Last month, we fell in love with an incredible
elementary school in South Central Los Angeles.
Take a look.
>> Hi, my name is Brooke Jackson.
I'm the principal at Center for Advanced Learning.
Most of our students here at our school, 98%,
are Title 1, which means that the families live below the poverty line.
Even though our students come from a challenging neighborhood,
they know that when they come to school here at CAL, it is a safe place to be.
>> They are greeted and loved and
encouraged to be the best versions of themselves possible.
>> I wanted to teach in an environment where kids really needed me.
Kids who really needed somebody to believe in them, to really genuinely
care about them, and to push them beyond what they ever imagined they could be.
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> They have the highest scores.
>> Yes. >> Yes. [LAUGH] >> The highest scores.
>> The highest scores.
>> Yes. >> The highest scores.
>> Yes. >> Well, we couldn't get all of them here,
but there's about 40 of them here.
You wanna see them?
>> What?
>> No way. >> [APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC]
>> Shutterfly, they wanna give you $50,000.
>> Aah!
>> [APPLAUSE] >> Please welcome back Brooke,
Johanna, and some of the students from the Center for Advanced Learning.
So I wanna know what the bus ride home after that day was.
>> They were so excited.
My goodness.
They talked about it all the way back, after they got back to school,
parents were calling each other, kids were so excited.
And then the very next day, my goodness,
the very next day, we had an assembly where we brought all of the kids together.
Parents were there and
told them all about our experience and the rest of the kids were so excited.
My goodness, Ellen.
>> It was beautiful.
>> Absolutely beautiful.
>> It was such an honor that our school, our small school,
in a school of many has been recognized for the work that we do.
These babies that we teach day in and day out, that we see these smiling faces,
they come into the office and they watch the video.
We have it on loop in the video.
>> Yeah.
>> Thank you so much.
>> Well, it is my pleasure.
[APPLAUSE] >> Because
these kids deserve everything that you're giving them.
I know that you understand it now.
When you get older, you're really gonna understand what these women have done for
you and what they're doing for you.
And I hope anybody out there watching that can send in money that can help contribute
and donate to this school will do that.
Because what you're doing is amazing.
>> Thank you.
>> And I think that- >> Thank you.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> And this is, as you explained,
these are families that really basically have nothing.
>> Yes.
>> And what you're doing right now is you have a toy drive.
>> Yes. >> You have to tell this because this is
amazing to me.
>> Yes.
So every year, our families get together.
This is the fourth year that we've been doing this.
We asked our families to donate.
And most of our families don't have much to donate from but it doesn't matter.
They still give us much as they can.
They donate toys and we have this huge box that's in our office,
in the corner, and parents just drop off toys.
And at the end of next week, we'll be passing out toys for our students.
Unfortunately this year, our box has not been filled as quickly as in past years.
But we know that we will get what we need to supply our students so
that they can each have a gift on Christmas morning.
>> It's amazing to me that the families, they don't have to give anything.
>> Yeah. >> But they come in and
try to give something even though they don't have enough to give.
>> Yeah. >> It's a beautiful story.
Our friends at Walmart, they have been partnering with us this year.
Cuz earlier this season, they helped us with flood relief efforts in Louisiana and
they were amazing with that.
And when they heard your story,
they wanted to help give the students all the tools they need to succeed.
And not only is everyone in school getting a toy but
every student and teacher at CAL are getting an all new HP laptop computer.
>> Aah!
>> [APPLAUSE] >> [APPLAUSE]
My goodness.
>> Every student, every teacher, everyone's getting a laptop.
>> My goodness, thank you.
>> You're welcome.