El Rodeo School

Infobox School
name = El Rodeo School

motto = Unknown
type = Public school
grades = K-8
district = Beverly Hills Unified School District
established = 1927
address = 605 Whittier Drive
city = Beverly Hills
state = CA
zipcode = 90210
country = U.S.
enrollment = Unknown
faculty = Unknown
ratio = Unknown
nickname = Eagles
colors = Red and white
principal = Pat Escalante
television station = http://elrodeo.tv
yearbook = Unknown
newspaper = "El Rodeo Student News"
broadcasting station = Unknown
information = 310-229-3670
website = [http://er.beverlyhills.k12.ca.us/ School website]

El Rodeo School - Past to Present

El Rodeo School [http://er.bhusd.org/] is a K-8 public school in the Beverly Hills Unified School District [http://www.beverlyhills.k12.ca.us/] in Beverly Hills, California [http://www.beverlyhills.org/] . It was founded in 1927 as El Rodeo de las Aguas. The school has an outstanding reputation in the Beverly Hills community for its excellent academic education as well as its widely recognized performing arts and technology programs. [http://er.bhusd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=22611&type=u&rn=4847587] The school mascot is an eagle and red and white are its official colors. Following graduation, El Rodeo students attend Beverly Hills High School.

Awards and recognition

El Rodeo was named a California Distinguished School in 2006.

Student demographics

Newspaper

"The Student News" is a full color newspaper published once a quarter. The first and third quarter classes produce a traditional newspaper with the following sections: news, entertainment, sports, interviews, polls and opinions, advice, comics, fun and games, and classifieds. Second and fourth quarter classes produce a comic book edition of "The Student News". During the class, students learn about print journalism and have the opportunity to research, write and edit their articles, perform layout responsibilities, and assist with the printing and distribution of the paper.

The course teaches students the basics of newspaper production. Students are introduced to journalistic terminology (e.g. masthead, headline, byline, caption, etc.) as well as careers, deadlines, types of stories, issues of objectivity and accuracy, writing and research skills, basic photography techniques, layout and design, and the publication process.

The course is designed to prepare students to work on the student newspaper "Highlights" at Beverly Hills High School. Mr. Babcock is the adviser.

Broadcasting

El Rodeo School is the only K-8 school in the BHUSD to offer broadcast journalism to its students. Each quarter, sixth grade students produce one episode of "The Student News", an award winning show featuring news and interviews concerning life at El Rodeo. Class members learn the elements of successful broadcasting techniques including presentation skills, cast and crew responsibilities, camera operation, lighting and sound, and basic video editing skills. They work on teams as directors, reporters, videographers, sound engineers, etc. The class has an anchor room and studio set for in-house recording sessions. A DVD is made of the final product which is distributed to classrooms for viewing.

The course is designed to prepare students to work on the student-produced broadcast journalism show at Beverly Hills High School, a weekly 30-minute cable television program aired on KBEV (Channel 6) in Beverly Hills. Mr. Babcock is the adviser.

Yearbook

El Rodeo School's award winning full color yearbook is the largest among the K-8 schools in BHUSD. El Rodeo was the first school in the district to offer a DVD yearbook and to have a class devoted to its production. It was also the first K-8 school in BHUSD to have a software-based student-produced yearbook. The El Rodeo yearbook received 1st place in the Ventura County Fair (2006 & 2007) and 2nd place in the Los Angeles County Fair (2007).

In this course, students design and publish the school yearbook during the fall semester and produce a yearbook DVD supplment during the spring semester. Class members create the yearbook ladder and learn about planning, deadlines, proofs, plant submissions, theme development, layout, graphic design, and digital photography. Students are assigned specific positions and responsibilities and are accountable for completing the pages and sections allocated to them in the yearbook.

Students in the second semester yearbook focus their attention on the production of a yearbook DVD supplement which chronicles school activities and events in the latter part of the academic year. Class members utilize video software to create individual segments which are later merged into one. The DVD is then authored, duplicated, printed, and mounted in clear plastic sleeves on the inside front cover of the yearbook. The DVD is also presented in two special assemblies in the school auditorium near the end of school in June, an event which has quickly become a cherished tradition and one of the most highly anticipated assemblies of the entire academic year.

The course is designed to prepare students to work on the "Watchtower" staff at Beverly Hills High School. Mr. Babcock is the yearbook adviser.

Digital Art & Media

This semester-long course is part of the El Rodeo 7th and 8th grade elective program. It introduces students to 2-D and 3-D digital art and animation, graphic art, web and game design, digital photography and video production. Students learn about the history of photography and cinema as well as major film genres. They explore the vocabulary and rhetoric of film as well as elements and principles of design. They also learn about stagecraft, choreography, composition, storyboarding, script writing, sound and lighting techniques, cast and crew responsibilities, careers, copyright issues, and the process of filmmaking from pre-production and production to post-production and exhibition. Additionally, students review and critique films, examining such topics as genre, period, style, mood, pacing, plot, and character development.

During the course, students utilize digital video and still cameras, tripods, and other equipment. They learn how to capture, export, and edit video, create special effects, author DVDs with menus, and produce soundtracks and sound effects.

Students also utilize 2-D and 3-D software to create spectacular specimens of digital and graphic art. Outstanding and representative works are displayed throughout the school as well as the Gallery of Digital Art in the cafeteria. Recent class field trips have included Sony Imageworks, Rhythm & Hues Studios, and a behind the scenes tour of The Beverly Hilton, site of the Golden Globe Awards.

The course is designed to prepare students for photography, broadcast journalism, digital art, graphic design, and other multimedia and technology oriented classes at Beverly Hills High School. Mr. Babcock is the adviser.

Athletics

Performing arts

Notable alumni

* Angelina Jolie (1975-), actress.
* Tim Sarnoff, President of Sony Imageworks.
* Djuan Edgerton, Founder of No Limit Communications

External links

* [http://er.beverlyhills.k12.ca.us/ El Rodeo School]
* [http://www.beverlyhills.k12.ca.us/ Beverly Hills Unified School District homepage]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=605+whittier+Dr,+bEverly+hills,+ca&ll=34.063006,-118.412404&spn=0.016887,0.042915&t=k Aerial Photograph from Google Maps]