Seven Key Concepts

Diversity
The diversity of the Hollywood Schoolhouse is one of its strengths. We affirm diversity as an indispensable component of academic excellence. We work to promote mutual respect among all members of our community and appreciate each person’s value without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, culture, religion, family structure, sexual orientation, financial resources or disability.

Community
There are two dimensions to the concept of community at the Schoolhouse. The first is the close-knit community of school faculty, staff, parents and children. The second, and equally important, is the connectedness of the School to its immediate neighborhood that stems from its heritage and civic mindedness of its founders.

Educating the whole child
The Schoolhouse program places equal value on academic rigor, social, emotional and physical development. Varied activities that include formal classroom instruction are balanced with activities in the Arts, Performance and Athletics. The Schoolhouse recognizes that each of us exists in a state of interdependency with the world at large and that with enlightenment and education comes an obligation to be a responsible global citizen.

Civic responsibility and service
The attitudes children develop will shape the quality of life for all of us in the future. Young people must learn how to understand their community and its institutions, to develop decision-making skills, to learn the ins and outs of public policy, and to know the value of service. We feel that it is important for children to be involved in service learning experiences that are age appropriate, engaging and connected to the broader curriculum.

Balancing academics with the arts
We believe that academic excellence can be attained only when the personal strengths and learning styles of children are nurtured. Academic excellence is viewed in terms of optimizing each child’s performance and growth. The program promotes excellence through quality instruction with purposeful and appropriate rigor, combining both traditional and progressive instructional techniques. Exposure and involvement in the Arts are fundamental in promoting intelligent, responsible citizens.

Nurturing
The methodologies employed at the Schoolhouse recognize that each child is an
individual with specialized needs, which cannot be served by a one-size, fits all approach. Because no two children learn the same way, the School seeks to provide varied learning paths to accommodate a variety of learning styles.

Appreciation for the environment and each other
The School’s curriculum and community garden emphasize the importance of our conscious care of the earth. We recognize the healthy psychological and emotional impact that contact with plants and animals has on children. We recognize that a person cannot be enlightened and informed without a commitment to care and protect the natural world and respect and celebrate the differences among people.