Chatsworth Hills Academy
Encyclopedia
Chatsworth Hills Academy (CHA) is a private
, coeducational day school
located in Chatsworth, California, USA. CHA students are enrolled in Grades K through Eight and Preschool.
CHA is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC). CHA is a member of National Association of Independent Schools
(NAIS).
model, parents volunteered their time in their areas of expertise to clear the land, pour concrete, install buildings, run wiring, develop curriculum, buy books, and hire instructors. The Chatsworth campus opened in the fall of 1978 with grades 4-8, and a second site in Van Nuys held grades 1-3. The school was originally named the Neighborhood School and organized as a non-profit, public benefit corporation. In 1980, the Van Nuys location was closed, and students in grades 1-3 were moved to the Chatsworth campus and the ninth grade was added. In 1981, the name of the school was changed to Chatsworth Hills Academy. Towards the end of the '80s, enrollment at the middle school level decreased, grades 7-9 were eliminated, and Chatsworth Hills Academy became Preschool through grade 6 from 1988-1996. By 1998, middle school
enrollment had grown again and grades 7 and 8 were returned permanently to the School. CHA started a summer camp
for students Preschool through 8th grade was started in June 2000.
Chatsworth Hills Academy has evolved over the years and is no longer a "parent-run" co-op school. The Board of Trustees is composed of fourteen individuals, mostly current and former parents. The Board is responsible, with the Head of School, to strategically plan for the future of Chatsworth Hills Academy.
, Basketball
, Soccer and/or Volleyball
during the school year. Girls have the opportunity to compete in soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Team practices take place during school hours and after school. Games are played both home and away. Over the past several years, many CHA school teams have made play-off berths and have won league championships. CHA teams have won sixteen SFVPSL titles.
CHA coaches support the school's character education program by modeling and developing within each student character, teamwork, participation and sportsmanship. The athletic philosophy seeks to have all the CHA teams succeed yet premise the sports program on the belief that every member of the team must play.
. The area is now known as the Chatsworth Cairn
Site. The site was used for ceremonial purposes. A short distance from the Chatsworth Cairn Site, the Chumash established numerous settlements over extended periods of time. Regularly flowing water supported these settlements.
CHA's campus has several rock formations containing Chumash pictographs. CHA also has a natural sulphur spring that surfaces on its lower campus. It is thought that the sulphur spring attracted Chumash and other Native American tribes to the area. According to one source "a local sulfur spring percolated to the surface with water that was considered to contain important medicinal qualities. People from all of the neighboring villages, Chumash or Tongva were welcome to partake in the healing powers of these waters."
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Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, coeducational day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
located in Chatsworth, California, USA. CHA students are enrolled in Grades K through Eight and Preschool.
CHA is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and 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...
(WASC). CHA is a member of National Association of Independent Schools
National Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
(NAIS).
History
Chatsworth Hills Academy was founded in 1977 by a group of public school parents led by Liz Stillwell Shapiro. Following a co-opCooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
model, parents volunteered their time in their areas of expertise to clear the land, pour concrete, install buildings, run wiring, develop curriculum, buy books, and hire instructors. The Chatsworth campus opened in the fall of 1978 with grades 4-8, and a second site in Van Nuys held grades 1-3. The school was originally named the Neighborhood School and organized as a non-profit, public benefit corporation. In 1980, the Van Nuys location was closed, and students in grades 1-3 were moved to the Chatsworth campus and the ninth grade was added. In 1981, the name of the school was changed to Chatsworth Hills Academy. Towards the end of the '80s, enrollment at the middle school level decreased, grades 7-9 were eliminated, and Chatsworth Hills Academy became Preschool through grade 6 from 1988-1996. By 1998, middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
enrollment had grown again and grades 7 and 8 were returned permanently to the School. CHA started a summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
for students Preschool through 8th grade was started in June 2000.
Chatsworth Hills Academy has evolved over the years and is no longer a "parent-run" co-op school. The Board of Trustees is composed of fourteen individuals, mostly current and former parents. The Board is responsible, with the Head of School, to strategically plan for the future of Chatsworth Hills Academy.
Educational Program
Chatsworth Hills Academy employs a spiral curriculum, which continually introduces new material while reinforcing previous skills and content. Character Education is an essential aspect of an independent school education and a special focus of Chatsworth Hills Academy. CHA's program seeks to explain and practice values in the context of everyday school life. The school has a strong athletic program and a notable drama program.Athletic Program
Chatsworth Hills Academy participates in a full range of interscholastic athletics as a member of the San Fernando Valley Private School League (SFVPSL). Beginning in fourth grade, boys' teams include Flag FootballFlag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
, Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, Soccer and/or Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
during the school year. Girls have the opportunity to compete in soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Team practices take place during school hours and after school. Games are played both home and away. Over the past several years, many CHA school teams have made play-off berths and have won league championships. CHA teams have won sixteen SFVPSL titles.
CHA coaches support the school's character education program by modeling and developing within each student character, teamwork, participation and sportsmanship. The athletic philosophy seeks to have all the CHA teams succeed yet premise the sports program on the belief that every member of the team must play.
Campus Facts
Chatsworth is an inland part of the coastal region of southern California that was the historic homeland of the Chumash Indians. CHA is believed to be located on land once used by Chumash Indians for villages, campgrounds and/or burial sites. There was at least one large, ancient Chumash village located at the foot of nearby Santa Susana PassSanta Susana Pass
The Santa Susana Pass is a Southern California mountain pass in the Simi Hills connecting the San Fernando Valley and town of Chatsworth, to the Simi Valley and city of Simi Valley.-Natural history:...
. The area is now known as the Chatsworth Cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
Site. The site was used for ceremonial purposes. A short distance from the Chatsworth Cairn Site, the Chumash established numerous settlements over extended periods of time. Regularly flowing water supported these settlements.
CHA's campus has several rock formations containing Chumash pictographs. CHA also has a natural sulphur spring that surfaces on its lower campus. It is thought that the sulphur spring attracted Chumash and other Native American tribes to the area. According to one source "a local sulfur spring percolated to the surface with water that was considered to contain important medicinal qualities. People from all of the neighboring villages, Chumash or Tongva were welcome to partake in the healing powers of these waters."
External links
- Official Website
- Google Map
- Annual Charity Golf Tournament
- Annual Dinner Gala & Auction
- California Association of Independent Schools
- National Association of Independent Schools
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- The Independent School Report
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