On August 12th, 2019, the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education officially inaugurated the first consolidated Middle School in BHUSD's 82-year-old history. This unique milestone moment is an unprecedented change in Beverly Hills. The ribbon-cutting ceremony provided an opportunity to celebrate a new era of Education Reimagined, whilst recognizing the leadership teams who helped make this happen and officially open The Beverly Vista Middle School.
Notably, Beverly Hills City Councilmember Lili Bosse and Beverly Vista alumnus led the Pledge of Allegiance followed by an address from Superintendent, Dr. Michael Bregy, a message from Board President, Noah Margo, as well as Principal, Kevin Allen, PTA President Tina Wiener and finally, Beverly Hills Education Foundation President, Cindy Trost. The official ribbon was cut by Beverly Hills Unified School District, Board of Education members, President, Noah Margo, Vice President, Isabel Hacker, Rachelle Marcus, Tristen Walker-Shuman and Mel Spitz with gold engraved, 40-inch scissors.
Superintendent, Dr. Bregy remarked: "Reconfiguring our District was not done in isolation, the road was prepared by many many people before us and has come to be realized through the dedication and hard work of every single person in our community. From staff to students, parents to the wider community, I thank each and every person for their contribution. With your help, we are able to offer 38 elective choices, an additional 26 opportunities for learning and exploring. The environment at the Middle School will better prepare students for a rigorous and comprehensive High School experience. This will be achieved through having a cohort of students develop and solidify friendships prior to 9th grade and transition more seamlessly from both an academic and social-emotional perspective."
Beverly Hills City Councilmember and Beverly Vista alumnus, Lili Bosse commented: "Today has been one of the most exciting moments for me as an alumnus, to stand here and see history being made."
Principal, Kevin Allen spoke of the change opening BVMS has made to the competitive educational landscape in Beverly Hills. "We are without a doubt on an equal footing, if not more progressive in our offerings than private schools in Beverly Hills. I am honored to lead this school and watch the transformation having a consolidated Middle School will have now and in the future, for each and every student we teach."
The Beverly Vista Middle School is a 6-8 grade school and to support student continuity it is structured to have a looping Assistant Principal & counselor format, where each grade level leader will move to subsequent grade levels with their students.
When speaking with the Assistant Principals, 6th Grade AP, Jeanne McCrea said, "This school brings together the talent and expertise of our wonderful District. It is an honor to be a part of this inaugural venture." 7th Grade AP, Josh Stern said, "I can't wait as our amazing Middle School teachers and staff help our students tap into their curiosity and become incredible 21st-century global citizens who will be the ones to make our community a better one." 8th Grade AP, Richard Waters said, "I'm thrilled to be back at Beverly Vista working with great educators from across the District. We are all looking forward to offering amazing academic and extracurricular programs to the students of our community and watching them thrive in their new environment."
Beverly Vista Middle School PTA President, Tina Wiener, noted the significant benefit reconfiguration brings through equity of programming: "For the first time, all middle school students will have access to the same robust curricular and extracurricular offerings, including athletics, theatre arts, music, and choir."
Also in attendance was Vice Mayor Lester Friedman, City Councilmember Julian Gold, and City Councilmember Robert Wunderlich. The Beverly Hills Police Department was represented by Chief Spagnoli and Assistant Chief Marc Coopwood and The City of Beverly Hills was further represented by Assistant City Manager, Nancy Hunt-Coffey amongst many others.
The District Cabinet attended the event, Mr. Seemann, Assistant Superintendent of Education Services commented: "By consolidating into a single middle school, we are able to offer students more opportunities to explore their interests in academics, extracurricular activities, and athletics. We have been able to reallocate our resources to provide a more robust honors program and expand our math curriculum."
Extensive physical upgrades were made to the school site over the summer include but are not limited to the following:
- Security Camera addition throughout the Campus
- Full Campus WiFi Upgrade
- New Campus Digital Bell/Speaker/PA System
- Addition of outdoor PA Speakers
- New Campus Digital Phone system
- 75” ViewSonic touchscreen A.V. TV’s in each classroom with wireless control and soundbars.
- Front Entrance - 200 lineal ft of new sidewalk
- Front Entrance - new ADA drop off zone and ADA ramp
- Addition of 6,000 sq ft synthetic turf quad area to create "the reading green"
- Interior fencing removal to open up the campus and create seat wall areas
- New Dance Room with performance flooring and mirror walls
- Additional Art Room
- Additional Orchestra Classroom
- Upgraded kitchen equipment and food court
- Exterior lunch tables and umbrellas throughout the site
- Removal of Elementary level play structures and placement of new asphalt paving
- 2 new Physical Education storage & units near the playfields
- Boys and Girls PE Locker Room Conversion
- Classroom divider walls for SPED programing
- New Staff Conference Room
- New Staff Work Room
- Door and Frame painting throughout the campus
- Wrought Iron Fencing modifications and painting throughout the campus
- Various M&O repairs & maintenance projects throughout the including Fire Alarm, Lighting and HVAC