About Us

Larchmont Charter School - West Hollywood

Diversity . Achievement . Community .

A member of the Larchmont Schools family

44 percent non-white students, and as the school grows we will continue to make sure that we maintain a diverse student body.

We are a school of choice and offer an alternative to the traditional public school curriculum of the LAUSD. While parent and community involvement is key to our mission, educators make all decisions involving curriculum and the educational program. Every child at LCW has an individualized education plan rich in art, music, outdoor exploration, and physical education that meets his or her needs and helps each child realize his or her potential in a supportive environment. This research-based educational model has proven successful in closing achievement gaps by providing a first-class education to low-income students and bringing middle- and upper-income families back into public education.

Our school’s philosophy is based on three tenets:

DIVERSITY . To serve a diverse and mixed Socio-Economic Status (SES) student population (30 to 50 percent low-income and 60 percent non-white)

ACHIEVEMENT . To foster creativity and academic excellence; our students learn with and from each other in an experience-centered, inquiry-based learning environment

COMMUNITY . To harness the energy and spirit of our community through volunteerism and fundraising.

LCW is one of only a handful of schools in the country to be affiliated with Alice Waters's EDIBLE SCHOOLYARD program. Edible Schoolyard integrates the concepts of ecology into the curriculum while infusing the curriculum with real-life applications through gardening, cooking, science experiences, and a healthy, seasonal, locally-grown lunch. Through the Edible Schoolyard, students awaken their senses, learn about nutrition, help to build a community, and begin to take personal responsibility for the earth.

WHO WE ARE

1. Larchmont Schools Board of Directors 2012-2013

To advance and sustain a school built on a foundation of diversity, achievement, and community, a fundamental leadership structure is key. The Board of Directors is the governing board of Larchmont Schools: Larchmont Charter School and Larchmont Charter School – West Hollywood. The Board provides oversight and ensures financial stability for Larchmont Charter Schools. The Board meets monthly, and meetings are open to the public.

Members of the Board:

- Danny Corwin (Chair), Chief Financial Officer, California Charter Schools Association

- Marya Francis (Secretary), Business Owner, Retrospecs

- Gabi Loeb (Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee), Vice President, Finance at the Audience

- Carl Cade, Regional Vice President Southern California, Revolution Foods

-Richard Wright, Film Production Executive, Lakeshore Entertainment

- Amber Young, Founding Principal, KIPP Raices Academy, KIPP LA Schools

- Alicia Lara, Vice President, Community Investment, United Way of Greater Los Angeles

- Nicole Jaeger, Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, CBS Paramount Network Television

- Rebecca Hutchinson, Communications Consultant

- Kim Patillo Brownson, Director of Education, Advancement Project

- Mark Feuerstein, Actor

- Ena LaVan, Vice-President, School Family, Alliance for College Ready Public Schools

- Jane Lipsitz, Co-Founder and Co-President, Magical Elves

- Nick Grouf, Co-Founder and CEO, Spot Runner Inc.

- John Amato, Vice-President, Harvard-Westlake School

2. Larchmont Schools Executive Director: Eugene D. Straub

Prior to joining the Larchmont Schools as Executive Director, Eugene D. Straub was Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Citizens of the World Charter Schools. Gene also served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Youth Policy Institute and Chief Financial Officer for IMMS and Chief Operating Officer of Break the Cycle Inc., where he had oversight of development, program implementation, public policy and all financial activities. Gene also served as Senior Vice President-Studio Operations for Twentieth Century Fox, where he was responsible for daily operational activity of the 54-acre studio lot and had oversight of an $85 million operating budget.

Gene serves on the Board of Directors for Citizens of the World Charter Schools, Bert Corona Charter Middle School, and Monseñor Oscar Romero Charter Middle School and was a founding board member of Valley Charter School. Gene earned a B.A. in Finance from Michigan State University and has received a Diplôme de Cuisine with honors from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France.

3. LCW Principal: Dr Kristin L. Droege

Kristin has been a professional educator for 23 years. She taught at the elementary level for six years in both public and private schools. She taught Child Development to beginning teachers at the undergraduate level and later was Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the M.A. program at California State University-Dominguez Hills. In 1999, she and a colleague conceptualized and founded Mountain View Montessori Charter School in Victorville, California, where she served as Head of Curriculum, as well as developing the teacher evaluation system. Kristin has publications in the area of teacher accountability, Head Start, and children’s social development, and the educational benefits of high-quality child care. She did her undergraduate work at Duke University, and has an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from UCLA.

4. LCW Administration & Faculty

4a. LCW Administration

- Tiffany Castro (Director of Operations and Compliance for Larchmont Schools)
- Cindy Torroba (Business Manager/Primary Campus)
- Maria Alvarado (Office Manager/Middle Campus)
- Danielle Lovell-Walsh (Office Manager/Primary Campus)

- Glenda Reyes (Custodian/Primary Campus)

- Felix Garcia (Custodian/Middle Campus)

4b. LCW Faculty: Lead Teachers

-Jennifer Santangelo/Kate Thomspon (Kindergarten)

- Lillie Pardo (Kindergarten)

-Cecilia Wong (First Grade)
-Mersedeh Emrani (First Grade)

- Cassandra Geiser (Second Grade)

- Whitney Homchick (Second Grade)

- Emery McCabe/Elham Tavabi (Third Grade)

- Scott Lenhert (Third Grade)

- Candice Allen (Fourth Grade)

-JoJo Jurado (Fourth Grade)

- Megan Howe (Fifth Grade)

-Rich Kane (Fifth Grade)
-Jill Stefani (Sixth Grade)

- John Resendez (Sixth Grade)

4c. LCW Faculty: Enrichment/Specialist Teachers

- Alejandra Domenzain (Reading Specialist)

- Kelly Ferguson (Reading Specialist)

- TBD (Reading Specialist)

- Mat Baker (Music Specialist)

- Jamia Weir (Arts Specialist)

- Alan Morales (Athletics Specialist/Primary Campus)

-Miguel Alvarez (Physical Education Teacher/Primary Campus)

- Tiffany Castro (Spanish Teacher 4th-6th)
- Miguel Alvarez (Spanish Teacher 4th-6th)

- Tracy Erland-Zehnder (Resource Specialist)

- Karen Thomsen (Resource Intern)

-Kelly Block (Classroom Assistant)
-Felix Garcia (Classroom Assistant)

- Sarah Heacox (Classroom Assistant)

- Hana Hutchcroft (Classroom Assistant)

- Will Todisco (Classroom Assistant)

- Bill Pinajian (Speech Therapist)

-Lisa Foster (Occupational Therapist)
-Lily Sais (Counselor)
-Marguerita Mees (Edible Schoolyard Kitchen/Garden Teacher)

- TBD (Edible Schoolyard Kitchen/Garden Teacher)

- Rick Perillo (Edible Schoolyard Kitchen/Garden Teacher)

4d. Network Support

- Eugene D. Straub (Executive Director)

- Margaret Winnen (Director of Human Capital)

- Rebecca Bailey (Development Manager)

- George Garcia (Director of Technology and Facilities)

5. LCW Principal’s Council

The Principal’s Council is the LCW site-based governing group that assists and supports the principal in moving our school forward. The purpose of the Principal’s Council is to assist in decision-making by providing input from all constituents regarding issues of budget, scheduling, enrichments, facilities, community outreach, and more. The parent representatives serve an extremely important role, as they are the voice of the parent community in decision-making at the site level and also a means to disseminate information regarding some of the bigger-picture issues that interest our community, such as charter school policy, LAUSD processes, and state budgetary issues.

LCW Principal’s Council 2012-13 Members:

- Brandon Block (Family Council Chair)

- Amanda Swift (Family Council Vice Chair)

-Dr. Kristin L. Droege (Principal)
-Tiffany Castro (Director of Operations and Compliance for Larchmont Schools)
-Maria Alvarado (Kindergarten Representative)

- Susan Matloff (First Grade Representative)

- Andrew Delaney (Second Grade Representative)

- Abbey Mars (Third Grade Representative)

- Janet Nelson (Fourth Grade Representative)

-Johnny Camacho (Fifth Grade Representative)
-Stacey Zercoff (Sixth Grade Representative)

WHO WE ARE

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Larchmont Schools Board of Directors

Larchmont Schools Executive Director:

Eugene D. Straub

LCW Principal:

Dr Kristin L. Droege

LCW Administration &

Faculty

LCW Principal’s Council

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ABOUT US

In 2007, a group of dedicated parents and educators felt there was a need in the West Hollywood area for an alternative public elementary school, and, under the guidance and support of the Larchmont Charter School Board of Directors, spearheaded the effort to open a new school that would serve this community. The result is the Larchmont Charter School - West Hollywood (LCW) which opened its doors in September 2008.

For the 2012-2013 school year, Larchmont Charter School – West Hollywood has enrolled 334 students making up the K-6 student body. Our plan is to continue adding a new group of kindergarteners each school year until we have a full K-8 school. Our student population is currently made up of 33 percent low-income and