Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach, a free public middle school in Long Beach, will be featured on Nickelodeon’s show ‘The Substitute’ this coming Thursday, December 10th, at 8:30 pm (Pacific).
During taping of the show, a celebrity was transformed by a team of special effects artists to go undercover as a substitute teacher – the ultimate surprise being the celebrity’s reveal to a group of unsuspecting students. IVA students and staff participated in the Christmas-themed episode with comedian/actor turned faux substitute teacher Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias.
Nickelodeon’s show ‘The Substitute’ was created to celebrate and support educational organizations through exposure to its viewers, and to provide generous monetary donations.
IVA is proud and grateful to announce that through the generosity of Iglesia and Nickelodeon, the school received a check of $25,000, which will be used to help students during a challenging year of distance learning due to COVID-19. Iglesias stated during filming that as a youth who grew up in Section 8 housing in Long Beach, giving back to the local community was important to him.
IVA opened its doors in 2013 to serve middle-school-aged students in the diverse community of Long Beach and surrounding cities. IVA also has a sister high school spanning grades 9-12.
Both schools’ curriculum and teaching models make significant use of Harvard’s Project Zero research, especially the work of Ron Ritchhart and his colleagues. Since their opening, IVA and The Academy have received national attention for implementing intellectual character growth through exposure to thoughtful, challenging and supportive academic environments.
