The iconic rapper Sean Combs,’ best known as P Diddy announced the opening of a new Capital Preparatory Charter school on the former campus of the College of New Rochelle at 755 Co-op City Blvd.
Expected to educate up to 200 students between sixth and seventh grade and later growing to 650 students through 11th grade, the new Capital Prep location will be opening under a remote model on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
In 2018, Combs pledged $1 million to open the school, saying at the time “I came from the same environment these kids live in every day.”
“My dream has always been to provide children in communities like the Bronx the high quality education they deserve,” said Combs through a release on Wednesday. “We’re not just teaching reading, math and coding. We are grooming future leaders that will change their communities and the world,” the famed New York rapper added.
He worked alongside Dr. Steve Perry to open the new location, who said he could not be more excited about the announcement.
Calling Co-op City “a community rooted in social justice and diversity,” Perry also addressed having to kickoff the 2020 academic year remotely.
“While opening up remote at first is bittersweet, we have developed a best-in-class approach to online learning we are excited to implement with our new families. The Capital Prep college prep model is perfectly poised to transition into the digital space and we are excited to deliver a rigorous education to this inaugural class of scholars,” he said.
On that subject, Isaiah Brown, the founding principal of Capital Prep Bronx and a native to the borough said “we will run our distance learning as a replica of our in-school experience.”
“Scholars will have live instruction from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. across core subjects plus advisory, four days a week. On Fridays, they will participate in a virtual all-school assembly and access office hours for additional support,” Brown said, adding that community partnerships will be providing after school programs for students.
The principal also stressed the principle of social justice, calling it the the “bedrock” of the school’s model.
“I understand the importance of access to a great education, and the critical role it plays in a child’s future. Our school provides historically disadvantaged students with the college and career skills needed to become responsible and engaged citizens for social justice,” Combs boasted in 2018.
He attended Mount St. Michael High School some years ago.
