Plans gel for YES Prep high school
District, SKY Partnership work to create program that is distinct yet meshes with Northbrook campus
Planning for a new high school in Spring Branch Independent School District is shifting into full gear as administrators prepare for the opening of the SKY Partnership’s YES Prep High Northbrook in fall 2015.
A principal for the high school, to be situated within Northbrook High School, I Raider Circle, will come on board Nov. 1, while the layout of classrooms and offices is in the design phase. Bryan Reed, currently director of YES Prep North Central, will take the helm of the new highschool.
The partnership between SBISD and KIPP and YES Prep charter schools, known as SKY, was conceived to offer students choices, to use district campuses with low populations and to reach low-in-come-students. Mandele Davis, project manager of the partnership, said officials are ironing out enrollment projections, school culture and howthe YES Prep school will blend with North brook High.
“We know we’re still infants at this, but we want to make sure we are bringing programs that are topquality, and that we are creating sustainable models,” Davis said.
The plan is for YES Prep students to stay together for core academic classes for an extended day — starting earlier in a separate part of the campus — and join Northbrook students for electives and other activities.
As for the culture, YES Prep students will be Raiders like the others at Northbrook, but will keep YES Prep traditions such as senior signing day, which is when seniors get to display pennants and T-shirts of the college they will attend. YES Prep also will have a separate graduation, though students can participate in Northbrook’s as well.
“We value and we’re excited about what YES Prep and KIPP can do for kids, but we’re also aware we’re on a blended campus with traditions and norms that are dear to Northbrook High School,” Davis said.
The new program is the next component to the SKY initiative, an innovative partnership between Spring Branch ISD and charter school districts KIPP and YES Prep, brought about to offer more school choice, reach low-income students and fill under used campuses.
The partnership started with the opening two years ago of YES Prep Northbrook at Northbrook Middle School, 3030 Rosefield Drive, and KIPP Courage College Prep at Landrum Middle School, 2200 Ridgecrest. YES Prep Northbrook, a program for grades 6-8 within Northbrook Middle School, will reach full capacity in the 2014-15 school year. KIPP Courage, a fifth-throug-heighth-grade program, will mature in the 2016-17 school year. Students from both schools will automatically feed into the newhigh school, starting with YES Prep students in fall 2015. But the high school program could open up to students across the district, depending on available spots. Projections are for a total of more than 850 students in grades 9-12.
“Certainly there is a need for this type of program,” said Ken Goeddeke, who manages and supports KIPPCourage. “We’ve never hada problem filling our fifth-grade class.”
Goeddeke said continuing through a YES Prep high school makes sense for KIPP and YES Prep middle school students because the curriculum and culture are aligned. He said KIPP and YES Prep have a reputation for preparing students for college.