Berkeley Hall School Marks 100 Years in Los Angeles

Berkeley Hall School, on Mullholland Drive, invited Patch to join students, staff, families and alumni in commemorating the institution’s 100th year.

The celebreation took place on the school’s 66-acre campus in the lush Santa Monica Mountains—the fourth location in its long history. There we interviewed some Palisades families for our video.

Founded in 1911 by Christian Scientist sisters Leilah and Mabel Cooper, the school still maintains the founders’ mission of “promoting the unlimited, intelligent nature of all children as expressions of God.” That goal is voiced often by faculty and staff.

The school prides itself on the diversity of its enrollment. Administrators emphasize that their student body represents not only various ethnic, racial and socioeconomic populations but a mix of learning styles as well.  Students come from a diverse array of religious backgrounds including about 15 percent who are Christian Scientists.

While the school is ecumenical, it is not secular. All of the teachers and staff are Christian Scientists but there is no religious education or prayer in the school.

However, some of the parents Patch interviewed view the milieu as Christian-oriented. They value the school’s emphasis on character and moral values.

The Berkeley Hall Centennial Celebration drew hundreds to a tent, erected in expectation of the rain. They were there to witness members of each grade present items for a time capsule to be opened on campus in fifty years.

Nursery school children submitted a scrapbook containing pictures, first signatures and tiny handprints. Junior kindergarteners presented a cd of their own music.

Kindergarteners made a scrapbook of memories and First Graders strung together one hundred things they like about Berkeley Hall. Creative second graders wrote a storybook while third graders made an art book containing their impressions from the environment around campus.

Fourth graders are built models of California’s missions using sugar cubes. For the time capsule, they put photos of their projects in a decorated box along with a tiny stuffed bobcat.

Fifth graders invented the state of Fifth land, sixth graders, represented in the video by Palisadian Joy Johnston, made paper sunglasses to illustrate their “Views of the Future.”

Seventh graders impressed with a mathematical demonstration. Using digits from the years 1911 and 2011, they created expressions that equal the numbers from 1 to 100.

Finally, eighth graders continued a one hundred year tradition at Berkeley Hall by creating a class shield. Their centennial design includes the original bluebird mascots as well as the current bobcat.

Assistant Head of School, Winnie Needham, described the legacy of Berkeley Hall’s last one hundred years.

“I think it really goes back to this idea that the Cooper Sisters started with which is when they realized that they had a way of working with children and appreciating who they were as a complete person and recognizing only the good. Who doesn’t want their child to go to a school where the people at that school love their child as much as they do?” 

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