Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Middle School
| Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Middle School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
4066 Johnnie Cochran Vista Los Angeles, CA 90005 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1926 |
| School district | Los Angeles Unified School District |
| Principal | Gilberto Samuel |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| Enrollment | 961[1] (2013–14) |
| Mascot | Cougars |
| Website | www |
Formerly known as Mount Vernon Middle School, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Middle School is a public middle school in Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, California. The school is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District and Local District W, and is a traditional year school.
History[edit]
The original school was built as a replica of George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. It was to have been called Washington Jr. High when it opened in 1926, but was instead named Mt. Vernon while a 1927 high school was named Washington High School. The junior high school was rebuilt after being damaged in the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and no longer resembles Mount Vernon.[2]
On December 15, 1927, William Edward Hickman withdrew Marion Parker, age 12, from Mount Vernon Junior High School, after telling the school registrar that her father been seriously injured in an accident and wished to see his daughter. Parker was murdered and Hickman was later convicted for crime and was hung at San Quentin prison in 1928. The Los Angeles Times referred to this as "the most horrible crime of the 1920s."[3]
In 2002, KCET, then the local PBS station, produced a 17-minute documentary on the school and its "severe problems".[4] According to the documentary: "the school is overcrowded and poorly maintained; teachers are not following state curriculum and have low expectations of students; and a lack of schoolwide policies and communication has translated into poor morale."[5]
In 2010, Los Angeles Councilman Nate Holden proposed renaming the school after Wyatt Earp. The school location occupies the site of the gunfighter's last residence, a bungalow located at 4004 West 17th Street. Earp died at his home in January 1929.[6][clarification needed] There is a plaque at at the site to mark the location where Earp spent his last years.[7] The proposed name change was met with community resistance and did not happen.[6]
On January 26, 2006, the Los Angeles Unified school board voted to change the name of the school to honor Johnnie Cochran, who was a student there in the 1950s. Cochran decided to become a lawyer "after taking a debating class at Mt. Vernon Middle School".[8]
In 2007, the three block stretch of 17th street in front of the school was renamed "Johnnie Cochran Vista".[9]
Notable alumni[edit]
- Johnnie Cochran, defense attorney
- George Takei, actor and activist
- Charles Bukowski[10]
- Tab Hunter[11]
- Lynn Compton[12]
- Ann Savage
- Arthur Lee
Coordinates: 34°02′31″N 118°19′35″W / 34.04194°N 118.32639°W[13]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Johnnie Cochran, JR., Middle". School Directory Information. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ↑ Pool, Bob (24 June 1994). "Corralling a New Name: Memorial: City officials want to rename a school in honor of gunslinger Wyatt Earp, who once lived on the site. The idea draws fire, however". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ↑ Let Murderers Hang, The Los Angeles Times, December 21, 1927
- ↑ http://marleyklaus.com/work/index.php?/reviews/[dead link]
- ↑ http://www.californiaconnected.org/tv/archives/7[dead link]
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Harvey, Steve (8 August 2010). "A lawman, a lawyer and a junior high". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ↑ "Taken for Granted: In search of the real Wyatt Earp". glendalenewspress.com. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ↑ services, North County Times wire. "LAUSD Middle School renamed for Johnnie Cochran". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ↑ "06-0287 (CFMS)". lacity.org. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ↑ Sounes, Howard (December 1, 2007). "Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life". Grove/Atlantic, Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2016 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Hunter, Tab (November 18, 2016). "Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star". Algonquin Books. Retrieved November 18, 2016 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Compton, Lynn D. (January 1, 2008). "Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers". Penguin. Retrieved November 18, 2016 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Cochran Middle School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
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