Los Angeles:  The City of Los Angeles honored 21st Century Insurance Company today for its role in creating and supporting the Los Angeles Police Academy Magnet School Program.

Now celebrating its tenth year, the program has 15 graduates now employed as LAPD officers, with 20 additional graduates currently enrolled at the Police Academy.  In 1996, the magnet school program was launched as an innovative collaboration between the Los Angeles Unified School District and Los Angeles Police Department to prepare students for future success, including careers in law enforcement and public service.

Founding sponsor 21st Century Insurance donated the $250,000 needed to launch the program and has continued to fund and support the effort its inception.  Each year, 21st Century presents three marquee scholarships to outstanding graduates, the $2,500 21st Century Scholar Awards.  The company’s contributions to the magnet school program have totaled more than $500,000.

Students and instructors from each of the six magnet school programs were in City Council chambers on Friday to accept awards celebrating the program's tenth anniversary.  21st Century Insurance and the magnet school programs will be honored by the Los Angeles Unified School District at a separate ceremony April 25.

Every year, the magnet school program produces inspiring stories of students who have overcome personal, physical or socioeconomic adversity to excel in and graduate from the program.  There are now five magnet programs at high schools across Los Angeles: Wilson, Reseda, Monroe, Dorsey and San Pedro; and one program at Mulholland Middle School.  The magnet school program’s current enrollment of more than 1,200 high school students is 10 times larger than the original class of 110 students.

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