LA high school opens for budding arts enthusiasts

She is here to learn to fly, to catch the moon in her hands. Remember her name. "I used to be alone all the time in my other school," said Natalie Arias, a 14-year-old from North Hollywood who plays an intricate violin concerto as easily as most teens master Guitar Hero.

[E Pluribus Unum]

The students should be motivated and excited to study the arts,but the allocation
of 232 million dollars in construction money for one school is excessive. I know
education goes beyond learning skills to prepare for a future profession,or career,
but a different allocation of the funding could have provided a focus on schools
that would have also focused on learning various trades and technology oriented
careers. The focus of the school will definitely help students seeking to learn
about the arts, but the invested money would have been better spent in focusing
on an area of study that is more critical to the needs of the students and the Los
Angeles area. I hope the school is successful,but I would also like to see other schools receive funding for developing more marketable skills in their students.

[Truthteller]

This is a puff piece, not journalism.
The students are mostly kids from the community - with a normal distribution of talent and probably very little arts training. The district refused to make it an arts school for the most talented and best trained, so likening it to the Laguardia (Fame) school is ludicrous.
A shiny new building does not a school make. If your child's a performing artist, send him/her to the magnets at Hamilton, Van Nuys or Hollywood. If he/she is a visual artist, go to Fairfax. These arts magnets have been doing great work for a quarter of a century and have high test scores.
Best wishes to the arts high school, but at this point it's about intentions - no track record.

[clear]

The arts do provide an industry for Los Angeles. I am glad that LAUSD is trying to contribute to the industry.

[Marbella]

VAPA high school is such a great school and there are so many talented students here you would't find so much life and spirit as our Central Los Angeles High School #9. I'm greatful to be part of a school that will better my chances in reaching my dream=]

[Go Figure]

What struck me as fraud on the way is documented in the news article. Why is a resident of Long Beach attending a school in LAUSD? Why should my tax dollars be supporting another City's responsibility? It is bad enough we spent 232 million on a facility that looks like space junk.

[Melina]

I attend Vapa , well we haven't officially chose a name for are school.
But so far I think we've done a amazing job.
There are people who love what their doing , I mean I've never seen so much school spirit .
Even people who think it is ''lame'' to show it , show it . Every body can be outspoken or loud and out there because we have an excuse . It's because we are art kids, who will make it somewhere.

[Make a wish]

I believe if you give these kids a chance to show if their worth
that much money they've spent on the school.
This is a art school , and the kids do have talent . And on top of it it's not some high price private school were stuck up kids . On which their parents forced them to attended to . Most kids who attend Central High school #9 went to school's like Hamilton or Van Nuys didn't like it because the teachers lacked passion and really love for the arts .