BOYLE HEIGHTS — The Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center, the first high school built here in more than 80 years, had its official ribbon cutting ceremony Sept. 24 as Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LAUSD Board President Mónica García, students, parents and faculty celebrated a historic day for the Eastside community.

The school is located at 1200 Plaza Del Sol.

The campus, which opened to more than 1,000 students on Sept. 9, features two small schools focused on Engineering and Technology and on Math and Science and has enabled nearby Roosevelt High School to return to a traditional, 180-day academic calendar for the first time in 15 years.

“Mendez Learning Center is a wonderful example of the educational reform and key partnerships that are moving LAUSD into a new era of innovation and success for all our students,” García said.

“Mendez’s two small schools will deliver a focused and personalized academic experience in an environment where teachers and administrators have more opportunity to encourage and inspire their students.”

The campus is named after two Mexican-American civil rights leaders, Felícitas and Gonzalo Méndez, whose children were denied entry into 17th Street School in Westminster in the 1940s because they were Mexican-American.

The Méndez v. Westminster School District is a landmark desegregation case that successfully ended segregation in California and is a precursor to later court cases including Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended school segregation nationwide.

Méndez Learning Center is LAUSD’s first new school project to fully implement the reform model of small schools, as mandated by a resolution passed by the Board of Education in June 2008, the representative said.

The campus consists of two schools, each serving approximately 500 students and each featuring its own dedicated classroom building, academic program and administration.

One school focuses on math and science, and features courses in biology, chemistry and environmental science. Instruction at the second school has a technology and engineering focus and offers courses in computer science, robotics and architectural drafting.

“This is an exciting time for the families of East Los Angeles as we celebrate the opening of the first new school in this community in over 80 years,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

“With its innovative composition and dedicated teachers and administrators, I am thrilled that the Méndez Learning Center is one of my Partnership Schools and am confident that it will prepare its students for college and beyond.”

“The Méndez Learning Center is more than a school, it is the realization of a dream that I had and the community shared,” said Councilman José Huizar, who championed the building of a new Boyle Heights high school with a focus on math and science when he was president of the school board.

“Today that dream is just beginning. Thousands of children will soon discover limitless possibilities on this state-of-the-art campus with the kind of academic focus that will have a profound effect on their lives and the lives of their families. Today is a proud day for Boyle Heights.”

“It is inspiring and encouraging to know that there are still so many people like my grandparents who are persistent and willnot give up and who have a vision and hope for all children to receive endless opportunities in education and to inspire them to pursue their dreams in life,” said Johanna Mendez, a granddaughter of Felícitas and Gonzalo Méndez.

The two small schools share core facilities including a library, a multipurpose room, food service, a parent center, competition gymnasium, outdoor physical education facilities and underground parking.

Buildings and spaces are arranged to permit after-hours access to certain areas, such as the gym and athletic field.

A joint use agreement is currently in place with CalSouth Soccer for organized youth development and activities during after-school hours.

Méndez LC is one of 80 new schools completed as part of LAUSD’s $20.1 Billion New School Construction and Modernization Program to end involuntary busing and year-round calendars, and to provide every student a seat in a safe and healthy neighborhood school.