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Belmont High School (Los Angeles, California)
Encyclopedia
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located at 1575 West 2nd Street in the Westlake
Westlake, Los Angeles, California
Westlake is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
community of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
.
History
Belmont High School opened in 1923.The Hotel Belmont was the first noteworthy building to stand atop Crown Hill, the present site of Belmont High School. Eventually, the hotel was abandoned, and later it was transformed into the private Belmont School for Girls. After the school was destroyed by fire, the grounds were left vacant, except for five oil wells and a pumping plant for the Los Angeles City Oil Field
Los Angeles City Oil Field
The Los Angeles City Oil Field is a large oil field north of Downtown Los Angeles. Long and narrow, it extends from immediately south of Dodger Stadium west to Vermont Avenue, encompassing an area of about four miles long by a quarter mile across...
. On February 28, 1921, the Los Angeles Board of Education purchased the site for $100,000, for the purpose of constructing Belmont High School.
Belmont opened its doors on September 11, 1923, to about 500 students, all sophomores, and 28 faculty members. Most of the school's traditions were created by those pioneer students during the first months of the school's existence. The school newspaper conducted an election to select its name, with "Sentinel" easily winning over "Progress." To this day, Belmont's students are known as Sentinels. Those first students favored “Sentinels" because they were able to oversee the entire city from their "lookout" on Crown Hill. In another election, the school's colors, green and black, were selected over brown and white. A Joseph Young created masaics mural is located on the main building wall.
Belmont High School was once the largest public school in the city of Los Angeles
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...
and the largest school in 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...
, due to the density of the Westlake district
Westlake, Los Angeles, California
Westlake is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It should not be confused with Westlake Village, an independent municipality in Los Angeles County near Thousand Oaks and close to the Ventura County line....
, which it served. It was also considered the largest school in the United States, with 6,342 students. What was formally the attendance area for Belmont High School has now become the Belmont Zone of Choice, where students living in this area have the option of attending one of nineteen small learning communities or pilot schools located on four different campuses within the zone: Belmont High School, Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, Edward Roybal Learning Center, and Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts.
By 2000, LAUSD devised plans to relieve Belmont of many of its students, and in 2006, the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex
Miguel Contreras Learning Complex
Miguel Contreras Learning Complex is a high school in Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States.The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school is located at 322 South Lucas Avenue, just down Third Street from the LAUSD Board of...
, which began sharing its attendance zone with Belmont, opened and relieved Belmont.
Beginning around 2005, Belmont began a major modernization. The school was renovated, and new paint, bathrooms, doors, walls, and ceiling tiles were added. Facilities were also updated throughout the school campus to accommodate those with special needs (e.g. wheelchair ramps).
In 2007, the West Adams Preparatory High School
West Adams Preparatory High School
West Adams Preparatory High School is a secondary school in the South Los Angeles community of Los Angeles, California, United States.The school is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District and is operated by a nonprofit organization working in conjunction with LAUSD. The organization, MLA...
opened and relieved Belmont; a section of the Manual Arts High School
Manual Arts High School
Manual Arts High School is a secondary school in Los Angeles, California. When founded, Manual Arts was a vocational high school, but later converted to a traditional curriculum.-History:...
attendance zone was transferred to Belmont.
Furthermore, High School for the Visual and Performing Arts
High School for the Visual and Performing Arts
Ramon C. Cortines School Of Visual And Performing Arts is a $232 million high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is located on the site of the old Fort Moore at the corner of Grand Avenue and Cesar E...
(formerly known as Central Los Angeles Area High School 9) opened in 2008 to relieve Belmont. Central Los Angeles High School 11 (Edward R. Roybal (formerly Belmont) Learning Center) and Central Los Angeles High School 12 opened in fall 2009.
In 2009, the opening of the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Centers relieved Belmont.
Beginning with the 2010 school year, it will serve students from 6th grade to 12th grade, with the middle school named Sal Castro
Sal Castro
Salvador B. Castro is an Mexican-American educator and activist. He is most well known for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts, a series of protests against unequal conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District schools...
Middle School on the campus. The Belmont football stadium will be named for Dentler Erdmann
Dentler Erdmann
Dentler Erdmann was a business education teacher at Los Angeles, California, Belmont High School until his retirement. In 1975, he was named California Teacher of the Year....
, its long time faculty member.
Belmont High School Small Learning Communities
Belmont High School hosts three Small Learning Communities (SLC's; also called academies) which specialize in a career pathway:- LAAMPS (Los Angeles Academy of Medical and Public Service), with courses in first responders and medical terminology
- SAGE (Science, Art and Green Engineering), with courses in automotive technology, drafting, and computer assisted design
- Belmont Multimedia Academy, with courses in filmmaking, cartooning & animation, digital photography, digital imaging, and web page design
Notable faculty
- Sal CastroSal CastroSalvador B. Castro is an Mexican-American educator and activist. He is most well known for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts, a series of protests against unequal conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District schools...
, activist (faculty) - Dentler ErdmannDentler ErdmannDentler Erdmann was a business education teacher at Los Angeles, California, Belmont High School until his retirement. In 1975, he was named California Teacher of the Year....
, educator (faculty), California Teacher of the Year 1975
Notable alumni
- Patrick ArguelloPatrick ArgüelloPatricio José Argüello Ryan , known as Patrick Argüello, was a Nicaraguan American who was shot and killed while attempting to hijack El Al Flight 219 in September 1970 as part of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's Dawson's Field hijackings.-Youth:Argüello was born in San...
(1943–1970), US-Nicaraguan national killed in the attempted hijack of an El AlEl AlEl Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
flight, as carried out by the PFLP. - John BeradinoJohn BeradinoJohn Beradino was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and an actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Baradino, John Barardino or John Barradino.-Early life and education:He was born Giovanni Berardino in Los...
(1917–1996), (born Giovanni Berardino), actor, major league baseball player - Ron BotchanRon BotchanRonald Leslie "Ron" Botchan is a retired American football official from the National Football League . Prior to that he was an American football linebacker in the American Football League from 1960 to 1962. As an official, Botchan worked as an umpire for nearly his entire NFL career and wore the...
, NFL official - James C. CormanJames C. CormanJames Charles Corman was a Los Angeles City Council member from 1957 to 1961 and a Democratic Congressman from California between 1961 and 1981.-General:...
(1920–2000), Congressman, Los Angeles City Councilman - Richard CrennaRichard CrennaRichard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...
(1926–2003), actor - Craig EllwoodCraig EllwoodCraig Ellwood was an influential Los Angeles-based modernist architect whose career spanned the early 1950s through the mid-1970s. Although untrained as an architect, Ellwood fashioned a persona and career through equal parts of a talent for good design, self-promotion and ambition...
(1922–1992), architect - Mike FrankovichMike FrankovichMitchell John “M.J.” Frankovich was an American film producerFrankovich was born in Bisbee, Arizona. He played football for UCLA and was inducted into UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986...
(1909–1992), film producer - Murray FromsonMurray FromsonMurray Fromson is a former CBS correspondent and professor emeritus at University of Southern California's School of Journalism, and Center on Public Diplomacy...
, CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
correspondent and USCUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
professor - Luis (Lou) Gomez, MLB player
- Odetta Holmes (1930–2008), folk singer, activist
- Young-Oak KimYoung-Oak KimColonel Young-Oak Kim , a highly-decorated U.S. Army combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He was a member of the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and a combat leader in Italy and France during World War II...
(1919–2005), highly decorated combat veteran; 1937 graduate - Willa KimWilla KimWilla Kim is an American costume designer for stage, dance, and film.Kim was born in Los Angeles, California and is a 1935 graduate of Belmont High School where she excelled in art and was an art editor for the 1935 Campanile...
(1917- ), 2007 Theatre Hall of Fame inductee, two time Tony and Emmy Award winning costume designer and 1935 graduate of Belmont; the older sister of Young-Oak Kim. - Glenard P. LipscombGlenard P. LipscombGlenard Paul Lipscomb was a United States Congressman from the state of California.Born in Jackson County, Michigan, Lipscomb moved to California with his parents in 1920, where the family settled in Los Angeles. He was educated in the Los Angeles public schools, including Belmont High School...
(1915–1970), Congressman - Robert LylesRobert LylesRobert Lyles is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for eight seasons for the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons. He is currently a defensive assistant coach for the United States Military Academy....
, NFL player - John McCarthyJohn McCarthy (computer scientist)John McCarthy was an American computer scientist and cognitive scientist. He coined the term "artificial intelligence" , invented the Lisp programming language and was highly influential in the early development of AI.McCarthy also influenced other areas of computing such as time sharing systems...
(1927–2011), computer technology - Loren Miller Jr.Loren Miller (judge)Loren Miller , was an American, California Superior Court Justice, County of Los Angeles, appointed by former governor Edmund G. Brown in 1964, serving until 1967...
, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge - Ricardo MontalbánRicardo MontalbánRicardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
(1920–2009), actor - Anthony QuinnAnthony QuinnAntonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
(1915–2001), actor - Mort SahlMort SahlMorton Lyon "Mort" Sahl is a Canadian-born American comedian and actor. He occasionally wrote jokes for speeches delivered by President John F. Kennedy. He was the first comedian to record a live album and the first to perform on college campuses...
, humorist - William SidellWilliam SidellWilliam Sidell was a carpenter and an American labor leader. He was president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America from 1973 to 1979....
(1915–1994), labor leader - Jack SmithJack Smith (columnist)Jack Clifford Smith was a journalist, author, and newspaper columnist who wrote about Los Angeles during its period of greatest growth and increasing influence...
(1916–1996), columnist, journalist - Mike Stoller, songwriter
- Coy Watson, Jr. (1912–2009), child actor, Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Watson Family
- Delmar WatsonDelmar WatsonDavid Delmar Watson was an American child actor and news photographer.-Biography:He was the son of actor, stuntman, and pioneer special effects artist Coy Watson Sr. They lived by Mack Sennett's studios in the old Edendale area of Los Angeles, California and Delmar attended Belmont High...
(1926–2008), actor, photo-journalist, Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Watson Family - Harry R. WatsonHarry R. WatsonHarry R. Watson was an American actor, a Coast Guard combat photographer in World War II, and a pioneer in television journalism.-Biography:...
(1921–2001), actor, photo-journalist, Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Watson Family - Jack WebbJack WebbJohn Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
(1920–1982), producer, director, actor
In Popular Culture
Belmont High School makes an appearance in the 2011 video game L.A. NoireL.A. Noire
L.A. Noire is a 2011 crime video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows. It was released as a 3-disc game for the Xbox 360 console, which prompts the player to switch to another disc at certain points in the...
.