By Wyatt Miller
LOS ANGELES – When Hattie Mitchell was 18 years old, she was volunteering on skid row at Union Rescue Mission. Afterward, she walked outside and saw a baby girl crawling on the sidewalk, alone.
"That moment deeply impacted me in a way that I had never felt before," Mitchell said. "I was really shocked and angered, and then I was kind of inspired. It lit like a fire within me to want to do something for kids like that little girl."
That day, she decided to address those issues through education. 13 years later, she and her husband, Brett Mitchell, opened Crete Academy Charter School, which offers housing and unique opportunities for students and their families. Eight years after opening, the Rams named the Mitchells as the 11th "pLAymaker" honorees of 2024.
Mitchell worked at several schools, serving in different roles in order to understand how she could build a school that would help the community in the way she envisioned. In service of that, Crete Academy created a "harmony program," among other services. They provide emergency housing for families, including finding hotels or placing families in shelters or affordable housing. A housing specialist works with each family to find the best solution for their specific situation.
"We want to break the cycle of child homelessness in our city, and we do that one student, one family at a time, and every day is different," Brett said. "... The recognition of being a playmaker, being somebody or an organization that really takes action to serve the community, it means so much because (of) the simple fact that more kids will be able to get helped out."
Crete Academy holds over 300 students in Kindergarten through 6th grade, 35% of which are unhoused. They have 10 counselors on campus to help students with the mental and emotional turmoil that often accompanies their situations. Free support for the families with UCLA Health, food pantries, parenting classes and other health services are also offered.
"Crete Academy empowers students to love themselves, embrace learning, and actively contribute to their community," according to its website. "Our holistic education model equips every student with the skills and support to lead healthy, purposeful lives and to build bright, successful futures."
"That's what the school is all about," Brett said. "Love for each other, love for the community, and really serving the most vulnerable students in the city one day at a time… inspiring change, inspiring students to think bigger, dream bigger, to see themselves at their fullest potential. And so, every day, that's the mission, that's the hope. Through this work, through being there, through showing care, love, being able to educate and expose the kids to different parts of life."
When Crete Academy first opened in Crenshaw, they had a mural of Nipsey Hussle beside one of his quotes where he talked about how "the highest form of human action is to inspire," Brett said. That's something the Mitchells' took to heart, so even if they can't give families exactly what they need, they still try to inspire change in the community.
They strive to give the kids opportunities in their "enrichment program" that they wouldn't have otherwise, like trips to the beach or Mexico. They want to help the students "believe in something that isn't there yet, but can be there if they work hard," Brett said.
"I think 'inspire change' means to help people to see more than what is there to see and want more than their current situation," Mitchell said. "... And when you just take action, people will come alongside you. You don't even have to tell them. So, I think the best way is just to get up and do something."
