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Est. 1915
Rooted below the iconic Hollywood Sign off the streets of Franklin Avenue and Beachwood Canyon Drive, Cheremoya Elementary has been Hollywood's community school for over 100 years. Cheremoya opened in the late 1800s to early 1900s, just ten years after Hollywood was annexed to Los Angeles and only two years after the Los Angeles Aqueduct started supplying water to the area. The school's name comes from the surrounding agricultural area when, in the late 1800s to early 1900s, orange groves, pineapples, and cherimoya trees lined the hills of Beachwood Canyon. There are three cherimoya trees on the school's campus today.
In the District's early days, many schools were built in phases. Cheremoya was opened in 1915 as probably a small wooden building. Within the next few years, the school began to see remodels, alterations, and additions, which would include building the main office, having a building from Los Feliz Elementary brought over to the Cheremoya site, and construction the additional facility that now houses our cafeteria, library, and upper classrooms.
The school’s distinct Spanish Revival historic architecture has made it a magnet for film and television productions. The campus was featured in the television series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” In addition, the school was the backdrop for the title character in Janet Fitch’s #1 National Bestselling book, White Oleander.
The Mindfulness Space
The Mindfulness Space was established in 2022 by Christina Lincoln-Moore, former principal of Cheremoya Elementary School who noticed a rise in mental health concerns following the pandemic, COVID-19. The room is designed for mindfulness and is a safe space in which students can increase their focus, build resiliency, and improve their overall sense of wellbeing so that they are able to manage their stressors and return to the classroom as learners. The Mindfulness Space currently houses Ms. Jacobo, Psychiatric Social Worker, who utilizes the tranquil space to provide students social-emotional support such as brief individual and/or small group counseling services. The room welcomes students to process stressors, practice emotional regulation skills with the support of Ms. Jacobo, seek counseling, and/or fosters a space to establish positive connections with peers. In the mindful space, students learn they have power and choice when it comes to how they react to their external and internal world.
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The Cheremoya Star
The Cheremoya Star was designed in 2021 by a Chremoya parent and foundation member. After several iterations, her final design was inspired by the five-point Hollywood walk of fame star. The five points of the Cheremoya star are made of fountain pen nibs (the pen’s tip) to represent the creative writing and art strengths of Cheremoya. The star’s organic shape is also reminiscent of a starfish, bringing in links to science. Stars have long been navigational guides, relied upon by humans to both explore and to find their place in the world, much the way a Cheremoya education helps to both guide students and expand their horizons.