Ivy Prep Academy at Kirkwood

[Maru32]

Ivy Preparatory Academy to open DeKalb schools for boys and girls

The Georgia Board of Education unanimously approved Ivy Preparatory Academy’s plan to open K-12 boys and girls schools in DeKalb County.

The schools, Ivy Preparatory Academy at Kirkwood will be housed on the former campus of Peachtree Hope Charter School and will begin recruiting students and staff this week. Each campus will have 265 students and a staff of 10.

State charter school officials said the plan will help keep more educational options available for students in DeKalb.

Nina Gilbert, head of school of Ivy Prep, will lead the project as the new executive director of Ivy Schools.

“These are two brand new schools that happened to be located at the site of a former school,” said Lou Erste, the state’s charter school division director. “It was a good solution.”

Erste thanked the school board for moving quickly on reviewing and approving the petition so the campus could open this fall. The vote was 7-0 with six members absent and a quorum represented.

“It was like a perfect storm in a good sense for this petition,” said Brian Burdette, a state school board member. “We are not going to make this a precedent. Everybody did their job. We left no stone unturned. This is how a bureaucracy like we have can react efficiently and effectively when it has to. I am proud of what has been done.”

Gilbert said she was excited about the opportunity to open a satellite campus to serve the void left by the closing of Peachtree Hope Charter. She said her Norcross school for girls already serves 200 DeKalb county students. Sixth graders at the school will have the option of being able to attend classes in DeKalb instead of Gwinnett this fall.

“It feels like I have twins,” Gilbert said after the vote. “We just opened two schools in the blink of an eye. I am vey grateful to the Charter Schools Committee, the state board and Superintendent Barge for making sure that these students do not have their education interrupted.”

A parent information session will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the DeKalb school.

A job fair will be held Thursday at Ivy Prep in Norcross. The application deadline for students is Wednesday. Parents can register at www.ivyprepacademy.org. The schools will open on Aug. 31.

Erste said that the curriculum used at girls school in Norcross will also work for boys. The schools will open serving students K-6 and then add additional grades.

“It’s well researched, well-documented and replicable,” Erste said. “The single gender model adds extra kick to any good curriculum.”

courtesy ajc http://www.ajc.com/news/ivy-preparatory-academy-to-1065417.html

http://www.ivyprepacademy.org/kirkwood

Ivy Prep is also curretnly recruiting teachers and students http://www.ivyprepacademy.org/careers

[Cap'n Ken]

Is enrollment for this school limited to Unincorporated DeKalb? I'd think so - it's "Kirkwood", but not in the city limits, and they speak of DeKalb students. The enrollment app says you have to be a DeKalb resident, but doesn't specify outside the limits of a city with it's own system.

For the sake of parents in UDC, I hope this is a more viable option for them.

[LClayton]

That article confused me.  Is it one school?  Or are there two schools?   

[Maru32]

Is enrollment for this school limited to Unincorporated DeKalb? I'd think so - it's "Kirkwood", but not in the city limits, and they speak of DeKalb students. The enrollment app says you have to be a DeKalb resident, but doesn't specify outside the limits of a city with it's own system.

For the sake of parents in UDC, I hope this is a more viable option for them.

That's a good question.  I am going to attend the Information Session tomorrow and ask. 

[Maru32]

I went to the information session in the school's Cafegymatorium yesterday.  The enrollment is not limited Unicorporated Dekalb residents just any Dekalb residents.  There will be 2 schools one for boys and one for girls.  They are accepting 265 total students for the boys and girls schools  25 - K, 50 - 1 through 5,  90 - 6th.  If there is a need for a lottery it will be Saturday.  Their charter is for 2 years.  No word if they will stay at that location permanently.

The school program is very structured and rigid.  The overall school facility is pretty nice for a school in a shopping center.

[Cap'n Ken]

I had a real-world conversation about Ivy Prep this morning and who can attend there, so I wanted to offer confirmation here that - odd as it seems - if you live anywhere in DeKalb County you can enroll at Ivy Prep in Kirkwood. Note that it's gender-separated, so there's an "academy" for girls and an "academy" for boys.

I guess as a state-approved charter school they are not limited by the geographic boundaries of a local system, as is the case of charter schools approved by Atlanta Public Schools. Their charter is very clear:

Attendance Zone. Enrollment shall be open to any student to any student who resides within the attendance zone, which is defined as the geographic region of DeKalb County, Georgia.

It's also important to note that there is no "primary zone" of attendance. In other words, you don't get a preference if you live in Kirkwood or unincorporated DeKalb or anything. If you live in Dunwoody you could apply and have the same chance as somebody who lives in Kirkwood or Lithonia, it seems.

As this school just opened last fall, it's difficult at best to offer judgments on its quality or much of anything else. It seems their original location in Gwinnett is butting heads with the school system up there.

I don't know if the Kirkwood school opened with full enrollment or what. I'd guess it would have drawn more interest from unincorporated DeKalb residents last fall. It'll be interesting to see if more interest comes from Atlanta DeKalb residents this year given the uncertainty of redistricting.

It looks like the open enrollment period is going on now and ends Feb. 17th. They had a tour and information session this past Saturday and will have another one Monday (boys) and Tuesday (girls) evenings at 6.

[Shamamama]

They have an awesome basketball program. 

[ohmylorelei]

I left UDC last year, despite crazy $$$ stress over it, because of schools. The chances of getting a spot at the ICS (international COmmunity School) were too slim to bank on.  If there's another option nearby, that means two chances at charter options in Dekalb... maybe people won't have to do what I did. I think that's awesome.

<stares at two mortgages>