel works with west coast quality builders.
They're top of the line, and they are all volunteering
to give back to their community.
Do you live here?
Yes, I do. It's really amazing for me.
Just try to donate my time.
We try to give a bigger smile to the kids.
That way, they can do better, you know?
It's gonna be a dream come true.
Let's make everybody smile.
All right. Let's do it.
Hey. What's going on, Danny?
Just painting. Helping out.
Painting. All right.
So what made you send the tape in?
Oh, you know, I want to make it a better place
for everybody here, you know.
So you can just come and enjoy school.
Yeah. Being a former teacher
from Compton, I remember a lot of little Dannys.
And it is so frustrating
to see these bright students,
that they have to deal with these facilities.
It's unfair.
Have you always been this good?
Well, sixth grade was kind of hard.
I didn't really know what to expect,
and my grades were like... My grades weren't as good.
And then I was hanging out with a bad crowd.
- Uh-oh.
The first time I came to this school,
I was a sixth grader, and I was having trouble
with my grades, and then I met Mr. legaspi.
And he's helped me change, and he makes me a better person.
And he's made me a better kid.
So, you know, to me, he's actually very important.
My favorite teacher is Mr. legaspi.
I could say I look up to him a lot too.
He's a great leader.
I want to be a leader like him.
How are your grades now?
Way, way better.
- Really? - Yeah.
Well, good for you.
There's some beautiful trees
on this campus.
A lot of them are almost 100 years old.
But they need some tlc.
I need to get 'em pruned,
and I need to trim 'em up a little bit.
So I'm going to home depot
to buy some tools to help me with that job.
Hi. Welcome to home depot.
I'm Rick. How may I help you today?
Hey, Rick, I'm Tom.
We're redoing hollenbeck middle school.
I'm looking for a really good trimmer.
But it has to be something easy to use.
Actually, the one you have in your hand right now
is gonna be perfect for your project.
It's portable. It's lightweight.
It's also lithium-ion, which means it holds
about four times the charge and only charges in 45 minutes.
- I'll take it. - Great.
All right, let me grab this.
Home depot's really helping us out.
They're gonna give us blowers
and hedge trimmers
to really beautify this campus.
The cafeteria area needs a overhaul.
And I want to brighten the place up.
Let's give these kids a place to have lunch
and have good thoughts.
Just checking on the cafeteria,
seeing what we got going on here.
And this is kind of the basic layout
of what we're gonna be doing.
I run into Dallas, who iso ur muralist.
And we go through all of the different things
that he's going to paint on these mushroom-shaped awnings.
So we got to put all these pictures on there?
Yes. So each one of the pillars
is gonna kind of represent a different subject matter.
Subject. Okay.
So this one's sort of the arts and music culture pillar,
this one's kind of about healthy living and eating.
And this one's literature. - Mm-hmm.
And on the next page we have global culture,
science and math,
and then sports and fitness.
What made you pick these different things?
Well, it's all the elements that I think make up
a well-rounded student.
Good. All right. You're doing a great job.
So you've been part of the renovation,
you've been a part of the process
of making this school look, li, really fresh.
So now you see these new benches,
are you gonna be excited to eat?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
When I was in college, they talked
about vested interests, and, like, people
take care of it because they have a vested interest.
Do you feel like you have more of a vested interest
because you put this together? Of course.
I think this is a great community project.
To know that you can call on your fellow neighbors
like, you know, come out and help out.
It's actually gonna be really cool just to know
that I helped out and just came out here.
It's actually gonna make me feel really proud.
These are tomorrow's leaders,
Danny and Lauren.
These are two students
who got bold for their community and said,
"you can't hold us back."
You're aba, right?
- Yes, I am. - I'm Jacob.
Hi, Jacob. Nice meeting you.
This school has very involved parents,
and I want to talk to them about whether or not
the mayor's partnership is working.
Did you grow up in boyle heights?
Yes, born and raised.
- Did you go to school here? - Yes, I did.
So this wasn't just your place
of your childhood.
This is still your home. This is still my home.
This community is a family.
Yes, we have a lot of trouble,
but, by the same token, we have a lot of greatness
in this community that a lot of people don't get to see.
How important is this school
to this neighborhood?
Very important. It's very crucial.
This is where our kids where will either make it
or drop out.
And if they drop out,
what happens?
They end up on the street.
They end up joining gangs.
They end up using drugs.
Or they end up dead.
And it's really important
that we try to improve this school.
We need our kids to be very proud
of where they belong or where they're coming to school.
And environment plays a very major or an important role
in their education, of how you feel about your school,
your self-esteem.
Has villaraigosa changed this place
since the partnership took over? Not at all.
So what do you need the mayor to do?
Money. Material.
Teacher support.
Don't come and shake hands and show your smiles
when there's media or celebrities.
But come over here and show that you really care.
This is where he grew up.
These are the schools that he attended.
If I see the mayor, what can I tell him
about how the parents feel? He should be here
getting dirty with us right now.
And I'm pissed because he's not here.
And I'm upset because the alliance is not here.
And I'm upset because our councilman is not here.
He needs to be here. This is their community.
They are the leaders that we voted into our city,
and they're not here. Where is everybody?
That's what I want to know. I don't know.
You tell me. 'Cause I want to know.
But what counts is that we're here,
the community's here,
parents are here,
grandparents are here, teachers are here.
What's going on here is because of us, the community.
There is a lot of skepticism
about why the test scores are up
here at hollenbeck
and why the facilities are the way they are.
There's one person
that can answer that question frankly.
That's the mayor of Los Angeles,
Antonio villaraigosa.
All set?
It's day four, and we couldn't be happier
with the amazing outpour of volunteers.
There have been alumni, current students,
their parents, the teachers.
It was just what we needed.
When you talk about community service,
it doesn't get bigger than this.
There's classroom painting.
There's fieldwork.
There's recycling work.
So there's various projects going on
throughout the day.
All right. My southwest volunteers.
How are you guys? [cheers]
All right, I got some paint.
Who needs some paint?
We need more paint. Yeah.
Is this the first time that you guys have ever volunteered?
We do this kind of stuff pretty often.
I was actually born down the street from here.
And now you work for southwest?
Yeah. I'm an aircraft mechanic.
- That's cool. - Yeah. This is a good thing
we're doing here. It's a good cause.
And it's good for the neighborhood.
It's good for the kids.
It definitely will make a difference.
This shows them that they're not forgotten.
People still care. Yeah.
I've got a surprise for Mr. Rodriguez.
Over 34 years, it's no doubt
that he's touched a lot of lives.
But in particular, there is one class
that he clearly made an impact on.
Hollenbeck. Hollenbeck.
The class of 1986,
because they are here in full force.
Mr. Rodriguez!
Oh! [laughter]
What's up, man?
I recognized nacho right away.
Class of '86.
He comes up, "hey, Mr. Rodriguez," gives me that hug.
I just got goosebumps, chills.
I haven't seen them in all those years.
We have the whole class of '86 here.
The whole class of '86.
[Cheers and applause]
Oh, my God. What a surprise.
That class, '86, the class where I got a lot
of opportunity transfers.
They are students from different parts of the city.
They were very difficult to deal with.
But I was able to work with them
because I saw myself in those kids.
And to have these kids come back,
to see the growth in them,
was just unbelievable... Happiness.
- Espie. - Espie. Oh, my God.
During the time that I was here at hollenbeck,
Mr. Rodriguez made me believe in me.
Today, I'm an attorney.
And how could you ever repay
the encouragement that was given by that man?
My son right here.
[Laughter]
I consider Mr. Rodriguez a father.
I grew up without a father,
and he pretty much took me in
as his son.
His inspiration has been great for me.
So we want to do your room over.
You're all ready to work?
All: Yeah!
They came back to show the appreciation
not only to hollenbeck,
not only to me,
but to the community.
And it was a beautiful feeling.
We're ready to work.
I expect you to get an "a."
Let's walk over. [laughter]
Let's go.
Whoo!
[Shouting]
I'm loving the way the cafeteria's coming along.
But what I'm really excited about is that this is gonna be
a place where the kids can hang out,
not just a place to eat your lunch,
but a place to daydream,
a place to have imagination,
a place to read books,
a place to get together with your friends.
That's important.
Just throw it on there, huh?
Put some energy into it.
- Like this? - Yeah, get as much energy
as you can into it.
Be careful. Don't be doing... Uh-oh.
This is for the kids.
Let's focus for the children.
Watch my hair.
I just bought it.
Dallas is a free spirit.
Powerful.
Noodles.
Yippee!
You just let him be creative.
As long as he is here to help the kids,
you take him off his leash, and you just let him go.
Dallas, I got to go.
- All right. - I got to go shave.
Again. Thanks for your help.
Thank you.
I ran out to get some things for the garden,
and I realize
I don't know how to get back to the school.
[Electronic tone escalating]
Connecting to onstar.
Onstar center. This is Brad.
How may I assist you today?
Hi, I'm trying to get back
to hollenbeck middle school.
I'll be happy to get you back
to hollenbeck middle school.
Your destination is being sent to your vehicle.
In a 1/4 mile, left turn.
Your destination is ahead on the right.
Your route guidance is now finished.
Whoo! Yes.
Finally. I made it.
We'll start with these lovelies.
We needed a little extra help
finishing up the garden,
so we called up a champion.
[Cheers]
We're just planting away,
and in walks Derek fisher,
a Los Angeles laker basketball player.
Hi, man. How you doing?
You good? Thank you.
[Cheers and applause]
- Lauren, this is Derek. - How are you doing?
- My hands are dirty. - That's fine.
That's why we... boom! There we go.
...Derek fisher!
I just have the urge to go,
"you're really there?"
What's up, my man? How you doing?
Good. Good.
I was literally speechless.
I wasn't even talking at all.
I was nervous.
So what gave you guys the inspiration
to make this happen?
Like, what were you thinking about
or going through at that time?
Our school is about 99 years old.
It's about to be 100.
It's about to be 100 years old.
That's about how old I am, right?
[Laughter]
It wasn't really reflecting us students,
how we are, you know, on the inside.
The school wasn't showing everybody how we truly are.
So just decided it was time for a change.
That's great.
When you take action, you start to see the results
of the effort that you put in.
You start to understand
the process of life a little bit
as a middle-schooler.
You start to see that, hey,
if I put some time in and if I'm patient,
ultimately I'll get the results
that I want. Beautiful lime tree.
Thank you so much for coming out today
and helping us out. We appreciate it.
No, thank you. This is absolutely wonderful.
- These guys. - I mean, it all starts...
It all starts with you two.
To sse somebody as big as Derek fisher
come and share some encouraging words...
It's amazing, it's incredible.
The championship gardening team right here.
There is a lot of skepticism
about the mayor's partnership here at hollenbeck.
And I want to talk to the mayor
about some of the questions
that have been raised by the people at hollenbeck.
Mayor, thanks for coming. Thank you for having me.
I appreciate you coming to hollenbeck.
Thank you for doing this. This is great.
It's pretty unbelievable the amount of people
that have been here, and, in seven days,
this school becomes a different place.
The mayor put himself on the line.
He took over 21 of the toughest schools
in the L.A. unified school district.
And now he is the one accountable
for what is going on in these schools,
including hollenbeck middle school.
What type of services does the partnership provide
for the 21 schools and a school like hollenbeck?
We've accelerated improvement
in math and English,
in the number of gifted students identified,
a 20% increase in parent participation.
We're working to not just raise scores
but really raise expectations.
The effort to transform our schools
have to be led by the city leader.
The mayor has got to lead that effort.
Some teachers and parents have said to me,
they don't know if the credit is due to the partnership.
You know, it's not just the partnership.
It's the parents. It's the teachers.
It's the principal.
What about the fact that teachers,
they're bringing their own supplies?
What do we do about that?
We got to put our money where our mouth is
to give teachers the skills and the support they need
to be successful.
How important are facilities
to academic achievement?
We need to do a lot more
to renovate and modernize the schools,
because when you improve the surroundings,
you kind of lift up the spirit.
We have found all over the country that communities
are willing to be engaged, and I want to introduce you
to a parent. Sure.
Aba Ramirez wants to talk to the mayor,
so I wanted to bring her and the mayor together,
so she could voice the concerns
of the community directly to him.
Speaking on behalf of the community,
do you have anything to say to the mayor?
Why, yes.
We need you to be hands-on with us.
We voted you in,
and you're from boyle heights,
and you know what the needs are.
We're here getting dirty every single day,
so now that the exterior of the school is done,
what kind of commitment do we get from you
with the interior?
The support for the teachers,
the concern of our limited resources?
You know, the state has cut education drastically.
We're gonna continue to look for resources
outside of the district.
This is a great start,
and I want to thank you for engaging this community
and believing in boyle heights.
I would like to see the mayor taking more accountability here
in the school.
We need to work together.
Our focus should always be
our children.
[Cheers and applause]
Come on. Get some boxes.
Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
We got to fill up this cafeteria.
Fixing up the cafeteria is only half the solution.
You have to give the kids well-balanced food.
Walmart is really helping these kids out.
They are stocking their pantries
with food for the entire year.
What kind of products are you donating to us today?
Great value products. They are high quality.
Very affordable.
Tell your people thank you so much.
I appreciate it. You're welcome.
I have a little surprise for you.
I want to surprise principal Rico
with the fully-stocked pantry.
Oh, my God.
Everything in here's for my students?
Yes. Some good stuff too.
Oh, my goodness.
For my students, having a pantry full of food
means that they will have
some healthy alternative food choices,
and they will go home with their bellies full.
Which, to me, is very important.
Knowing that, sometimes, this meal is the only meal
they're gonna have.
This is so amazing.
Thank you. You're welcome.
Oh, my goodness. They're gonna love it.
Attention: All students.
You've been working nonstop for six days
to get hollenbeck middle school
back to where it was always meant to be.
And now it's time for a well-deserved break.
We're sending all of you
to a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game.
[Cheers]
So go and play ball.
[Cheers and applause]
It was really special to me
because it was my very first Dodgers game.
[Cheers]
It was amazing
to meet the players and then Joe torre.
You're a teacher? You look like one of the students.
I get that a lot. This is a living legend.
You realize how lucky you are
to have the school rebuilt like this?
All: Yes.
Who's gonna do most of the work?
All: We are. Are you? That's pretty cool.
You're throwing out the first ball today.
- Oh, yes, I guess. - Are you?
[Cheers and applause]
And when Joe torre said, "hey, legaspi,
you're gonna throw out the opening pitch," it was, like,
a dream come true.
Walking on the field
with hollenbeck behind me,
you know, I felt like a little kid.
Let's hear it for Mr. legaspi.
I made it!
[Cheers and applause]
I think it was really, really cool
that Mr. legaspi went out and took the first pitch,
because, to me, he's one of the greatest teachers.
Yeah!
It was a great experience.
Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.
It was a very, very, very good first game.
[Cheers and applause]
It's, like, eight hours
before Mr. legaspi comes back.
Get these desks wiped down.
Throw everything out. Awesome.
I sent everybody away,
but we still have a lot of work to do,
'cause a lot happens between day six and day seven.
And it's starting to seem a little overwhelming.
The canopies are finally done.
It's time to bring in my lunch tables.
Come on. Let's get those tables straight.
We're running out of time. This is it.
There is not much time left.
I still have painting to do,
we have touch-up to do, and logical choice is installing
technology in all the classrooms.
Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
Goooo!
Hurry up. Hurry up. This is the final push.
All right, y'all, I got to move on the classroom.
This was, by far, the largest school we've done yet.
You know, we used over 2,000 gallons of paint
on the outside alone.
My favorite part this week
was getting that teaching garden done.
Well, I am, of course, happy
about the outside cafeteria.
Yes. I really appreciated
that mayor villaraigosa came out
because he put himself on the line,
holding himself accountable, when he took over this school.
Now it is time for the mayor
to deliver on what the community wants
and make sure that this school
stays the way that it is.
Guys, we're rounding down.
All: Ten, nine,
eight, seven,
six, five,
four, three,
two, one. Nice job.
We have finished this school.
This community put this school back together,
and it is even bigger and better.
All: Hollenbeck! Hollenbeck!
Hollenbeck!
On the bus, the energy is electric.
And we're all just pumped.
Come on down.
[Cheers]
We're just really excited to see the school.
It's just an adrenaline rush.
[Cheers]
Welcome back, hollenbeck middle school.
Welcome back!
[Cheers and applause]
Seven days ago,
we came together and we said,
we, this community,
could rebuild this school,
and you did it.
[Cheers and applause]
Lauren and Danny,
this journey began with the two of you,
and I think that you should have the honor
of cutting the ribbon.
Cutting the ribbon, I'm actually really nervous of how the school may look.
I'm really, really excited.
3...2...1...Whoo!
?? To your new cafeteria!
- Look at it. - Is that right?
- Is it great? - Wonderful.
I was like "oh my God!"
The cafeteria was ?? And just so amazing.
How do you like your new outdoor cafeteria?
A week ago, this cafeteria was a grain, depressing place.
Now this cafeteria is a beautiful place,
not only to have a lunch, but these kids can just be kids.
I have one more surprise!
Are you ready?
??
Welcome to your new teaching garden!
This is your space to learn about how ?? And ?? Fruit grows.
Enjoy it!
I never thought the garden was gonna end up ?? That way,
I think they did a really good job, I think I've found a new place to hang up.
Just go read a book, and so.
And it's pretty cool, that you can take a class out there
??
Would you like a tomato?
??
As you know a community out there enjoying that garden,
who's very meaningful to me.
To the new teaching garden!
I'm actually speakless.
Teaching the kids how to grow their own organic vegetables. Wow.
That's incredible.
- Are you happy to see it? - I'm very happy to see my old ??
I wanna see it!
- Will you really wanna see it? - I wanna see it!
I'm just... anxious. I'm like a little kid, wanting to see what's inside.
Oh my God!
Mr Rodriguez!
Welcome to your new ??
Wow. Look at that, that's unbelievable!
Oh, you guys have ??
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Oh my God!
The classroom... it was amazing. It was... unbelievable,
that a classroom, that is filled with everything that's updated finally to the 21st century.
This is so awesome.
- I can go another 10 years! - Yeah!
Mr. Rodriguez deserves so much in life. So much.
In his classroom... then I see the look on his face...
And know that we accomplished, what we wanted to accomplished for him, for that room.
I love it! It is un-be-lie-vable!
Standing outside my classroom, and I'm starting to create
visions in my head of what my classroom's gonna look like.
Everything in Mr. legaspi's room is new.
He had nothing before. No electronics in there
to speak of. I can't wait for see this.
Are you excited?
Standing outside my classroom,
I'm about to open that door,
and I'm starting to create visions in my head
of what my classroom's gonna look like.
Whoo!
[Cheers and applause] Mr. legaspi,
welcome to your new room!
Awesome. Yeah.
When I open that door, I see new paint.
I see new furniture.
I see new technologies.
This is wh a classroom should look like.
Check it out.
[Cheers and applause]
I saw a chair at my desk.
I never had a chair at my desk.
What do you guys think of it, man?
Huh? It's great.
Come on, man. Seriously?
Isn't it something?
It's amazing.
It just really touched me
that Mr. legaspi was emotional about his new classroom.
This is the biggest trophy I could ever receive.
I mean, I've been teaching for seven years,
going hard at it, full-steam, with Danny,
with the students here,
making sacrifices like crazy.
I think he deserved that room a lot,
'cause he really did a lot for his community,
and he really did a lot for the students
and the teachers.
As a matter of fact, he did a lot for everybody.
You put me through a lot.
You turned my life upside-down.
You're the best teacher I've ever had, mister.
Thanks for looking out. I love you.
[Cheers and applause]
- Right back at you, dawg. - You mean a lot to me.
I want the best for my students.
I can't even put it into words.
I got too much love for my students.
I'm bursting with it.
[All chanting "legaspi"]
With this brand-new classroom,
my students are going to just go big.
Mr. legaspi, you used to have
one old, broken computer in your classroom.
As a matter of fact, you had to bring
your own laptop in just so your students
can do projects.
Well, that's different now.
You have ten brand-new computers,
all equipped with microsoft office 2010.
And inside of that program
is powerpoint,
and within each of these slides,
you can actually put video.
The best thing yet, though,
you can edit the video.
This is gonna take your projects
to a whole new level.
You guys ready to try it?
- Yeah. - Come on.
Get up here and give it a shot.
To finally see my room
makes me feel that my students
are definitely gonna have a place to advance their studies.
Sky's the limit now.
[Cheers]
Oh, look!
As we're going up those stairs,
I knew we were gonna get
to the really, really good parts.
Welcome to the hollenbeck sports complex!
Come on. [students cheering]
- Whoo-hoo!
The sports complex, it looks amazing.
Physical education is gonna be so much better now.
First thing I did
was run over there and grab myself a basketball
and just started playing.
Oh, nice!
I finally could hear my swish.
Everything looks so new.
And I'm pretty sure it's gonna make it
a little more easier for our teams to play out there.
This experience has been priceless.
It brought people together.
And it makes the students feel like they are cared for.
[Cheers and applause]
A week ago, this school was
a source of frustration.
And a week later, things are different here.
This school was an inspiration not just to Los Angeles,
but to the country. Oh!
Nah, you just hit it in the middle and score.
All right, good enough.
This renovation just gives us
the opportunity to show everybody who we really are,
to show everybody around the country
who we are...
As a community, as individuals,
as students.
School pride gives students pride.
To have a dream and make that dream come true
makes me very happy.
I'm pretty sure this year's gonna be
a really, really, really great year.
We still have the power.
We, as a community,
we, as a town or a city,
still have the power to affect change.
Let's keep it going. Let's keep improving,
and let's keep making it better.
Imagine what else we can do.
Since school pride was here,
we have seen our attendance at an all-time high.
Using the technology
has really just increased
their level of learning.
We're right in the midst of testing,
so we're expecting just to see greatness come out
from everything that School Pride gave us.
Sync by mczolly www.addic7ed.com