'Early College' Coming To Eastern Market Area
The Detroit Edison Public School Academy (DEPSA), located one block away from Eastern Market in Detroit, will hold a special announcement on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 8:30 a.m. to unveil plans to build an Early College of Excellence to serve the needs of students grades 9-12. The event will take place at 1903 Wilkins St. in Detroit.
The DEPSA Early College of Excellence, a multi-million dollar project, is the first of its kind in the state to come to fruition through the collaborative work and volunteer efforts of many companies and associations, such as The Skillman Foundation, The Engineering Society of Detroit, Lawrence Technological University and many others.
It will be the first school in Detroit to be part of the Michigan Future Schools Initiative, which is designed to work with traditional public school districts, charter schools and private schools that it believe will meet its student achievement expectations.
"We've garnered the support from the best engineering and architectural talent in our region," said Ralph Bland, Early College of Excellence and DEPSA's Superintendent. "They have committed to assisting in the transformation of education in Detroit."
According to Bland, the new high school will be housed in a building adjacent to the current school building and will serve grades 9-12. Details about the new building including its "green" features and impact on the economy (including the number of new jobs that will be added as a result) and environment in the area will be unveiled on Sept. 23.
The high school's curriculum will focus mainly on integrating 21st Century learning themes, cross curricular academic preparedness, and the International Education and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program, as well as provide students with global awareness and higher-order thinking skills that will instill the necessary motivation needed to transform Detroit and the state from a manufacturing based economy to a knowledge-based economy.
"Detroit's children cannot wait for adults to feel comfortable about the transformation of education, it must transform now to meet the needs and to cultivate the talent needed to sustain our community," Bland said. "High quality high schools must be our top priority in Detroit."
Formed in 1998 in cooperation with Oakland University, DEPSA provides another opportunity towards the education of students in Michigan. The school is organized into three academies -- a Primary Academy (grades K-2); an Elementary Academy (grades 3-5); and an Junior Academy (grades 6-8) -- thus creating "three schools within one school building" that are small enough to function as true communities.
Founded in 1895, ESD is a multi-disciplinary society uniting engineering, scientific and allied professions to enhance professional development and foster excitement in math and science to produce our next generation of leaders. Serving this generation of engineers and fostering the next. For more information, visit www.esd.org.
(c) 2010, WWJ Newsradio 950. All rights reserved.
