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School History

During the 2011-2012 school year, through LAUSD’s Public School Choice 3.0 process, teachers and community members wrote multiple proposals to implement sister schools known as the Schools for Community Action (SCA) at the soon-to-be-built Augustus F. Hawkins campus. SCA was formed by a collaborative group of teachers, parents, students, and community members whose relationships were initially formed through connections to Manual Arts High School. Through a process that included community meetings in the Vermont-Slauson neighborhood, members of SCA recognized the need for a school focusing on an innovative career pathway in entrepreneurship and small business management, public health, and computer programming and coding. After a year-long writing process that culminated in a proposal submission to the School Board of the LAUSD, the plans submitted were approved by then Superintendent Deasy and three small schools opened their doors inside Hawkins High School to more than three hundred 9-11th graders on August 14th, 2012.

 

The approved plans of the Schools for Community Action included The Responsible Indigenous Social Entrepreneurship (RISE) School, the Critical Design and Gaming School (CDAGS) and the Community Health Advocates School (CHAS). While technically being separate school with different career foci within the curriculum, the foundation of collaboration meant sharing resources, best practices, opportunities, and that each school shared the same five Core Values and a commitment to be: 

  • Student Centered
  • Committed to Community Collaboration
  • Innovative and Excellent
  • Social Justice Oriented
  • Sustainable

 

In 2021, the small schools of RISE, CHAS, and CDAGS united into one comprehensive high school with three collective career pathways to solidify our singular mission and vision to uplift our students and community. Additionally, as a reimagined high school, Hawkins became officially designated as a Community School and a School for Advanced Studies with a CDAGS Magnet. Notably, CDAGS became the first Game Design magnet in LAUSD.