Oscar De La Hoya to Give Commencement Speech
Green Dot Public Schools, the largest charter school organization in Los Angeles, announced that world champion boxer, Oscar De La Hoya, will deliver the commencement address to the first graduating class of Oscar De La Hoya ÃÂnimo Charter High School. The ceremony will take place at Sullivan Field at the Loyola Marymount University campus Thursday, June 21 at 3:00 pm.
De La Hoya, whose foundation is dedicated to helping underprivileged families in East Los Angeles, has been actively involved with his namesake school since its inception in 2003. He is a strong believer in giving back to the community and often drops by the school unannounced to visit the students, encouraging them to study hard and not to give up.
“Growing up in the East Los Angeles community I know how important it is to keep a positive attitude and to stay focused on your goals,†said De La Hoya. “I’m so proud of these students who have demonstrated that through determination, hard work and faith, dreams come true. All of these kids deserve a quality education and I’m honored to help them reach their dreams! This is a landmark day for everyone involved with Oscar De La Hoya ÃÂnimo Charter High School.â€
The Oscar De La Hoya ÃÂnimo Charter High School is one of ten Green Dot high schools that offer quality education to Los Angeles communities faced with educational, social and economic adversity. The success of The Green Dot schools, which score on average 113 points higher than Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) high schools on the state of California’s Academic Performance Index, validate their success based on the “Six Tenets†school model. The “Six Tenets of High Performing Public Schools†calls for schools to: 1) be safer and no larger than 500 students each; 2) implement a college preparatory curriculum for all students; 3) empower principals, teachers, parents and students to own all key decisions related to budgets, curriculum and hiring; 4) add more dollars to classrooms and significantly increase teacher pay; 5) value and support parent participation; 6) stay open later for community use.
By implementing this model, Green Dot has produced incredible results, helping students close the achievement gap, graduate from high school, and attend four-year colleges. Oscar De La Hoya ÃÂnimo is ranked among the top 10% of high schools in the state of California that serve similar communities. This year, Oscar De La Hoya ÃÂnimo will graduate 98% of its inaugural senior class. 108 out of 113 graduates, or 96%, will attend college, with 88 graduates (78%) admitted to four-year universities. In comparison, only 20% of LAUSD seniors attending comparable schools go on to four-year universities. One of the success stories is Thalia Rojas, a student without legal immigration status, who has been awarded the Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship, University of California Berkeley’s most prestigious scholarship. Only 20 incoming freshmen were selected to receive this full-ride scholarship, without which Rojas would have been financially unable to attend UC Berkeley.
“We are very happy to be celebrating this milestone in Green Dot’s history. With the generosity and goodwill of Oscar De La Hoya, all of these bright, young and gifted students have been granted the opportunity to obtain a safe, quality education and a chance to succeed in life,†said Steve Barr, founder and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools. “Every time a class graduates, we know they face a promising future because of the education provided to them. We look forward to many more Oscar De La Hoya ÃÂnimo graduations and will always be grateful to Oscar De La Hoya’s unparalleled commitment to ensuring that kids receive a quality education. It is my dream to provide this opportunity to every child in Los Angeles.â€
While Oscar De La Hoya ÃÂnimo Charter High School is temporarily located in downtown Los Angeles, construction will commence this summer for a permanent facility at the site of De La Hoya’s boxing gym in East Los Angeles.
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About Green Dot Public Schools
Green Dot Public Schools is the leading public school operator in Los Angeles and is dedicated to changing public education in Los Angeles so that all children receive the educations they need to reach their dreams. It currently operates ten public charter high schools in Los Angeles’ highest-need communities. Each Green Dot school (branded “ÃÂnimo†schools) vastly outperforms comparable traditional public high schools. For more information visit: www.greendot.org
About The Oscar De La Hoya Foundation
In 1995 the Oscar De La Hoya Foundation was created to bring a better quality of life to the people of East Los Angeles. Today, with the help of so many, the foundation serves thousands of people annually. Offering the Oscar De La Hoya High School, the Cecilia Gonzales De La Hoya Cancer Center and the Oscar De La Hoya Children’s Medical Center, both located at the White Memorial Hospital.