Jaime Escalante Elementary School Named In Ceremony

LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles-area school has been named for late calculus teacher Jaime Escalante, whose story about pushing underachieving students to succeed was chronicled in the 1988 hit movie "Stand and Deliver."

A ceremony to name the new kindergarten to sixth-grade facility the Jaime Escalante Elementary School was held on Saturday.

The school is a new facility that serves 600 pupils in Cudahy, a suburb southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The family of Escalante, who died a year ago of cancer, attended the ceremony, along with several of his former students.

The Bolivian-born Escalante taught math at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles from 1974 to 1991. He is remembered for his philosophy that every student is capable of high achievement, regardless of their circumstances.

Comments

[LMPE]

03:42 PM on 03/28/2011

I propose renaming LAX the Cesar Chavez International Airport.

[Ari Sedona]

06:05 PM on 03/27/2011

And LA totally ignore what he did and continued doing it LA way. Yet they name a school after him, but ignore his message. No wonder your schools are among the worst.

[mlaiuppa]

08:25 PM on 03/26/2011

The man taught calculus to high school students and they're naming an elementary school after him?

Geesh.

Locally they refused to name a middle school after Christa McAuliffe, but they named one after Ray Kroc. Don't know what famous educator he was? What contribution he made to education?

He owned McDonald's.

And there you have priorities. Money and corporations over teachers. Unless you make millions, you get no respect, no matter what your contribution.

[NamithaSF]

09:14 PM on 03/26/2011

Mr. Escalante deserves this honor. In fact they should name next three new HS's after him.
Maybe you don't know his story.

[mlaiuppa]

03:43 AM on 03/27/2011

I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to have a school named after him.

I'm saying an elementary school is inappropriate as they would never understand the significance.

A high school named after him is more appropriate since those are the students he worked with. In fact, given the contributions of President Garfield they should have renamed Garfield High after Jaime Escalante.

Not only do I KNOW his story, I met the man and have an autograph to prove it. I had the honor of hearing him speak at the Computer Using Educator's conference some years back. I was saddened to hear of his passing.

[LynnDee227]

10:54 PM on 03/26/2011

Watch the movie. Then you'll understand. He was an inspirational teacher.

[mlaiuppa]

03:41 AM on 03/27/2011

I'm not saying he shouldn't have a school named after him.

I'm saying an elementary school is inappropriate as they would never understand the significance.

A high school named after him is more appropriate since those are the student he worked with. In fact, given the contributions of President Garfield they should have renamed Garfield High after him.