Van Nuys : Artists Help Students Take Pride in School

A Venice-based theater group is teaming up with wards of the Los Angeles County juvenile court system to inject a dose of character and color into a plain-looking school in Van Nuys.

L.A. Theatre Works, a troupe of professional artists, will volunteer 100 hours of time to spruce up the Mid-Valley Community Education Center, run by the county’s juvenile court and community schools division, said Gale Cohen, director of the group’s arts and children project.

In addition to helping students make cosmetic changes at the school--a former medical center--professional artists will hold workshops to provide students with a range of artistic skills including painting, photography, architecture, poetry and drama, Cohen said.

A radio journalist will help students prepare an audio documentary of the project, which is expected to last about four months. The program is funded by an $8,000 grant from the city of Los Angeles’ cultural affairs department, Cohen said.

“The idea is to help the students here begin to develop a sense of ownership in the building and, on a small scale, to feel a part of something,” said Marsha Watkins, principal of the school, which has about 60 students.

The center is one of about 25 schools run by the county office of education’s juvenile court and community schools division.

The goal “is also to give the kids some skills and to leave a permanent mark on the building,” Watkins added.

On Thursday, artists from the theater group will walk through the building, meet students and generate ideas for changes around the building, according to a spokesman for the county office of education.

Work will start within the next few weeks on the building, located at 7555 Van Nuys Blvd.