Da Vinci Unveils Exciting New Initiatives

We have three exciting new initiatives to share this month:

Alumni Spotlights (below) is a new dedicated space to celebrate our Da Vinci alumni who are excelling in college, career and life. We can't wait to share more updates that highlight their incredible accomplishments!

Our first-ever Community Learning Day on Oct. 11 is fast approaching. CLDs were created in response to our community’s desire to provide more opportunities to bring students together across all our high schools. CLDs offer a day of choice and flexibility in learning for Da Vinci families enrolled at Communications, Connect High, Design, RISE, and Science. Stay tuned next month for a recap of our first CLD Day!

We just launched a new Mental Health Resources webpage to connect our students and families with mental health and wellness resources. We are committed to creating supportive learning environments where students can thrive socially, emotionally and academically.

Alumni Spotlights

Our Da Vinci graduates are members of a strong alumni community. We are so proud of our Da Vinci alumni who are excelling in college, career and life! 

Ruqayya Toorawa (DV Science ‘13) graduated from Stanford University and is working as a Space Mission Program Manager and Lead Spacecraft Assembly, Test, and Launch Ops Engineer at Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company. Ruqayya received a full-ride Gates Millennium Scholarship for undergraduate and graduate education from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Kevin Nolasco (DV Design '13) received his bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Sciences from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s in Data Science from Cabrini University. Kevin is starting a new job at Microsoft as a Data Scientist. 

Jonathan Kidd (DV Design ‘16) graduated from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. Jonathan works as a Brand Strategist and BLK-LA Lead at Spotify. 

Matthew Chan (DV Science '19) graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Physiological Science and now serves as a US Marine Corps Officer. Matthew completed an internship at Boeing while at Da Vinci.

Okiki Ogunnaike (DV Communications '24) is a freshman at UC Santa Cruz studying Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. Okiki recently completed an 8-week internship with the Kaiser Summer Youth Employment Program. The internship experience was arranged through Da Vinci's Real World Learning program.

Milissa Sutton (DV Connect High ‘24) is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley in African American Studies on a full-ride scholarship. Milissa completed her A.A. degree for free at Da Vinci while simultaneously completing her high school diploma. 

Jelina Tahan graduated from DV RISE in 2021 after transferring there in 2018. She now works at RISE as an attendance and re-engagement clerk to fulfill her passion of supporting youth by reconnecting them with school and helping them be motivated to take advantage of the programs and resources available. 

Da Vinci alumni, please join our LinkedIn Alumni group to share your latest news with us!

Garden-Based Learning at Da Vinci Connect TK-8

What first started as a food system project in Core 4 at Da Vinci Connect TK-8, has turned into a school-wide garden initiative with hands-on real-world learning opportunities for all students in an exciting outdoor classroom. A community partnership with Chicas Verdes further provides students with lessons in sustainability, healthy living, food access, water quality, and living up to the responsibilities of being good global citizens.

Fostering Student Mental Health & Resilience



As we begin the 2024-25 school year and settle into new routines, different classes, and evolving friendships, Da Vinci educators are working to boost student resilience by promoting mental health and wellness resources available to students.

WDV Soccer Field Nearing Completion

The new WDV Soccer Field located on the Douglas campus is weeks away from completion. Earlier this month, state-of-the-art turf was installed, and logos were “sewn” into the field -- everything looks magnificent!

WDV Athletics Update

As we usher in the new school year, we are thrilled to share some fantastic updates from our WDV Athletics program. The excitement on our campuses has been palpable as our fall sports teams hit the ground running and our winter sports begin their preparations for the season ahead.

We are pleased to report that our fall sports of Girls Volleyball, Cross Country, Boys Beach Volleyball and Cheer are in full swing. The energy and enthusiasm from our student-athletes have been inspiring, and we are proud of the commitment and effort demonstrated across the board. We are eager to see their hard work translate into success in competition.

Did you know Da Vinci hosts student-led Community Tours to see our students and schools in action? These tours are designed for community members to have the opportunity to see and learn more about the three high schools at Da Vinci's campus at 201 N. Douglas Street. These tours do not include a formal enrollment presentation. Sign-up by scanning the QR code above or click HERE. We can't wait to see you on campus!

Academic Calendars

Our 2024-25 academic calendars and school site calendars provide an overview of instruction start and end dates, school holidays, and other important dates. Bookmark them today!

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