Did you ever know our beautiful Walter Reed school was in multiple movies and tv shows? Keep reading to find more cool facts about Walter Reed Middle School.
Television shows filmed at our beautiful school include Head of the Class (which was based on Reed's IHP program; one of the actors on the show was an IHP graduate!), Growing Pains, 7th Heaven, Joe Dirt, Parks and Recreation, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, CSI, Malcolm in the Middle, Parenthood and The West Wing.
Scenes from movies including Transformers, Joe Dirt, License to Drive, The Shaggy Dog, Role Models, Accepted, and Scooby-Doo! Curses of the Lake Monster were also filmed there. In 2006, the fee for one day of filming at an LAUSD school was $2,500.
Walter Reed was actually originally called North Hollywood Junior High School. This change of names was to honor the Army Magor, Walter Reed. Walter Reed, (born September 13, 1851, Belroi, Virginia, U.S.—died November 22, 1902, Washington, D.C.), U.S. Army pathologist and bacteriologist who led the experiments that proved that yellow fever is transmitted by the bite of a mosquito. The Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C., was also named in his honour.
Our IHP academy was described by Time magazine as "perhaps the most successful junior-high curriculum in the U.S." Wow!
Our school was established all the way back in September 1939.
Have you ever noticed how beautiful our school is? Well the architecture is all thanks to John C. Austin. Austin (1870-1963) was an architect and civic leader in Los Angeles and was responsible for designing numerous well known landmarks, such as the Griffith Park Observatory, the Hollywood Masonic Temple, and the LA City Hall. It’s hard to think that the same architect responsible for some of the most well known buildings in Los Angeles also designed our humble school.
I never knew our big beautiful school held this much history. If only the walls could talk we would learn so much more! I know that as the years go on this school will make more and more memorable moments for its students to learn overtime. I hope you enjoyed reading!
- Ariana Sarraf ‘23