Some teachers at Will Smith’s New Village Academy in Calabasas are Scientologists, and instructional methods developed by the cult’s founder will be used.
An official says Scientology will not be taught. But who believes a Scientologist? And what is the value of exposing kids to material based on the world of a charlatan?
Tom Cruise studied intensively at the remote compound near Hemet while becoming a passionate messenger for the church. GILMAN HOT SPRINGS — Nearly 30 years ago, the Church of Scientology bought a dilapidated and bankrupt resort here and turned the erstwhile haven for Hollywood moguls and starlets into a retreat for L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer who founded the religion. Today, the out-of-the-way 500-acre compound near Hemet has quietly grown into one of Scientology’s major bases of operation, with thriving video and recording studios, elaborate offices and a multimillion-dollar mansion that former members say was built for the