The International School of Los Angeles (french: Lycée International de Los Angeles, LILA) is a private,
international school
An international school is an institution that promotes education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterized by a multinational student body a ...
for students aged 4 to 18. The International School of Los Angeles holds accreditation by the
French Ministry of Education
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
, the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing School accreditation, accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary school, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, ...
, and the
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
.
History
Established in 1978, The school was initially called the College d'Etudes Françaises (CEF) and then the Lycée International de Los Angeles (LILA). In September 2015, the School officially changed its name to the International School of Los Angeles. Since the original founders (Monique Mickus, Jacques & Pierrette Gaspart) had French backgrounds, they chose the proven French educational system as the foundation for the School's curriculum. Mme Christiane Bayet, mother of Monique Mickus, who was on the original Board of Trustees for the school and an educator herself, taught French, Latin and Philosophy when the school first opened.
Co-founder Monique Mickus came from a long line of educators and was one of the first teachers when the school opened. Her great-grandfather, French historian and author
Alphonse Aulard Alphonse may refer to:
* Alphonse (given name)
* Alphonse (surname)
* Alphonse Atoll, one of two atolls in the Seychelles' Alphonse Group
See also
*Alphons
*Alfonso (disambiguation) Alfonso (and variants Alphonso, Afonso, Alphons, and Alphonse) i ...
(1849-1928), held the chair of Professor of History of the French Revolution at the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
. He was also a co-founder of the
Ligue des droits de l'homme
The Human Rights League (french: Ligue des droits de l’homme '' t du citoyen' or LDH) of France is a Human Rights NGO association to observe, defend and promulgation of Rights Man within the French Republic in all spheres of public life. The ...
and was president of the
Mission Laïque from 1906 to 1912. Her grandfather,
Albert Bayet
Albert Pierre Jules Joseph Bayet (1 February 1880, Lyon – on 26 June 1961, Paris) was a French sociologist, professor at both the Sorbonne and the École pratique des hautes études.
Biography
He was the son of Charles Bayet, Byzantine art ...
(1880-1961) was Professor of Sociology at the Sorbonne and at the
École pratique des hautes études
The École pratique des hautes études (), abbreviated EPHE, is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is highly selective, and counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions. It is a constituent college o ...
. He too was a member of the
Ligue des droits de l'homme
The Human Rights League (french: Ligue des droits de l’homme '' t du citoyen' or LDH) of France is a Human Rights NGO association to observe, defend and promulgation of Rights Man within the French Republic in all spheres of public life. The ...
and was president of the
Ligue de l'enseignement
''La Ligue de l'enseignement'' was initially conceived and created by the journalist Jean Macé, on 15 November 1866. It was advocated for by liberal press, as public, free, compulsory and secular education. A congress convened in 1881, which gav ...
from 1949 to 1959. He was president of the
Fédération nationale de la presse libre during World War II and president of the following the war.
Initially, the School had five students.
[Klein, Karen E.]
Monrovia Will Get a Taste of France With New School
Archive
. ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
''. June 20, 1990. Retrieved on June 29, 2015. They were the co-founders' children: Catherine Mickus, Elizabeth Mickus, Francis Mickus, Guylaine Gaspart, and Christelle Gaspart. By 1990, the student body had increased to 225 on three campuses.
By 2001, there were 650 students on five campuses.
Campuses and offices
The school has five campuses: a nursery and a primary school in the Los Feliz area, a primary school in Pasadena, a primary school in the West Valley area , and a secondary school in Burbank. Upon graduation from the primary schools, studentsfrom the Los Feliz, Pasadena and West Valley primary campuses take daily buses to Burbank to begin their secondary education.
A central administrative office is located on the Burbank campus.
Los Feliz (primary school campus)
![Midtown School pavilion buildings from north 2015-11-29](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Midtown_School_pavilion_buildings_from_north_2015-11-29.jpg)
The largest of the five, this campus is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and is the only school designed by noted architect
John Lautner
John Edward Lautner (16 July 1911 – 24 October 1994) was an American architect. Following an apprenticeship in the mid-1930s with the Taliesin Fellowship led by Frank Lloyd Wright, Lautner opened his own practice in 1938, where he worked for th ...
. Constructed in 1960 in the International Modern style, the four separate pavilion classrooms feature a low scale to suit children. The campus is located in the
Franklin Hills section of LA. The campus is located on six acres. The permanent Lautner structures and other additions are used as offices, classrooms, science labs, art rooms, a multipurpose room, computer labs, and a teachers' lounge. The library sits in the middle of the largest building. Several modular classrooms have been added to the campus. There is a large field used for football and other sports, and several play areas.
Pasadena (primary school campus)
The Pasadena campus is located across from
Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California.
History
Pasadena, California, Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four- ...
. It consists of a two-story building with 11 classrooms, a dual-language library, a computer lab used for student research and didactic exercises, and dedicated outside dining and play areas. A separate multipurpose room serves as a versatile venue for music classes, indoor extra-curricular activities and special meetings, while an auditorium invites larger group activities, such as student performances, workshops, etc.
West Valley (primary school campus)
The West Valley Campus consists of three permanent buildings and two additional modular buildings, one of which houses a well-stocked library. The other modular building is home to a computer lab with 22 computers and a small, indoor gymnasium. The permanent buildings have high ceilings and ample space for the small class sizes of 17-20 students. All classrooms have their own library and computer areas, and all West Valley classrooms are fitted with interactive whiteboards and projectors, enabling teachers to utilise the very latest educational technologies to complement their pedagogical techniques. The playground is very spacious and includes a shaded eating area, a pitch for sport, a basketball court, a set of swings, and a jungle gym. There is also a small pool.
Burbank (secondary school campus)
Opened in August 2013, the Burbank campus is located in the Equestrian district, perhaps the most famous neighbourhood in Burbank due to its equestrian zoning, numerous parks, open space, connections to riding trails. The campus is on Riverside Drive, the area's high street, lined with sycamore and oak trees. The one-story building was built in the 1960s by
General Motors Corporation
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
for training purposes. The campus houses 23 classrooms, four labs, an auditorium, an art room, an indoor sports room, two outdoor volleyball courts and basketball courts. School buses shuttle students between the Burbank campus and the three Los Angeles-area primary school campuses.
Sport
Rugby 7s,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
,
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. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
,
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
and
fencing
Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...
are all sports played at the school.
Academics
The International School of Los Angeles follows the French Ministry of Education's academic programme in a bilingual context. Besides the scientifically proven benefits of bilingualism, the School aims to gift students with the value of a constructivist education where students are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction. The International School of Los Angeles teaches a bilingual programme culminating in the French Baccalauréat or the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Students are taught to read, write, and speak both languages by the end of their primary education. Satisfying both the Core Standards and the French Ministry of Education's requirements necessitates a rigorous schedule; the percentage of each language of instruction varies at each grade level.
The school specifically avoids dividing students based upon their dominant language. At the very foundation of the educational programme is a policy of integration.
The academic programme is based on a bicultural programme which results in a French Baccalaureate and/or an International Baccalaureate
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...
. Students are taught to speak, read, and write both French and English, but can additionally learn other languages. The school also offers the French
Brevet des collèges
The National Diploma ( French: ''Le Diplôme National du Brevet des Collèges'') is a diploma given to French pupils at the end of 3e (year 10 / ninth grade), This diploma is awarded to students who are or were within French cultural influence ...
(100% success rate). The School further requires all its secondary students to fulfil 150 hours of community service as part of their roles as world citizens.
In 2015, the ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' placed the International School of Los Angeles 11th in its most challenging private high schools in the US.
Because the school's students, teachers and staff come from many nations (over 50 nationalities are represented on the five campuses, with 39 languages spoken at home) the concept that we are all citizens of one world are emphasised. Small, nurturing classes and small student-to-teacher ratios facilitate this.
Graduates of the International School of Los Angeles are accepted to universities internationally, among them: Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, McGill University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Universite de APris and Sciences Po.
References
Further reading
*Lingre, Michele.
Early Linguists : Private Foreign-Language Schools Give Bilingual Education a New Twist" ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
''. April 28, 1988.
External links
International School of Los Angeles**
{{authority control
AEFE accredited schools
Educational institutions established in 1978
French-American culture in California
High schools in Los Angeles
International Baccalaureate schools in California
Private K-12 schools in Los Angeles County, California
Private elementary schools in California
Preparatory schools in California
1978 establishments in California
French international schools in the United States
International schools in California
Tarzana, Los Angeles
Buildings and structures in Burbank, California
Schools in Pasadena, California
Los Feliz, Los Angeles
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles
Monrovia, California
Huntington Beach, California
Orange, California
Van Nuys, Los Angeles
Non-profit organizations based in California