‘We Had a Mission’: Longtime Richmond Teacher Reflects on Once-Stellar High School; Cooking Up LA's Next Chefs

When John F. Kennedy High School opened in 1967, it was a model of innovation. The Richmond school was designed for flexible scheduling, team-teaching and empowered students to take responsibility for their own learning. It also had award-winning extracurriculars and powerful vocational pathways. All this made it a destination school and one of the few examples of successful integration by race and class. Families from all over the district chose Kennedy High for their kids, some even participating in a voluntary bussing program to get there. Reporter Richard Gonzales describes Kennedy’s hopeful beginning and traces the factors that led to harder times through the eyes of one teacher who has been there since day one. Mike Peritz was on the founding faculty of the school and fell in love with the mission, students and school community. More than 50 years later you can still find him there volunteering several days a week. And Jackie Orchard from the LAist brings us the story of a community college in Los Angeles that has built a reputation as one of the strongest culinary training programs in the state. In 2021, Los Angeles Trade Technical College opened a 70,000 square-foot facility for the culinary arts. Orchard stopped by to make bread with one of their baking classes, and find out what it takes to become a chef in L.A. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices