Windward School
Encyclopedia
Windward School is an independent school in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles
, California
, accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
. It was founded by writer/teacher Shirley Windward in 1971. The school currently enrolls 525 students in grades 7 through 12.
Shirley's husband, Erv Windward, renovated the studios where they lived into classrooms. Many new students volunteered to help renovate the studios. The school originally had 14 full-time and part-time teachers who taught 65 students in a small building on Wilshire Boulevard.
In 1973, Windward School received its first full five-year WASC
accreditation as a college-preparatory institution. As the school outgrew its first facilities the campus moved to 1414 21st Street, Santa Monica in September 1974.
In 1982, Windward moved to a 9 acres (36,421.7 m²), multi-building campus at 11350 Palms Boulevard, Los Angeles. Other buildings have been added to the campus over the years: the Irene Kleinberg Theater in October 1997, the Lewis Jackson Memorial Sports Center in 2000, the Arts Center and Pavilion in September 2002 and the first Innovation Classroom 510 in fall 2007. Construction of Windward's newest facilities, the Science, Dance & Music Center and the Center for Teaching & Learning, was completed in the summer of 2009.
, painting, photography, sculpting, and film. Windward Arts emphasizes process over product at the heart of the artistic exploration. In 2006, Windward’s theatre department was invited by the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform the school’s spring musical Urinetown
. Alums have gone on to success in entertainment, film, music, Broadway, and the fine arts.
and North Carolina State in developing a Studio Physics First program at Windward.
The Center for Teaching & Learning combines the best of a traditional library space with new areas for collaboration and research along with a broadcast studio and film/media center. The buildings added 42000 square feet (3,901.9 m²) of space to the campus, nearly double the current amount of academic space.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
. It was founded by writer/teacher Shirley Windward in 1971. The school currently enrolls 525 students in grades 7 through 12.
History
In 1971, two former Paul Revere Middle School teachers, Carl Parsons and Shirley Windward (for whom the school is named), founded the school in order to open up their classes to young people on the West side of Los Angeles.Shirley's husband, Erv Windward, renovated the studios where they lived into classrooms. Many new students volunteered to help renovate the studios. The school originally had 14 full-time and part-time teachers who taught 65 students in a small building on Wilshire Boulevard.
In 1973, Windward School received its first full five-year WASC
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
accreditation as a college-preparatory institution. As the school outgrew its first facilities the campus moved to 1414 21st Street, Santa Monica in September 1974.
In 1982, Windward moved to a 9 acres (36,421.7 m²), multi-building campus at 11350 Palms Boulevard, Los Angeles. Other buildings have been added to the campus over the years: the Irene Kleinberg Theater in October 1997, the Lewis Jackson Memorial Sports Center in 2000, the Arts Center and Pavilion in September 2002 and the first Innovation Classroom 510 in fall 2007. Construction of Windward's newest facilities, the Science, Dance & Music Center and the Center for Teaching & Learning, was completed in the summer of 2009.
Academics
Woven through the traditional college-preparatory courses—English language and literature, a social studies curriculum, mathematics, science, and foreign languages—are opportunities that enable students to be actively involved in their own education. Windward encourages students to participate in a range of academic and extra-curricular experiences that foster social growth, responsibility, and personal development. Windward offers 16 college-level courses. Windward’s full-time faculty holds 12 PhDs and 38 Masters degrees. Windward students have won or been nominated for awards from the Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, National Merit Scholarship, National Art Honor Society, Foreign Language Honor Society, National Achievement Scholars, and National Hispanic Scholars, among others.Arts
Students in Windward Arts participate in a variety of pursuits, such as drama, musical theater, jazz ensemble, madrigals, dance, ComedySportzComedySportz
ComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green and many others.-Format:...
, painting, photography, sculpting, and film. Windward Arts emphasizes process over product at the heart of the artistic exploration. In 2006, Windward’s theatre department was invited by the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform the school’s spring musical Urinetown
Urinetown
Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics...
. Alums have gone on to success in entertainment, film, music, Broadway, and the fine arts.
Athletics
The school has 44 teams, six full-time coaches, 2 full-time athletic trainers, and 30-35 part-time coaches. Athletic Director Steve Smith was a former WNBA coach. The Athletics Department seeks to achieve athletic excellence and provide experiences where students will develop a passion for his/her sport. In 2009, the Boys Varsity Basketball team won the California State CIF-Div. V Championship with college-bound players Darius Morris (Michigan), Anthony Stover (UCLA), Malcolm Washington (UPenn), Wesley Saunders (Harvard), and Kwame Firempong (Tufts).Community service
All Windward students are required to complete 40 hours of community service work in order to graduate. Admission to the Windward Service Honor Society requires 100 hours of service; in 2010 39 students were admitted. The Community Service Learning Program encourages in students a sense of accomplishment, caring, independence, and personal responsibility that makes them more thoughtful and purposeful in all aspects of their lives.Diversity
Windward’s commitment to diversity includes the student-run Gay-Straight Alliance (G.S.A.) and other programs that enhance and promote racial, sexual, and economic diversity at the school. The School has a financial aid budget of over $1.9 million.Current Status: Science, Dance, & Music Center and the Center for Teaching & Learning
In September 2009, two new facilities were unveiled: the Science, Dance & Music Center and the Center for Teaching & Learning. The Science, Dance & Music Center added new laboratories, dance and music spaces, and innovation classrooms. Windward is in the fifth year of partnering with M.I.T. in bringing the most current technologies and teaching methods to the science classrooms. The school has also worked closely with Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
and North Carolina State in developing a Studio Physics First program at Windward.
The Center for Teaching & Learning combines the best of a traditional library space with new areas for collaboration and research along with a broadcast studio and film/media center. The buildings added 42000 square feet (3,901.9 m²) of space to the campus, nearly double the current amount of academic space.
Tuition
Tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year is $29,324. Windward provides a variety of options to help families afford an independent school education, including annual tuition payment plans, third-party lenders, and financial aid for those who qualify.Notable alumni
- Darius MorrisDarius Morris-College:As a freshman with the 2009–10 team, Morris averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 assist per game on 24.3 minutes of playing time per game. Three times he scored in double digits, including his first career game...
, an American college basketball point guard who was drafted in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association - Max BemisMax BemisMax Bemis is the lead singer and primary lyricist of the band Say Anything. He is also co singer along side Chris Conley of the supergroup Two Tongues, which features members from Say Anything and Saves the Day.-The Early Years:...
, musician, songwriter/lead vocalist of Say AnythingSay Anything (band)Say Anything is an American indie-punk band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Max Bemis. The band was formed in 2000 with Bemis and four of his friends. Within two years, they self-released two EPs, Junior Varsity and In Your Dreams, and the full-length Baseball: An Album by Sayanything.In... - Jakob DylanJakob DylanJakob Luke Dylan is the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Wallflowers and is a son of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and Sara Dylan. He has also recorded two solo albums.-Personal life:...
, musician - Andrew LusterAndrew LusterAndrew Stuart Luster is the great-grandson of cosmetics giant Max Factor, Sr. and an heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune. He grew up in Malibu, California and attended Windward School in Santa Monica. Luster had been supported by a $3.1 million trust fund as he traveled and surfed at various...
, heir to Max FactorMax FactorMax Factor & Company is a cosmetics company, founded during 1909 by Maksymilian Faktorowicz , Max Factor, a Polish-Jewish cosmetician. Max Factor & Company was a related, two-family, multi-generational international cosmetics company before its sale in 1973 for $500 million dollars...
cosmetics fortune, criminal - Nicole HolofcenerNicole HolofcenerNicole Holofcener is an American film and television director. She has directed four feature films, most recently Please Give.-Career:...
, screenwriter/director (Friends With MoneyFriends with MoneyFriends with Money is a 2006 film written and directed by Nicole Holofcener. It opened the 2006 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2006 and went into limited release in North America on April 7, 2006.-Plot:...
, Sex and the CitySex and the CitySex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
) - Jake KasdanJake KasdanJake Kasdan is an American television and film director.Kasdan was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Meg , a writer, and writer-director Lawrence Kasdan. His younger brother, Jon Kasdan, also works in the film and television industry as an actor and writer...
, director - Anna PaquinAnna PaquinAnna Helene Paquin is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history...
, actress (True BloodTrue BloodTrue Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
, The PianoThe PianoThe Piano is a 1993 New Zealand drama film about a mute pianist and her daughter, set during the mid-19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier backwater on the west coast of New Zealand. The film was written and directed by Jane Campion, and stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin...
) - Jason SchwartzmanJason SchwartzmanJason Francesco Schwartzman is an American actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Rushmore, Spun, I Heart Huckabees, Shopgirl, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, Funny People, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
, actor/musician - Robert Schwartzman, actor/musician
- Adam ShankmanAdam ShankmanAdam Michael Shankman is an American film director, producer, dancer, actor, and choreographer. He has been a judge on the television program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet...
, director (HairsprayHairspray (2007 film)Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John...
, Bedtime StoriesBedtime StoriesA bedtime story is a popular form of storytelling.Bedtime story or Bedtime stories may also refer to:*Bedtime Story , a 1964 comedy film*Bedtime Stories , a 2008 family fantasy comedy starring Adam Sandler...
) - Samantha ShapiroSamantha ShapiroSamantha 'Sami' Shapiro is an American gymnast. She is a five time member of the USA Gymnastics National Team.-Personal life:...
, gymnast - Zoe KazanZoe Kazan-Early life and education:Kazan was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of screenwriters Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord, and the granddaughter of film and theatre director Elia Kazan...
, Actress