Alternative Education Taking Off In South Bay

Posted by Eric Conrad

on Sep 18, 2012

Clarissa Vasquez didn’t start out to work at an alternative school. Her MFT degree led her to private practice and other therapy-based jobs. But she still hadn’t found her call-ing. That is, not until she got involved with the Fusion Acad-emy, one of several private schools to open over that past decade in the South Bay.

"Our philosophy is simple," explained Clarissa,. "We be-lieve in one-to-one education, not one-to-screen."

The Fusion Academy, which is located right in Hermosa on PCH, is designed for kids who have non-traditional learning styles and/or unique schedules. For example, several of the students are professional ath-letes or actors who need to take classes at specific times of the day. Most traditional pub-lic schools have difficulty ac-commodating them.

The most common attendee is what Clarissa calls a "different learner." For some kids, she

says, the hustle and bustle and bright colors of a traditional classroom can be overwhelm-ing. "We pay attention to every aspect of the learning environment.: wall colors, lighting, no overly stimulating charts and art on the walls."

The school, which opened in 2011, also emphasizes life skills but offers non-traditional coursework such as surfing, a full recording studio for musi-cians, and a special area called "Homework Café."