GLENDALE : Districtwide Health Academy Studied

The Glendale Board of Education is scheduled to vote today on Crescenta Valley High School’s plan to set up a program for students interested in the health and medicine field.

A proposed four-year health academy at the La Crescenta campus would start at the ninth-grade level in September and would be open to students districtwide, officials said.

In addition to regular required subjects such as mathematics and English, students each year would take science courses specific to the health and medicine professions, such as biology and chemistry, said Chakib Sambar, Crescenta Valley High’s vice principal of instruction.

They would also serve as interns during the school day at Verdugo Hills Hospital, assisting hospital staff, Sambar said.

“We envision students spending two days a week in the afternoons or six hours (a week) at the hospital,” he said. “We have a great idea. . . . We feel confident that the board is going to give us a positive response to go ahead.”

Board members discussed the health academy plan during their regular meeting Tuesday but decided to hold a special meeting today to give staff more time to present a more detailed report, officials said.

A vote in favor of the plan would allow Crescenta Valley High to apply for a $20,000 to $35,000 planning grant from the state Education Department--also due today, Sambar said.

If approved by the state, the grant could be issued as early as March. School staff would then be able to work out the fine points of the program, such as class schedules and personnel costs, he said.

The academy would be considered a magnet school because it would be open to high school students throughout the district. Currently, the only similar program is at Glendale High School and involves students interested in a career in cosmetology, said Donald W. Empey, deputy superintendent of educational services.