Students Rock the House & Raise Funds at Cleveland CHS

Actor Jeff Meacham, who plays “Josh” in the popular ABC series ‘Black-ish’ hosted COREchella – a student-led rock concert and fundraiser for Cleveland Humanities Magnet (8140 Vanalden Avenue, Reseda, CA 91335) on Friday, April 5, 2019. The event featured Outdoor Stage performances that began at 5:15 p.m., followed by performances on the Main Stage from 7:00 – 10:30 p.m. During the event, students hoped to raise $40,000 from family and friends to purchase new school equipment including: a color copy machine, laptops and high-functioning calculators.
The one-night student-led concert, named after the school’s CORE curriculum and a play on the Indio, California, music festival Coachella, showcased 18 top student performances, feature about a dozen food trucks, a silent auction, teacher performances, a Very Important Parent (V.I.P.) Lounge and a festive environment for all to enjoy.

“It's rewarding for those of us who work in the entertainment industry to support young, budding talent and celebrate their work to improve their school community in the way that these young people are doing,” said Meacham, the evening’s host. “The students of Cleveland Humanities Magnet have worked so hard to make COREchella 2019 a success, and I am proud to be a part of it!” he added.

COREchella is a rock concert created by students to keep the arts alive in ways that they enjoy while also helping to improve the school. The fundraiser was launched in 2010 by students who saw the rock concert as an opportunity to fill the void left by cuts to the arts in education. With support from school staff and their parents, students pursued a proactive approach to fundraising utilizing local resources and student talent.

“The Cleveland Humanities Magnet, without a doubt, is one of the premier high schools in all of the Los Angeles Unified School District,” said LAUSD Board Member Scott Schmerelson who represents Board District 3. “No private, independent charter or parochial high school provides a better education than the Cleveland Humanities Magnet. The school spirit, the superb faculty and staff along with the parents who are totally devoted to the school make the Cleveland Humanities Magnet a highly desired school,” added Schmerelson.

Established in 1981, Cleveland Humanities Magnet High School program integrates the arts into the study of History, English, and Philosophy. It is one of LAUSD’s top performing magnet schools and a leading secondary school for the study of the Humanities in Los Angeles. The school’s ethnic, racial and socioeconomic diversity supports an environment of community engagement and social awareness that strengthens the program. More than eighty percent of the school’s graduating students attend four-year college programs after high school completion.

For the seventh consecutive year, the school received the National Merit Award for Achievement and Innovation as a 2019 Magnet School of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America (MSA), a national organization representing 2,500 magnet schools across the U.S. Last year, Cleveland’s Humanities Magnet became the first nationally certified magnet school in LAUSD.