Manual Arts High School, established in 1910, is the third high school in Los Angeles, and is the oldest high school still on its original site in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Special guests, alumni, a concert, art projects, games and school information booths will fill the campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Aug. 22, on the campus at King and Vermont.

Expected speakers include:
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell
Manual Arts High School grad LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
LA Councilwoman Jan Perry
LAUSD Board Member Marguerite LaMotte

Notable alumni include such artist Jackson Pollock, director Frank Capra and Paul Winfield in addition to Supervisor Ridley-Thomas.

Manual Arts High School is in the midst of a historic transformation. It recently joined MLA, a nonprofit organization working to www.mlapartnerschools.org" target="_blank">improve schools and empower neighborhoods in some of the most disenfranchised communities in Los Angeles.

In addition to Manual Arts, MLA oversees West Adams Prep on Washington/Vermont,

Although Manual Arts remains an LAUSD school, it is operated by MLA much like a charter school. MLA staff work side by side with the school’s teachers and principal advancing a model of shared leadership to manage the school and offer students innovative instruction and a college-ready curriculum, according to their press release.

Manual Arts is getting a new principal, school uniforms and a campus health clinic this year as well.

“We must now come together to rebuild our school as a beacon of hope in our community,” said Todd Irving, principal of Manual Arts High School.

“We hope that the festival will reinvigorate the community’s enthusiasm to work with us to transform Manual Arts into a school of excellence—where students graduate prepared for college and life,” said Mike McGalliard, president of MLA.

MLA schools are public schools supported and operated by a private sector school reform organization.