Lakewood Tutors Come To You

Lakewood is a city with tremendous civic pride that has endured since its incorporation in 1955. The Lakewood Plan, now a term for city and regional planners, was an innovative idea brought forth by John S. Todd, the father of Lakewood, and which revolutionized suburban expansion in post-World War II America. Small, unincorporated area, he argued, can contract with larger public and private services to provide them with the essentials of communal life—police, fire, trash, utility services, etc.—and with those contracts, smaller communities can quickly become cities unto themselves, self-governing and self-financing through these contracts. Todd’s plan is a mark of pride for the residents of Lakewood, and on the city’s fiftieth anniversary, his legacy was honored with the construction of the Three Pillars of Community, located in the plaza of the Lakewood Civic Center.

These pillars, eleven feet high and made of glass and stainless steel, represent the three principles of community that Lakeside espouses. The first pillar is dedicated to the city’s founders, with individual names and dates inscribed to remind visitors that a city’s heritage should be reflected upon and noted as it continues to expand. The founders of Lakewood were able to formulate a plan for incorporation so that Lakewood could expand quickly, and still have room for the future. Its thematic statement is, “We remembered the future,” which suggests planning ahead is a crucial element to success.

The second pillar is referred to as the Vision Pillar. This pillar honors the original residents of the city, and the vision they had to make a life for themselves in a small community just outside of Los Angeles. They founded schools, parks, rotary clubs, places of worship, and other meaningful practices for Lakewood to become the tight-knit city that it is today. The pillar’s thematic statement is, “Our best years are ahead of us.” Truly, the optimism and forward-looking, forward-thinking city planning of Lakewood has typified its character since the beginning.

The third pillar is named the Community Pillar. This pillar specifically honors those who founded the civic institutions of Lakewood—civic institutions truly do define a city as a city, and are integral pieces to the formation of a community. Its thematic inscription reads: “Times change. Values don’t.” This firmly encapsulates the heart of what Lakewood is all about: remembering and honoring the past, its achievements, and applying them to what the future of the community may hold.

Tutors in Lakewood similarly espouse principles of firm foundations, vision, and community. They are well-trained, aware of their abilities, and take joy in serving the students of Lakewood—in this regard, they are emissaries of community and loyalty. Dedicated to their craft, and their clients, tutors apply these same guiding ideas in their sessions, not only showing students the way to academic success, but also how to become a model citizen that honors the founding ideas of this unique city.