`MAKING HISTORY' GROUND BROKEN FOR CHARTER SCHOOL.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer PALMDALE - Guidance Charter School officials broke ground Wednesday for a $1.7 million campus on a vacant lot adjoining the Palmdale Boulevard mosque mosque (mŏsk), building for worship used by members of the Islamic faith. Muhammad's house in Medina (A.D. 622), with its surrounding courtyard and hall with columns, became the prototype for the mosque where the faithful gathered for prayer. where the school now holds classes. The school will start off with modular classrooms Modular Classrooms are portable classrooms, also called temporary or relocatable classrooms, which are frequently used by schools in need of additional rooms or in emergencies. Modular construction is performed in a factory with the efficiencies of assembly-line techniques. next school year, the first phase of a five-year plan Five-Year Plan, Soviet economic practice of planning to augment agricultural and industrial output by designated quotas for a limited period of usually five years. that calls for creating 10 classrooms, an administrative building, library, computer lab and gymnasium gymnasium In Germany, a state-maintained secondary school that prepares pupils for higher academic education. This type of nine-year school originated in Strasbourg in 1537. . ``We are making history today,'' said Kamal Al-Khatib, the school's executive director. ``We are going to continue making history. This is our valley, this is our school. The Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley is one unit, and I'm very proud to be here with you.'' The groundbreaking ceremony drew officials from the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale and the Palmdale School District The Palmdale School District is a school district that serves a major part of the city of Palmdale, California (USA). The Palmdale School District was first formed in 1888. Approximately 28,000 students are enrolled in the Palmdale School District. , which granted the charter for the school. ``It's an exciting thing to see a school being developed right here in downtown Palmdale,'' Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said. ``I'm here to congratulate you and say good job to everybody.'' Palmdale School District trustee Sandy Corrales Corrales can refer to: People
``When I think of Guidance Charter School, I think about a place where the entire community has a found a home,'' Corrales said. Al-Khatib echoed Corrales' sentiments. ``See the school population,'' Al-Khatib said, referring to the youngsters in attendance. ``Look at the rainbow that you see. The school is for the whole community, not just for Muslims or Arabs....'' The school was started by leaders of the Islamic Institute of Antelope Valley, whose property it is leasing for classrooms. As a public school, it does not offer religious education. The 1.4-acre parcel where the school will be built is owned by the American Islamic Institute of Antelope Valley. The institute got the 1.4 acres in exchange for five acres near 40th Street East and Palmdale Boulevard. The new campus will hold up to 200 students. The charter school, which shared the Manzanita manzanita: see bearberry. School campus last school year, moved back this year to the mosque where it operated its first two years. The school tried to establish a new campus on commercial property on Sixth Street East - formerly home to a cable company and electronics firm - but was unable to do so because of zoning regulations. The Palmdale School District board declined in June 2004 to use its power to exempt the charter school from city zoning regulations that bar schools from the property. Sharing the Manzanita campus did not go well. The Palmdale board took testimony in May 2004 on the issue. Parents and staffers from each school accused students from the other school of bullying, lacking supervision and discriminating dis·crim·i·nat·ing adj. 1. a. Able to recognize or draw fine distinctions; perceptive. b. Showing careful judgment or fine taste: . Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Guidance Charter School Principal Marjorie Keene and Executive Director Kamal Al-Khatib talk to students at the site. (2 -- color) Guidance Charter School students walk past the mosque where their classes are held now on the way to the groundbreaking on a lot next door for their new $1.7 million campus. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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