Downtown San Diego’s first charter school is open. The Urban Discovery Academy aspires to be more than a school.
From the academy’s rooftop deck San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer rang the new school’s century-old bronze bell announcing class will soon be in session. Next week, 415 students from kindergarten to eighth grade are scheduled to start school at the Urban Discovery Academy’s new 37,000-square-foot building.
Located catty corner to San Diego Police Department headquarters, the 14th Street building is brightly colored inside and out. Classrooms boast vaulted ceilings, exposed brick and brightly-painted walls throughout the building.
The school plans to teach students through team projects. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math, or STEAM, will be special areas of study for the Urban Academy’s students.
Ellis Clay is one of the academy’s 24 teachers. This year his eighth grade English and history class will read "Lord of the Flies." After reading, the students will work in teams to dissect the narrative and characters. Clay’s students will learn about what it means to survive and flourish in a society.
Clay said putting a K through eighth-grade school in the middle of downtown shows the kind of community the East Village is trying to become.
“It puts East Village on a map that says we are building a community that involves all types of people,” Clay said.
The new building is more than just a traditional school. According to the Urban Discovery Academy’s board president, Edward Abeyta, night classes for adults are planned and weddings will be held on the building's rooftop deck.
