Audubon Middle School Celebrates 90 Years
October 24, 2019
By Amanda Scurlock
Contributing Writer
Audubon Middle School recently celebrated their 90th year anniversary with an on-campus festival. The event consisted of performances by alumni, the honoring of teachers. Many teachers and staff wanted to honor a school that played a part in their development.
“Last year, we all came together and we realized how many alumni worked at Audubon,” said Dorlisa Shumate, the pupil service attendance counselor at the middle school. “We had a lot of pride in that.”
The school sold alumni-themed apparel and past year books, participants could enter a raffle to win gift cards and a flat-screen T.V. The celebration also included vendors, and a silent auction of student artwork.
The library was converted to a museum exhibit where event goers can see the panorama pictures from recent years as well as the school newsletters and photos that date decades back.
“We wanted to show the history of Audubon from 1929 to 2019, how Audubon has changed throughout the years,” Shumate said. “We’re proud of how far we’ve come.”
Several Audubon teachers received certificates of appreciation from the City of Los Angeles. Several teachers created a video where they talked about learning and teaching at Audubon that played in the library. R&B singer and Audubon alum Montell Jordan also created a video in honor of the celebration.
Several alums provided entertainment throughout the celebration including Aerick Luckie, who is currently the director of the L.A. Sparks Old Skool Crew, the L.A. Limited Addition Drumline directed by Krystal Smith, Fernando Pullum, and rapper Wendell “Universe the King” Nelson.
Nelson was a member of the Los Angeles Sports Academy, a community organization in LAUSD.
“When I got into these programs, it changed my life, it helped me choose a path,” he said. “Audubon was one of the most important stops in my life.”
Other notable alumni, like Chargers nose tackle Brandon Mebane and child star Arthur Reggie III were in attendance. Reggie III was the star of the Nickelodeon series “My Brother and Me” and also had appearances on “Martin,” “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper,” and “Roc.”
“You don’t know what you’ll be when you grow up and how much your past will mean to you,” Reggie III said. “It means the world to me to come back and let one or two of the students know the position and time that they’re in their life and how important it is.”
Several Audubon students went on to become prominent figures in the greater Los Angeles community and beyond. Councilmember Curren Price, KJLH personality Arron Arnell “Bobo” Johnson, NBA All-Star James Harden, former NFL players Akbar and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila all graduated from Audubon Middle School.