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CRADLE-TO-COLLEGE
Drew Charter School expansion looks to future
Jewish Federation
*■' OF GREATER ATLANTA
When school resumed last
month, students at the new Charles
R. Drew Charter School Junior and
Senior Academy got their first look at
sparkling new buildings and facilities.
The new Charlie Yates Campus
in the East Lake neighborhood
allows the Drew Charter School to
expand to include high school grades,
completing the school’s “cradle-to-
college” education mission, a goal
since the East Lake Foundation began
its work in the community in 1995.
“The Drew community has been
dreaming of this day for a long time,”
said Don Doran, Head of Drew
Charter School. “Drew’s successes can
now be extended through the high
school years, completing the vision
for an educational pipeline in East
Lake.”
The new facility, designed by
local architecture firm Perkins + Will
and built by JE Dunn Construction,
is located adjacent to the current
Drew Charter Elementary Academy
campus on East Lake Boulevard and
will ultimately serve 1,000 middle and
high school students, bringing Drew’s
total student population to almost
2,000 by the 2022-23 school year.
The building is on the former
“back nine” holes of the public
Charlie Yates Golf Course. Notably, it
engages neighborhood residents through
creative use of recreational spaces that
make the school a center for community.
The 205,800-square-foot building includes:
• Flexible learning suites to nurture
Drew’s STEAM focus (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts and
Mathematics)
Project-Based Learning labs for each
grade level
State-of-the-art science, engineering
and design labs
Integrated performing and visual arts
studios
525-seat performing arts center
serving students and the community
Two gymnasiums and a full-size track
and field for athletics and community
wellness
The building is projected to earn
LEED Gold certification
“Possibility takes place, and we are
creating infinite possibilities for our
students and community with the addition
of the Drew Charter School Junior and
Senior Academy’ said Daniel J. Shoy, Jr.,
president, East Lake Foundation. “The
Drew Charter Senior Academy will prepare
our students for college and life. Higher
education breaks the intergenerational cycle
of poverty, and a high-quality, seamless
cradle-to-college pipeline is an essential
component for East Lake to sustain the
success of its revitalization.”
Drew Charter School opened in 2000
as Atlanta’s first charter school. Over the
last 14 years, Drew has made great strides
in improving academic outcomes as well
as providing students with access to arts,
technology, sports and other co-curricular
experiences. ESI
Students returned to Drew Charter School last month to find new buildings and educational opportunities.
Special
experience EPSTEIN.
We’re way more than you imagined.
We look forward to seeing you on our newly-renovated campus. Schedule a tour at
www.EpsteinAtlanta.org/tour
THE EPSTEIN SCHOOL
Solomon Schechter School of Atlanta
335 COLEWOOD WAY NW I SANDY SPRINGS, GA 30328-2956 I EPSTEINATLANTA.ORG
AtlantalNtownPaper.com
September 2014 | INtOWIl 19
