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Reaching out to the Children of the Community

I have seen strong growth in this community’s desire to expand the program’s reach to “the children of the community.”
“What the best and wisest parent wants for his child, that must we want for all the children of the community. Anything less is unlovely, and left unchecked, destroys our democracy.” —John Dewey
                   
Given Campbell Hall’s mission statement of raising smart, decent, loving, and responsible human beings, it’s not surprising that we attract the best and wisest parents! And the most philanthropic; particularly in recent years I have seen strong growth in this community’s desire to expand the program’s reach to “the children of the community.” While we will always focus on building and growing on our campus the best educational and co-curricular programs we can, part of our value proposition has to include nurturing compassion and civic-mindedness among our students, in real time rather than in the abstract; anything less would be “unlovely.” And so, growing from strength to strength, the school’s traditional focus on service and outreach has expanded to the point where the Board has added a Public Partnerships Committee (chaired by Dr. Susan Edelstein), one of our veteran administrators (Eileen Powers) now bears the title “Director of Public Partnerships,” and our graduates are valued as much for their authentic commitment to others as for their personal achievements.
 
Campbell Hall has been committed to outreach for decades, with our holiday gift-gathering for the children of Hillsides, the elementary Outreach Gift Fair, and work with our sister schools in Haiti as our longest-standing commitments; last year saw a wonderful fruition of the Haiti partnership with the raising of $100,000 to build a new schoolhouse for St. Jacques. While those outreach programs will continue, the era of public partnerships includes increasing recognition of the importance for civil society of our partnering with local public schools for mutual benefit. And so, either through direct contact with area schools or through intermediaries like LA’s BEST or the LMU Family of Schools, Campbell Hall has invited hundreds of public school students to our campus and sent hundreds of our students to local public schools, either as learning partners or as mentors of younger students in creative writing, filmmaking, chess, speech and debate, and other subjects.

Our largest public partnership program is the Summer Enrichment Pilot Program, soon to be renamed the Campbell Scholars Program in recognition of the end of its three-year pilot phase. That program leverages Campbell Hall’s unique model of inclusive, supportive, community-based college preparation to extend access to college for underserved populations in the north San Fernando Valley area. Many of our own students have seen their lives transformed through their work as mentors in the program. SEPP has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from community and family foundations, as well as donations from Campbell Hall families, in recognition of its public benefit. A few SEPP graduates have matriculated as Campbell Hall high school students, but all of them are supported through high school and into college by our staff and volunteers.

There are forces at work globally and nationally that are detrimental to our health as a democracy. The best colleges and the larger professional world - not to mention our parental consciences - desire graduates who will work to restore and invigorate our health as a society. What a joy it is to nurture smart, decent, loving and responsible human beings, not just for the sake of our own children, but for all the children of the community.

  Follow Julian on Twitter @cannonbull


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  • Head of School Julian Bull

    Follow on Twitter 
     @cannonbull

    Canon Bull earned his Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, his Master’s in Philosophy from Boston College, and his Master’s in Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. He is an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church. Prior to joining Campbell Hall in 2003, Canon Bull served as Head of Trinity Episcopal School in New Orleans and as the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Dean of Students, Chair of the Diversity Committee, and Director of the Senior Humanities Program at Albuquerque Academy. He has served on the Boards of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, the Independent School Association of the Southwest, St. James’ Episcopal School, the Louisiana Children’s Museum, the Steering Committee for the Los Angeles School Heads, the Studio City Neighborhood Council, and has chaired the last two search committees for bishops of Los Angeles. He currently serves as the Chair of the Commission on Schools of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the Board of the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education. He and his wife Katie have enjoyed raising their two sons as 13-year Campbell Hall students. Canon Bull enjoys tennis, hiking, and playing bridge in his spare time.
4533 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City, CA 91607
Phone 818.980.7280

Campbell Hall is an independent, Episcopal, K-12 all gender day school. We are a community of inquiry committed to academic excellence and to the nurturing of decent, loving, and responsible human beings.

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