PRESS RELEASE
Valor Academy
P.O. Box 16473
North Hollywood CA 91615
Contact: Hrag Hamalian
Phone: 310-351-1875
School Phone: 818-528-5467
Email: [email protected]
Web:
HRAG HAMALIAN TO HEAD NEW CHARTER MIDDLE SCHOOL IN SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
Tuition-free Valor Academy now accepting applications for next year’s
5th graders
Los Angeles, May 19, 2009 ` Following 18 months of planning and
preparation, educator Hrag Hamalian has earned the approval of the Los
Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to launch a charter middle
school in the San Fernando Valley. The new school, Valor Academy, will
open its doors this fall with a class of 5th-graders. It will add a
grade each year until it becomes a full-fledged, 5th-8th-grade middle
school. With plans to be located on Woodman Avenue, Valor Academy is a
tuition free, public charter school, which will serve North Hollywood,
Arleta, and Panorama City. Although any California resident may apply,
seats are limited to 120 5th grade students in 2009.
`We believe that our children are our most precious resource, and that
top-notch education is crucial to preparing a generation of achievers
and exemplary citizens, especially in a time of economic uncertainty,’
stated Hamalian, who will lead the school as its principal. `Valor
Academy is being established to address the longstanding educational
crisis in the Arleta-Panorama City-North Hollywood area, which is also
home to a growing number of Armenian families,’ he continued. `We are
launching the area’s first-ever charter middle school, and our goal is
to put every one of our students on a clear path to college.’
According to Hamalian, Valor Academy will place equal emphasis on
educational excellence and character-building. Toward this end, he
explained, the academy will feature a longer school day, a highly
qualified corps of teachers, free tutoring, a disciplined school
culture that aims to foster self-respect and initiative, frequent
communication with parents, and an overarching focus on literacy and
math.
A former member of the Teach for America Corps, Hamalian was
associated with Locke High School in Los Angeles, where he served as a
biology teacher, department head, and co-founder of the School of Math
and Science. He has spent the past two years working in a
school-leadership residency with Building Excellent Schools, a
nationally recognized incubator for new schools. Studying and
analyzing over 25 of America’s highest performing urban charter
schools, Hamalian has drawn from the country’s best practices to lay
the foundations of Valor Academy. Many of his achievements as an
educator are chronicled in the book Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the
Trenches with Teach For America.
In fulfilling his vision for Valor Academy, Hamalian worked closely
with Valor Board chair William Ryan and community leaders, elected
officials, and the LAUSD. `I would like to express my deep gratitude
on behalf of the entire Valor Academy Board of Directors to all those
individuals and organizations that have been so supportive,’ Ryan
said. `As a result of their incredibly generous work, we have reached
this milestone and are poised to open our doors in a few short
months.’
Ryan continued: `As a charter school, Valor Academy is a tuition-free
public school that the LAUSD permits to operate with more freedom
compared with a conventional public school, in terms of innovative
teaching methods and curriculum. Valor’s mission is to provide
middle-school students in Arleta, Panorama City, and North Hollywood
with a rigorous education that will prepare them for top-flight high
schools and colleges.’
Valor Academy is currently accepting student applications for the
2009-2010 school year. If more than 120 5th grade children are signed
up, a lottery will be held at the end of the sign-up period to
determine admission, Ryan said. Applications and further information
are available at the school’s website ().
Although Valor Academy has secured core public funding to open the
school, a mix of additional and ongoing assistance is needed to ensure
the envisioned quality and full range of its services, Hamalian
said. `Opening a successful charter school designed to produce the
strongest academic outcomes is an all-encompassing effort that cannot
be realized by a small team,’ he explained. `It takes the dedication
of many like-minded people bound by a commitment to improving the
lives of our children.’
To meet this goal, Hamalian said, community members can help in a
variety of ways. They can make donations (Valor is approved by the IRS
as a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit); volunteer to sign up families
for the school, attend fairs, pass out flyers, and spread the word;
become community partners to provide the school with in-kind products
and services such as uniforms, printing, and afterschool programs; or
invite Valor Academy personnel to community events where there might
be families interested in the school.Valor Academy is also hiring
employees, including teachers and various staff members. For more
information, visit or call (818) 528-5467.