Solar Preparatory School for Girls at James B. Bonham has been named a recipient of a $100,000 grant from NewSchools Venture Fund, an organization committed to supporting innovation in education. Solar Prep is a Transformation School launching under Dallas ISD’s Public School Choice initiative.
In the summer of 2015, NewSchools Venture Fund launched NewSchools Catapult, the first endeavor of their Innovative Schools strategy. Its purpose is to create a bellwether for innovation in PreK-12 education by supporting promising school teams from around the country in creating the kinds of incredible, inspiring schools that all students deserve.
Solar Prep was one of 14 schools to receive the grant through a competitive selection process that included more than 80 applicants.
The grant funds will be used to support Solar Prep’s planning year to ensure a successful launch in August of 2016. In addition to the monetary support, the Catapult program enables Solar Prep to participate in a national network made up of school leaders who will support one another in developing and launching innovative school models, and to benefit from the advice and expertise of other thought leaders working on school model innovation.
Solar Prep will be led by Dallas ISD Principal Nancy Bernardino.
“We are looking forward to working with innovative school leaders from across the country,” Bernardino said. “We are confident that this network of educators will push our thinking to help us ensure a successful implementation year for Solar Prep.”
Solar Prep is dedicated to preparing girls to become trailblazers in STEAM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) fields and equip them with a depth of knowledge, capacity for leadership, strength of character, and love of self. Student success means each girl has the academic skill-sets and social-emotional tools to excel. Solar Prep will provide strong STEAM instruction through blended learning, project-based learning, tech literacy and coding, engineering, robotics, integrated art, and drama.
Applications for new Kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 2nd graders to attend Solar Prep will be available beginning in January 2016. As a Transformation School, there are no attendance boundaries or academic entry requirements.
For more information about Solar Prep and Public School Choice, please visit www.dallasisd.org/choice or www.dallasisd.org/solarprep.
