Antoinette Cass, Fellow

Open Magnet Charter School

Los Angeles, CA

Antoinette Cass has been the principal of Open Magnet Charter School in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for the past 10 years. Her oath to the children of Los Angeles began in 1998 as a paraprofessional and has included teaching K-3 at both Westwood Charter and Open Magnet Charter Schools. She was also a Categorical Programs Coordinator at Baldwin Hills School. In 1993, she received her B.A. from the University of California, Irvine in Criminology, Law and Society, however an elementary school internship, changed her path. Antoinette also received a Master of Educational Leadership from Mount Saint Mary’s University. Antoinette’s gravitation to servant leadership is rooted in the legacy of her parents and grandparents who served the community of Los Angeles for decades as a teacher/principal (mother), law enforcement officer (father), county hospital neonatal nurse (grandmother) and city horticulturist (grandfather).  She expands their reach by standing humbly in service to others. Antoinette attributes the basis of her leadership style to her first principal, Michelle Bennett, who valued teachers as professionals and experts of their craft. This mentorship led Antoinette to cultivate an environment of excellence where educators make student-centered, consensus-based decisions. The partnership that Antoinette seeks from community stakeholders, was instilled in her as a budding teacher and will forever be her compass. Antoinette has brilliantly guided Open School to be a place that immeasurably influences students’ lives. One kind former teacher and parent adequately described her as a “teacher-supporting, students-first principal.” Antoinette agrees, this statement sums up her commitment perfectly.

In January of 2023, Antoinette's school was recognized as a School of Distinction, a national merit award by the Magnet Schools of America.

Lillian Peralta Alba, Ally

Educator

Open Magnet Charter School

Los Angeles, CA

Lillian Alba’s path towards educating young minds began over 29 years ago as a bilingual Instructional aide in Los Angeles. Inspired by the children and families she worked with, she pursued her calling to the classroom. In 1997, she received her BA from California State University, Dominguez Hills and In 2009, Lillian Alba went on to earn her Masters in Educational Administration at Cal State University, Los Angeles. Today, the lessons she’s learned through mentorships, workshops, and teacher collaborations have helped shape her as an innovative and celebrated educator at Open Charter Magnet School. In 2005, she trained in Writer’s Workshop at Columbia University Teachers College where she used writing as a medium to help students discover their voice and their own creativity. Over the years, Lillian Alba has shared her experiences as an LAUSD teacher through Open Charter Magnet’s Annual Institute where she teaches interactive workshops on Inquiry, Reading, and Thinking Processes. As an active believer in the Open School tradition, Lillian is fully committed to this positive and supportive community, working collaboratively with students, parents, and staff. This is essential in the team teaching setting throughout the school where teachers design their own curriculum. Lillian continues to seek out new methods to create hands-on constructivist units of study that are both cross-curricular and culturally relevant for the children. In her classroom, she has developed a generation of writers, thinkers, and life long learners that are empowered to create a positive future.