Over the holiday break, my mother came for a visit from New York. While she was here, we talked about the kids and CHA. And, tuition. She’s seen the school and acknowledges that it’s a beautiful campus. Still, my mother was shocked at the cost of sending three kids to private school. Perhaps her idea of private school is a little dated. I went to a parochial high school thirty years ago and tuition was only $25 per month. My mother took no comfort in the fact that today other CAIS accredited independent schools in the Valley are 30% to 35% more expensive than CHA or that the same education in the Bay Area would be even higher. So, she had no context to understand the extraordinary value a CHA education presents. Her view was that my kids, her grandchildren, were smart, articulate and confident and that they would do well anywhere, including in public school.

Well, it got me thinking about how to explain this to my mother. Why do my wife and I make a very real sacrifice to put our kids through private school? Is my mother right, would they do just as well at any other school? (My mom has the interesting habit of showing great support for my achievements generally, but then questioning each decision I make along the way—“You and Sue are doing a wonderful job raising those kids, Vic, but why are you spending all that money to send them to private school?”)

Intuitively, I knew we were doing the right thing, but how could I best explain it? So, I told her about the small class sizes and the devoted teachers. I told her about the close relationship CHA students develop with their teachers. I explained about the drive for academic excellence and the school’s success in helping each child achieve his or her full potential. I told her about how CHA parents shared a common interest in the importance of education for their children and a desire to see those children develop into confident adults who will lead successful lives with integrity. I explained that independent schools go beyond academics to instill values and leadership.

As I thought about it more, I considered all the kids that had graduated from CHA over the years. I realized there weren’t really that many, probably just 1000 to 1200 students over CHA’s 30-year history. For me, that really clarified just how individualized an education each student gets at CHA. No one at CHA passes through under the radar. No one is overlooked or invisible. Each student, by virtue of the size of the school, is fully engaged. Kids growing up in that safe and familiar environment develop a level of confidence that lets them become the most capable people they can become. Sure, each child moves at a different pace and goes through his or her own phases on this road, but overall I look at my children and their friends at CHA and see kids who are as comfortable being themselves at school as they are at home. That’s a far cry from my own experience at public elementary and intermediate school.

In the end, I summarized it this way: Susan and I initially chose CHA because it met our objective requirements but also because we felt an instinctive connection to the school. We then made the financial investment in tuition, betting on that choice with a very substantial amount of money. To date, that investment has paid off more than I could have imagined. Yes, my kids are smart, articulate and confident and they would do well anywhere. But that’s in part—a very important part— because they are here, at CHA. Had they gone to a public school or even a bigger private school, they would be different people, at risk of being lost in the shuffle of a larger school or exposed to the unfortunate distractions of L.A. public schools. We know life only gets harder and more complicated so the confidence and skill our kids develop now are what they will rely on for the rest of their lives. This is why the National Association of Independent Schools calls this type of education “the investment of a lifetime.”

I don’t know that my mother was completely satisfied with my answer—are mothers ever? In fact, somewhere along the line, as I started using terms like “character education” and “spiral curriculum,” her eyes glazed over and she started looking out the window at the kids playing in the yard. She had a quiet smile on her face. I realized she might not recognize the cause and effect relationship of sending our kids to CHA, but I knew she was quite happy with the people they are becoming.

I walked into Mr. Miller’s class the other day to see students in various and colorful costumes and with multiple and impressive props performing plays they had created. I couldn’t get in the door of Mrs. Robbins’ room as there were volcanoes blocking the door – I hate it when that happens – and Power Point presentations going on inside. Mrs. Warburton has “journals” from internment camps written by her students on the walls of her room. Have you had a chance to visit some of these classrooms lately? When you’re on campus, peek in and look around: your children have been busy and their work is impressive.

Here are a few sneak peeks at what students have been up to:
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As our school family enjoys a wonderful Holiday Season, the campus is filled with construction vehicles and new athletic equipment. Last spring a small group of CHA parents expressed a true interest in providing the restricted contributions for the remodeling of the school’s playground into a spectacular new Athletic Center. During the ensuing months, professionals and contractors were engaged to develop the extraordinary site plan displayed above. (more…)

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning…actually a perfect one. It was mild and sunny and the winds had died down from a couple of days before and were not due to pick up again until the evening hours. The hustle and bustle of yesterday’s afternoon and early evening hours when the tent, chairs, stage, and sound system were delivered and set up turned in to the morning’s hustle and bustle of plasma screens, coffee makers, breakfast foods, last minute decorations, luxury buses, lots of registration materials and, of course, the arrival of grandparents and grandfriends. (more…)

What a delight and thrill it was when CHA’s Winter Holiday Program was performed in the evening under the spotlights and on the big stage at CSUN. Opening of this wonderful program was an extraordinary DVD presentation of holiday songs by the entire Early Childhood student body. Attired in custom-made hats and matching scarves from the designer and Early Childhood teacher Jackie Schulz, Beginner, Intermediate and Pre-Kindergarten students reminded us all of the joy and spirit of this magical season. (more…)

As the Coordinator of Alumni Relations, one of my responsibilities is to attend the meetings of Alumni Directors from all the CAIS schools in the greater Los Angeles area. We get together a few times a year to discuss alumni relations. At our meetings we discuss how to keep alumni involved in our schools, how to get them to return for events, how to keep contact with them to see how they are doing once they leave our school, and how to get them to participate in “friend-raising.” (more…)

I enjoy running marathons. I know – marathons are not everyone’s idea of a good time. For me, there’s exhilaration in the physical and mental challenge. The first and last miles are always the toughest, but they are also the ones with the most adrenaline. (more…)

Whether you walk up the hill to visit our classrooms (grades 1, 2, 3, 4), or head even further up the hill to our kindergarten classrooms, the same sight will greet you, namely, students fully engaged in learning. You might have to spend a minute or two looking for the teacher, because s/he could be sitting in a group, working on the floor with a student, or sitting in a corner listening to children read. (Of course, it’s possible the teacher will be at the front of the classroom, explaining and demonstrating, but that is not the norm.) (more…)

Sometimes you notice things that seem unrelated and realize they share something in common. Consider Sputnik, the Anaheim Angels, and CHA.

Fifty years ago this month, the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik, a small satellite that changed everything. At the time, the United States had been moving somewhat aimlessly, and the competency and ingenuity that had won World War II were spent designing cars with ever-bigger tailfins. (more…)

I love the noise which accompanies the beginning of each new school year. The noises of students returning for their new adventure, of their parents adjusting to new teachers and increasing expectations, and of returning and new faculty with high expectations and intense devotion to their students and their own subject area. All of the stillness of summer and the articulate planning of the faculty give way with a “blast” when the entire school community leaves the “starting line” on the first days and weeks of school. (more…)