A national merit award being presented to a school community is a great honor and acknowledges the most high quality magnet schools in the nation. 

It’s the top merit award category and is only presented to a small selection of magnet schools. This year, North Hollywood’s zoo magnet was awarded the magnet school of excellence award for their success in academic performance, diversity, attendance, state testing, and more. They have received the top school of excellence among only 24 schools in the entire country.

The criteria for the award of excellence includes program overview, student achievement, Innovative instructional strategies, demographic profile, parent and community involvement, and awards and achievements. Ms. Molina is the magnet coordinator at the zoo magnet at North Hollywood high school and manages a multitude of activities and requirements that are detrimental to the program. 

“I think our school’s greatest strength is our sense of community. We are fortunate to have a small and intimate program where each student can thrive with personal support from the staff.” Ms. Molina states. She expresses what the award means to the zoo academy and the future of their school.

“Our students, staff, and faculty have always had great pride in the Zoo Magnet as a program and we don’t need an outside organization to tell us we have something special here. But, receiving this national recognition is something that we are very proud of because it means that we’re doing something bigger than us and something other people can see is unique and valuable. Our families and staff are very excited to have earned this recognition and grateful to be able to participate in and contribute to our program.” Molina explained

Stella, a senior  from the zoo academy says “I think the zoo magnet won because of its really unique partnership with the LA zoo.”

She expresses how the teachers’ dedication, and the variety of classes specific to zoology topics, as well as internships like animal husbandry set the zoo apart from the competing magnets. 

If there’s anything about the magnet that specifically excels in a certain category It’s their diversity on campus, Stella states. 

“The zoo magnet is good about being inclusive and pretty diverse, it seems like there’s always an effort made to have it remain that way.” 

The magnet  has a small and intimate atmosphere with a current capacity of 270 students and 10 teachers on campus. It’s a scenic and peaceful environment, located adjacent to the LA zoo, where students thrive in a unique and personal school setting geared toward their goals.

“We hope to use this recognition of the award to continue to grow our community partnerships and make new partnerships. We also hope this will help get our name out to prospective families so they can learn more about our program and consider applying.”  Molina exclaims

The award of excellence highlights the zoo magnet’s commitment to not only academic excellence, but with their continued dedication to having a strong and inclusive community for the students.