Comments from some of our parents, students, teachers, and alumni

Eldorado Emerson is a school where the teachers really care about their students. The teachers really know each student and what they need scholastically. It's a school where kids come and feel loved and safe.

Eldorado Emerson is a great campus because it respects all children and provides a supportive and positive environment for learning and development.

MagiLex pre-school is a fantastic, educational environment. We looked at a lot of schools and none quite compared. Kalee was reading at age 3 and loves math and music, all of which was fostered from the loving, encouraging teachers that she has had here. Our daughter loves it and has learned so much, we can't wait for our son to experience it too!

What I gained from Eldorado Emerson: I gained the ability not to judge anyone based on any factor, albeit race, religion, handicap etc. I do remember that we had a Persian student in the middle of the revolution in Iran and the Hostage Crisis, he was treated with respect and as an individual (my husband had a different experience at his schools when he came at the same time), in fact I do not even remember knowing his race, except from him. I gained the confidence in myself to stand up for what I believe in as well as the confidence not to let others judgment of me affect me in anyway...

For Alex, my son, as the second generation he gained the confidence to accept new people as well. He has continued to be the one in his class to befriend any student who is in need of a friend and pull them into the main group of kids. He also told me that he feels confident. Mrs. Rodriguez used to let him "teach" dinosaur school in pre-school, this has lead to him becoming a main speaker in the assemblies at his current school in Dubai in which there are over 1,000 students. I forgot a side note: one of my best friends that I met at UCI went to Eldorado Emerson. We had an instant bond, her confidence is out of this world as well and we had no idea that we had this common bond of a tiny school, in Orange. Somehow Eldorado Emerson alums end up together, I met one more student that had attended Eldorado Emerson at UCI, out of 17,000 students at the time it is funny we somehow found each other.

Your school is wonderful and my son really enjoys going there and has made it a joy instead of a dread as it is for so many kids.

I never felt challenged in public school. It felt as though I wasn't reaching my full potential. When my parents found Emerson, I was ecstatic because I finally felt that I would excel and grow in ways that public school didn't offer. I still see my old friends and I've made some lasting bonds this first semester here. I love everyone, the students, teachers, everyone in the office and even the parents!

Eldorado Emerson means smaller classes. It means better art projects. It means more fun and better lunches.

I attended Eldorado Emerson from 1966 to 1971 - from the second grade thru the 6th. Family circumstances - including a long bus ride from Newport Beach - meant I couldn't continue.

I didn't realize how much of a change it would be. Now, I was in what everyone said was one of the best school districts in the country - Newport Mesa. But it was a completely different experience. I went from loving school to hating it - actually throwing up nearly every morning on the way.

I graduated near the top of my class at Newport Harbor. But by that time I was so completely sick of school that I didn't want to go to college. A chance meeting with my third grade teacher - Mrs. Petty - was the only reason I went. She convinced me that students in College actually wanted to be there - just like in her classroom.

Because of that one conversation I went to OCC, transferred to UCI and got a BA, went to grad school at UCLA and got two masters. I found the love of learning I'd lost, surrounded by water polo bullies and stoned-out nihilists. I've now written and produced film and television, designed and manufactured my own airplanes. Today I'm a manager in Homeland Security at a major aerospace corporation. I have an 18-month-old daughter, my first.

She'll be going to Eldorado Emerson. I'm just sorry she won't have Mrs. Petty.

I'm a professional television writer and the English classes, creative writing classes and imaginative ways of thinking I learned at Eldorado Emerson are skills I still use every day in my work. I attended Eldorado Emerson over 30 years ago for my last 3 years of high school. It literally saved my life, as I was "drowning" in a public school with 40 students to a class and no individual attention. There was also the fact that, as one of the "smart students", I was a social outcast, so there was no place to turn for respite.

Once I got to Eldorado Emerson, my world turned around. I got the individual attention I needed, which helped me understand math – a skill that had long eluded me. I also received some of the best English and creative writing classes I had ever experienced, which helped me hone my talents and nurture my self-esteem. I have written specials and sitcoms for CBS, NBC, ABC, Showtime and Nickelodeon… yet, one of my proudest achievements is still the First Place Ribbon in Creative Writing for the City of Orange that I received while at Eldorado Emerson.

I also will never forget the "hands-on" type of learning we did. We once went to hear Eldridge Cleaver, at the time, the head of the Black Panther Party, debate some other speakers at UC Irvine. Then the next day, we brought in all the newspapers and compared their coverage of the event to our experience of it. We were shocked at how differently the "media" portrayed it… pumping up and sensationalizing some things we felt were very ordinary events. This is just one example of how we were given a chance to fully experience the world.

I was trying to explain my education to someone the other day. It's a special way of thinking that's nurtured at Eldorado Emerson. They don’t just let kids "pass" and move on. They let you discover what's special and unique about you… and they give you a way to look at the world that will stay with you forever. I can’t recommend the school enough. I wish they had an Eldorado Emerson in Los Angeles so that many of my friends who have children struggling in school could find this oasis of learning.