By Jessica Koslow
Check out these five lesser-known facts about the local schools.
Argo Navis
Argo Navis considers the city of Los Angeles to be part of its student campus. The preschool through fifth-grade curriculum includes field trips: once a week for preschoolers and about two to three times a week for elementary kids. Students take trips to a wide range of locations, from Bob Baker Marionette Theater and Six Flags Magic Mountain to Griffith Observatory and Getty Museums.
On some of these excursions, students might get to climb trees, snorkel, crab-find, and birdwatch as a way to connect to this planet.
The students even have an environmental sustainability pledge: “I pledge to take care of my planet and the people, animals, resources, and plants that share the world with me. I understand that my impact on the planet is important. I will be a leader through my actions and make choices that create a healthier world for you and me.”
Info: theargoschool.com
Ocean Charter School
In 2021, after existing on two campuses, Ocean Charter School built and opened its own campus at 12870 Panama Street in Del Rey. The new campus has, among many highlights, a performing arts center, woodwork room, rooftop learning garden, and three separate yards for TK/K (Transitional kinder/ kindergarten), first grade through fourth, and fifth to eighth.
One of the creative features of Ocean is its curriculum, which is guided by the core principles of Waldorf education. Some of its learning practices are limited to media, the use of technology, and active learning, incorporating movement.
More than 50 zip codes are represented on campus at Westside Neighborhood School. (Westside Neighborhood School/Submitted)
Info: oceancs.org
Playa Del Rey Elementary
Although Playa Del Rey Elementary is home of the dolphins, kids are more likely to interact with chickens in their 4,000-square-foot learning garden. Through the school’s garden education program, students learn where food comes from and how to care for chickens. Some of the key takeaways from their beginner lessons are to provide the following: a safe coop or shelter, nesting boxes, an outdoor pen, and chicken feed.
This outdoor classroom hosts academic lessons in science, math, health, history, and social studies and also instructs the kids to care for the garden, which encourages them to exercise their sense of responsibility, patience, self-confidence, curiosity, and nurturing.
Info: playadelreyes.lausd.org
Playa Vista Elementary School
Meteka Bullard, the principal at Playa Vista Elementary School, received her bachelor’s degree at UCLA in . . . dance! Of course, she also has a few teaching degrees and credentials. This is not her first leading role. She successfully led and launched the transformation of Baldwin Hills Elementary, where she taught for 13 years. As a member of Future Is Now’s Teacher Action Network Fellowship, she assembled a team of like-minded teachers, and they rallied staff to vote to convert their school into a pilot through LAUSD’s Pilot School model, which granted school control to the staff.
Bullard is still dancing through the hallways each day she heads to her office. Teaching is her calling, she explained in a 2014 YouTube video: “I get to touch the future every single day because I get to inspire kids. I don’t know what they might become — what their value is going to be. And you can’t put a price on that.”
Info: playavistaschool.com
Westside Neighborhood School
Even though Westside Neighborhood School is physically located in Playa Vista, and will still be located here once its brand-new 132,000-square-foot building on a 5-acre property at 5340 Alla Road opens in 2026, 50-plus ZIP codes are represented on campus. Kids travel by bus from the South Bay, West LA, Venice, Pacific Palisades and View Park.
The new campus promises transformative features such as additional and larger classrooms and programmatic expansion, including the addition of a dance center, photography and digital arts, filmmaking, robotics, instrumental music, and community meeting rooms.
The outdoor space will double in size, with additional room for lunch tables and playgrounds; a larger DK-8 playground, climbing structure, and turf field; a possible playing field and running track; and increased parent and faculty parking.
WNS’ head of school, Brad Zacuto, views this transition as a necessity to continue to serve LA’s many ZIP codes: “This is a transformational moment for WNS that will help secure the financial sustainability and capacity for essential programmatic growth of the school for generations of preschool-8th grade students to come.”
Info: wns-la.org
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