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The Award Launches Annual Scholarship to be offered to Compton Unified School District Students Each Year.
(Hollywood, CA) Music giant Capitol Music Group (CMG) recently announced the formation of The Bill Hearn College Scholarship Fund to benefit students in the Bonus Tracks Program at Compton Unified School District’s Manual Dominguez High School who will be attending college. The inaugural check, in the amount of $25,000, was presented to Julia Vallejo, Class of 2018 Dominguez graduate who began attending the University of California at Irvine this August.
CMG’s Bonus Tracks program, created through a partnership between Compton Unified School District and CMG at Dominguez High School, teaches students about careers within the music industry through in-person seminars at the school led by CMG executives. Dominguez High School recently experienced a dramatic turnaround thanks to efforts at the district level and the leadership of its new principal, Blain Watson, who came to the school in 2017.
“Through Bonus Tracks, students learn about the business of music and important skills that can be transferred into any field, including critical thinking, presentation skills, finance, marketing, human resources, and team leadership,” said Compton Unified School District Superintendent, Dr. Darin Brawley. “We are proud of this partnership, which not only represents the district’s commitment to elevating the arts in our schools, but also to exposing our students to the full spectrum of careers within the arts.”
The scholarship was named in the honor of Bill Hearn, the beloved and longtime head of Capitol Christian Music Group who passed away in December of 2017. CMG Chairman & CEO Steve Barnett, Senior Vice President Brain Nolan (who co-created and oversees the Bonus Tracks Program for Capitol) and Hearn’s widow, Charmion Gustke Hearn, presented the check to Vallejo at CMG’s annual Capitol Congress event.
“The Bonus Tracks Program is one way we are providing students at Compton Unified with unprecedented opportunities that not only expands their knowledge, but also opens doors to careers and networks to which they may not have otherwise had access,” said Micah Ali, President of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees. “Bonus Tracks is more than a class it is a tool for creating equity.”
The next session of the Bonus Tracks at Dominguez will commence early 2019.
About CUSD
Compton Unified School District is located in in the south-central region of Los Angeles County, California. CUSD encompasses the city of Compton and portions of the cities of Carson and Los Angeles. The district currently serves nearly 26,000 students at 36 sites and has emerged from a dramatic turnaround, marked by increases in student achievement rates, a graduation rate nearing 90% (according to the California Dashboard), facilities improvements, and a focus on STEAM throughout all schools. The mission of the Compton Unified School District is to empower leaders to lead, teachers to teach and students to learn by fostering an environment that encourages leaders and teachers to be visionary, innovative and accountable for the achievement of all students. For more information, visit http://www.compton.k12.ca.us
Contact: Melissa R. Franklin
(310) 946-7805
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