[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 129 (Friday, August 9, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO FAIRFAX HIGH SCHOOL'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 9, 2024

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Fairfax High 
School in Los Angeles, California upon its 100th Anniversary.
  Fairfax High School first opened its doors in 1924, welcoming 
students onto its campus. It was named after Lord Fairfax, an inspiring 
mentor and friend to future U.S. President George Washington. The 
school's first Principal was Rae G. Van Cleve, who served until 1938. 
Originally designed as an agricultural and mechanical school that 
taught ``practical'' skills, programs on the 28-acre campus included 
architecture, forestry, agronomy, and landscaping gardening, as 
students in that area lived in what was then a largely rural part of 
Los Angeles. In a few short years, and after the gymnasium and a fine 
arts building were added, the high school was already an established, 
esteemed institution in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles.
  During World War II, many Fairfax students and alumni joined the war 
effort by enlisting in the military, selling bonds and holding 
recycling drives. In the 1950's the school had a large Jewish student 
body and Modern Hebrew classes were taught. The 1960's and 1970's saw 
many foreign languages being offered including Latin, German, Hebrew 
and Chinese. While most of the original campus facilities were 
demolished in 1966 due to new seismic standards, the iconic rotunda and 
historic auditorium were spared by preservationists and retrofitted. In 
1981 the Fairfax Magnet Center for Visual Arts opened and remains the 
only visual arts magnet in the Los Angeles Unified School District and 
in 1984, Dr. Virginia Uribe founded Project 10 at Fairfax High School, 
the nation's first on-site program that welcomed and supported LGBTQ+ 
students in a school setting. In the mid-1990's, a group of local 
theater artists held the first Melrose Trading Post flea market to 
support art, community and small business. Because of its success, the 
weekly marketplace now hosts hundreds of unique vendors featuring local 
dancers, musicians and thespians, and works with Greenway Arts Alliance 
to support Fairfax High School's leadership and arts programs.
  For a century, Fairfax High School has provided thousands of students 
with an excellent education. The school has produced notable alumni 
across many fields, including well-known late actors Mickey Rooney, 
Carole Lombard, and Ricardo Montalban, former Los Angeles County 
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, molecular biologist and public health 
advocate Marion Nestle, and former Los Angeles Clippers basketball 
player Craig Smith.
  I ask all Members to join me today in honoring Fairfax High School 
upon its centennial celebration. The entire Los Angeles community joins 
me in thanking the school for the outstanding educational opportunities 
it has provided for the youth of California's 30th Congressional 
District.

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