American Jewish University to Host SEED LA for Inaugural School Year

When Tray Moore’s son Trayvon was 12 years old, he accidentally dropped his computer, breaking it into pieces. But when Trayvon saw the machine hit the floor, he didn’t complain or ask for a new one. Instead, he asked his father for a set of tools.

“He flipped his laptop over and [was using] a screwdriver. He then asked me, ‘Dad, can you get me a soldering iron?’” This interaction convinced Moore that Treyvon had a future in technology.

But things were complicated for Trayvon. One day, while walking home from school, he and his younger brother witnessed a man get shot and killed. Mr. Moore said, at that moment, he was determined to ensure a future for Trayvon in which he would never have to witness such tragedies.

That’s when Moore found SEED LA—a school that he felt would nurture Trayvon’s gift for technology and teach him the life skills he would need to be successful in his journey.

SEED is a national network of charter schools designed for students whose educational needs are best served within a boarding school format. The organization is set to open The SEED School of Los Angeles County–its fourth campus and first on the West Coast—this upcoming school year to help prepare students for college and the workforce by offering courses in computer science, engineering, and studies of systems and societies through transportation infrastructure.

SEED LA offers an educational model that is closely tailored to the individual needs of its students, creating a 24-hour learning environment to help students achieve their full academic, social, emotional, and physical potential. SEED LA will be Los Angeles County’s first public boarding school.

As the beginning of the fall semester drew near, SEED LA found itself in a challenging position—it needed a physical location to house its program for its initial year. Construction at SEED LA’s permanent campus–located at Vermont and Manchester Avenues in South LA– has begun and is scheduled to be completed in time for the start of the 2023-2024 school year. In the meantime, SEED LA needed a temporary location to house its first cohort of students, which includes some 130 ninth graders.

A local Jewish institution stepped up to answer the call.

American Jewish University (AJU) announced last month that it will host SEED LA at its Familian Campus in Bel Air for the 2022-2023 school year. Students will have access to AJU’s dormitories, facilities, and classrooms.

“At American Jewish University, we aim to act as a civic resource to strengthen the institutions of our city,” said Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, President of American Jewish University. “The SEED School of Los Angeles County is an innovative educational institution working to provide high-quality education for the youth of Los Angeles. We are honored and delighted to host SEED LA on our campus for the 2022-2023 school year.”

AJU’s announcement was welcomed by SEED LA leadership, which saw the partnership as an opportunity to expand educational opportunities for Los Angeles youth while the organization’s campus is under construction.

“We are so grateful to American Jewish University for welcoming and hosting the inaugural class of SEED LA,” said Dr. Jubria Lewis, head of school. “It’s great citizens like AJU that not only contribute to the success of our students but also set a wonderful example of what we can accomplish when we work together.”

SEED LA’s high school charter was approved by the Los Angeles County Office of Education, paving the way for its fall 2022 opening. The SEED program was founded in Washington, D.C. in 2004 and has since opened campuses in Maryland and Miami. As of 2016, more than 80 percent of its alumni had become first-generation college students, with more than 85 percent eligible for Pell Grants.

For the parents like Moore who will send their children to SEED LA this fall, the announcement that the organization will have access to an in-person facility comes as both a relief and an opportunity.

“I want [Trayvon] to be 20 times more than I ever was,” said Moore.