EAGLES Academy Central High School (also known as EAGLES Academy Hollywood and EAGLES Center) was a public high school located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with the target group of but not limited to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender young people, as well as those questioning their sexuality and educational dropouts. It was founded and opened in 1992 along with the "Educational Options" program by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD); it closed down in 2004. It was the first public high school designed for LGBT youth from grade 7 onwards in the United States.
EAGLES Academy Central High School was a public high school run by the department of "Educational Options" of the LAUSD, also known as EAGLES Academy Hollywood and EAGLES Center.[3][4] EAGLES is an acronym from "Emphasizing Adolescent Gay Lesbian Education Services."[2] The target group of this school was gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students, as well as those questioning their sexuality and educational dropouts,[5] but being a high school run by the state, it was also open for straight students. The mission statement was A safe place for youth to receive their education.[6][7]
The school was supervised by Ruben Zacarias, in that time period LAUSD's superintendent of schools in charge, Elizabeth Newman, the options administrator, and Sunshine S. Sepulveda, an educational advisor to LAUSD. Founder and principal of the school was Jerry B. Battey, an English teacher, from 1992 to 2004.[8]
The school was closed in the summer of 2004 due to financial shortages by the LAUSD. Although there was a tax-exempt organization called『Friends of EAGLES Center – Los Angeles, Inc.』for raising money and commodity contributions,[9] it was impossible to keep the school alive based only on donations.[4][10]
EAGLES Center started in 1992 with twelve students.[11] Later in 1992, 35 students were enrolled at EAGLES.[12]
EAGLES Center initiated the first prom for LGBT students for the school, open for students from other high schools in the school district. It was advertised in the media as an open invitation for the first prom of its kind in the nation. On May 20, 1994, it took place in the Los Angeles Hilton hotel. A group of protesters can be seen in the documentary film that was made about it.[13]
A long-term collaboration between EAGLES and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) patronized several graduates to develop their talents like Marc Imme to become an actor, later known for the role of "Luke" in Ryan's Life (2004),[1][15] and Miguel Lopez, the playwright of Mariposas (2001), a play for children.[1][10]
EAGLES Center: Live to Tell: The First Gay and Lesbian Prom in America, a film by Charley Lang, VHSvideocassette, color, 24 minutes, The Cinema Guild, New York City, 1995.[17][13]
^ abLisa Meyer:『Hostile Classrooms – The state of hate.』In: The Advocate, No. 33, April 13, 1999. Pages 33–35.
^Entry on the LAUSD website. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
^ abcarchivedpress release『EAGLES Center expands services – sets sights on South Bay』of March 23, 1996. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
^Article『COLUMN ONE – Gay Rights Fight Moves on Campus – Activists on both sides have targeted high schools in battles over curriculum and support groups. Some celebrate a new boldness, others say values are best taught at home.』by Tammerlin Drummond and Bettina Boxall, January 10, 1994, in the Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
^David Campos: Sex, Youth, and Sex Education: A Reference Handbook. Contemporary Education Issues, 2002. Page 167. ISBN978-1576077764.
^United States Congress: The Congressional Record. Proceedings and Debates of the United States Congress., Section "Gay And Lesbian Victories in the Los Angeles Unified School District" ["EAGLES Center"], page 25145, Washington, D.C., United States Government Publishing Office, 1994.
^Entry at the Online Archive of California for the Marjorie Rushforth Papers, Coll2013.042, executive board member of "Friends of EAGLES Center-Los Angeles, Inc.". Retrieved June 10, 2018.
^ abNorma Bowles, Mark E. Rosenthal: Cootie Shots: Theatrical Inoculations Against Bigotry for Kids, Parents, and Teachers.Plays, Poems & Songs. Pages 153, 154, 156. Theatre Communications Group, 2001. ISBN978-1559361842.
^Article『Teens Find a Haven in L. A. Program – Education: For gay students who have been harassed or isolated in regular schools, EAGLES Center offers an alternative to dropping out.』by Tammerlin Drummond and Bettina Boxall, January 10, 1994, in the Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
^Chris Freeman, James J. Berg: Love, West Hollywood: Reflections of Los Angeles, page 299, Alyson Books, 2008. ISBN978-1593500559.
^Entry for Marc Imme at the IMDb. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
^Article[dead link]『THE 'STANFORD 9' ASSESSMENT TESTS – L.A. Unified Report Card – How did your school do on the statewide tests?』(Junior-Senior High Eagles Center Hollywood) in the Los Angeles Times of July 14, 1998. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
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