Milken Community High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009) |
Coordinates: 34°07′31.91″N 118°28′40.38″W / 34.1255306°N 118.4778833°W
| Milken Community High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| 15800 Zeldins' Way, Los Angeles, California, 90049 Bel Air, Los Angeles,  California,  USA |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Private, coeducational 7-12 |
| Motto | Developing students with sharp minds, generous hearts, and kind souls |
| Religious affiliation | Jewish |
| Established | 1990 |
| Faculty | approx. 120 |
| Enrollment | approx. 800 |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Wildcats |
| Newspaper | The Roar |
| Website | www.milkenschool.org |
Milken Community High School, colloquially Milken, is a private Jewish High School. It is located on Mulholland Drive in the Bel-Air area of Los Angeles, California.
Though it is affiliated with the Reform Stephen S. Wise Temple, it is officially non-denominational.
The school's middle school spans grades 7 through 8, while the high school spans 9 through 12. Currently, about 200 students are enrolled in the middle school, while 600 students are enrolled in the high school, making it the largest Jewish day school in the United States.
Contents |
[edit] History
The school began as the Golda Meir School and was renamed the Einstein Academy. When the school became affiliated with Stephen S. Wise Temple, it was renamed Stephen S. Wise High School. After a large donation from the Milken Family Foundation the school was named Milken Community High School.
[edit] Academics
The academic departments are English, Social Sciences, Science, Mathematics, Jewish Studies, Hebrew, World Languages (Spanish, French, Latin, Chinese), Health, Information Technology and Media Studies, Physical Education, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, and Music. All departments offer elective courses.
[edit] Judaism
All students are required to take four years of Hebrew, of which 18 different levels are offered. Four years of Jewish studies are also required, offered at regular, honors, and high honors levels (9th-Jewish Law, 10th-Chumash, 11th-Jewish Law, 12th-Jewish Thought). Minyan takes place once a week, with varied options such as traditional-egalitarian, yoga, social action, meditation, liberal, doubters, and others. An optional daily Mincha minyan is also offered. Through the Advanced Jewish Studies Center (AJSC), numerous Judaic electives are offered, including comparative religions, intensive Talmud study, comparative film, and others. The Kivun program, in which guest speakers lecture students on topics relating to Judaism, is offered throughout the year; students are required to attend one Kivun each semester.
Milken, unlike Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School, does not directly affiliate itself with Reform Judaism or any stream of Judaism in specific. It aims to cater to all streams and levels of observance of Judaism.
[edit] Tiferet Israel Fellowship
In partnership with the Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education (AMIIE), MCHS offers an exciting and historic opportunity for students to learn and live in Israel for the Spring semester of the 10th grade. Through a full academic program, schedule of tiyyulim (field study and trips), personalized Chuggim (individualized activities) and partnership with Israeli teens, Tiferet Israel Fellows learn inside and outside of the classroom and build relationships with the land and people of Israel. The semester abroad is followed by two years of additional programming. The junior year focuses on public presentation skills, training fellows how to best advocate for the State of Israel. The senior year concludes with an intensive seminar based at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, examining Israeli cultural and political issues.
[edit] Student life
The track team, after expanding to over 60 team members in 2008, won the league champions for the third consecutive year.
The Milken basketball team which is led by has had success, as well:
- CIF SS Playoffs 18 out of 19 years
- 10 League Championships
- Heritage League “Coach of the Year” 2003-2004
- Four CIF SS Final Four Appearances (for three schools)
- One CIF SS Championship
- One State Finals Appearance
Many Wildcats have been NCAA athletes, and one, Benjamin Benditson, has been a professional athlete; he plays for MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy.[1]
The FIRST robotics team, the Milken Knights, has won three awards, including the Southern California rookie award in 2006 and the Los Angeles spirit award in 2008. In 2009, the team won the Los Angeles autodesk visualization award in addition to ranking 23rd at championships.
The school prides itself on several self-styled Centers of Excellence, including the Stephen S. Wise Music Academy and Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, its Educational Technology and Broadcast Studio Program, its Wildcats Athletics Program, the Advanced Jewish Studies Center, and the Mitchell Academy of Science and Technology. Other student organizations include The Roar student newspaper, the student-run yearbook committee, the Writes of Passage literary club, the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Junior Statesmen of America, WISE, the Friendship Circle Club, and Model United Nations, among others.
The school has a Mexico Exchange Program, an Israel Exchange Program (exclusively for the 8th Grade) and a four-month study abroad experience in Israel, called the Tiferet Israel Fellowship, based at Alexander Muss High School.
