IT’S A GREAT DAY IN COMPTON!
Satra Zurita, Vice President, Compton School Board
Compton – The phrase that has rung loud and clear over the years by Compton School Board Vice-President Satra Zurita, turned into a chant that resonated at the groundbreaking ceremony for the New Compton High School slated to open in 2025.
The who’s who of California education, Dr. Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine lead by Compton School Board President Micah Ali and District Superintendent Dr. Darin Brawley descended upon the construction site of the new Compton High School to celebrate the past and the advancement of education in Compton.
“This was a groundbreaking in the truest sense of the word. It was more than the coming together of a group of people to celebrate the construction of a new high school. Rather it was a milestone in building new pathways of opportunity for children and families in Compton—one that they deemed worthy of investment in when they passed Measure S in 2015,” said Ali. “Who else to boldly acknowledge that students in the Compton Unified School District deserve the absolute best than the people of Compton and the advocates that serve them? To say the least, I am deeply moved by the outpouring of support, in particular Compton native son, Dr. Dre, Mr. Iovine, Mayor Sharif, Compton High’s Associated Student Body President, Principals, and a host of others—leaning in to the belief that greatness exists in Compton—greatness deserving of our unwavering support.”
Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, has given $10 million for the school’s new performing arts center, which can seat more than 900 people. The facility will be named as the “Andre ‘Dr. Dre’ Young Performing Arts Center,” according to the Compton Unified School District.
“I was an artistic kid in school with no outlet for it,” he said said at Saturday’s groundbreaking ceremony. “I knew I had something special to offer to the world, but with nothing to support my gift, schools left me feeling unseen.” said Young.
“I’ve always wondered how much further ahead I might have been had the resources I needed in school were available and if I had learned more about the business industry, I would have saved myself [an] extreme amount of time, money and most importantly, [made] a lot of friendships.”
Andre “Dr. Dre” Young
In 2015 more than 55% of Compton and Carson residents voted YES to the question asked in the ballot initiative named Measure S.
Bond proceeds will be used to make schools modern, safe and inspiring; shall the Compton Unified School District issue $350,000,000 in bonds at legal rates to reconstruct local schools and facilities, including research libraries, modern classrooms and science labs, media and performing arts centers, technology centers and athletic complexes; improve safety, security, roofing, plumbing, heating, electrical, and other systems; with mandatory audits, independent citizen oversight, no money for administrator salaries, and all funds staying local?”
Measure S
“I’ve always said, “If we provide our [Compton] students with the tools they need, they excel on a level far greater than their counterparts,” said Satra Zurita, board vice-president. “During Dr. Dre’s comments, he mentioned not having the resources to keep him interested when he was in school and how much further he may have gone if he had the opportunities we are creating for students at the new high school. For that very reason, to provide “access” the new school will have a swimming pool. I insisted it have a pool, so in the next decade, Compton will have an Olympic swimmer among the great alumni from this community. We’ve turned around the District, we’re closing the opportunity gap, and I am excited about the future of Compton and Compton Unified School District. This new school will serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for the entire community. The Compton School Board’s successful, “Compton Turnaround” has become a model for urban school boards around the Country. It is truly, “A Great Day in Compton!”
Designed by DLR Architects the new Compton High School will feature a new performing arts center named after Dr. Dre who pledged a $10 million contribution, academic building, and athletic facilities will provide a focus on project-based learning, student exploration, and interdepartmental collaboration. New classroom spaces will provide Compton’s 2,500 students the opportunity to participate in programs such as Construction Manufacturing, Graphic Arts, A/V Technology, Communications, Robotics, and Culinary Arts. Additionally, the new football/soccer stadium and outdoor swimming pool will support Compton students pursue athletic success.
1 Comment
Congratulations, Satra Zurita, Micah Ali and the CUSD board for bringing in a world class high school. At least in the end, you will definitely have something tangible to show to taxpayers for your years of service and floating a bond. Unlike the City of Compton lack-of-leadership with both a tax and a bond, yet millions missing, years wasted and not a single credible thing to show. Always choose reality over social media hype masters because one will leave you with absolutely nothing done after eight years, Aja Brown, but a promise without a prayer of completion.