MEDIA ADVISORY: San Diego Unified Dedicates New Academy of Business Facility and Launches Three New Career-focused Academies at Clairemont High School

MEDIA ADVISORY from San Diego Unified School District -- October 21, 2015

San Diego Unified Dedicates New Academy of Business Facility and Launches Three New Career-focused Academies at Clairemont High School

WHAT: Dedication ceremony for the new Academy of Business facility, as well as tours of the new building and the three new three academies.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 22 -- Ceremony starts at 7:45 a.m., followed immediately by the tours of the academies.

WHERE: Clairemont High School, 4150 Ute Dr., San Diego 92117 (Clairemont) Media parking will be available on site (northeast corner of campus, enter gate off of Modoc Street). A site map is available upon request.

VISUALS: Students and teachers in classrooms that simulate the Stock Exchange's trading floor or an investment house, television studio with students preparing a broadcast, as well as students and dignitaries cutting ceremonial red ribbon with giant scissors.

SPEAKERS/INTERVIEWS: Karla Rodriguez, student leader and chief executive officer, Academy of Business; Cindy Marten, superintendent of San Diego Unified School District; John Lee Evans, vice president, Board of Education; Jennifer Roberson, principal, Clairemont High School; Elizabeth Rush, Academy of Business coordinator, Peter Zahn, president/director, Moxie Foundation. Others available for interviews: San Diego Unified School District's Director of College, Career & Technical Education, Al Love; and Chief Facilities Planning & Construction Officer Lee Dulgeroff. (Interviews are available in Spanish.)

BACKGROUND: The new $6 million facility recently built for Academy of Business was funded by San Diego Unified School District's Proposition Z and matching funds from a California Proposition 1D Career Techncial Education grant. The project included a new 10,500-square-foot building with a central space that serves as a mock investment house and trading floor. This space contains a presentation board and terminals on which students can access up-to-date financial data. The new building also has a computer classroom, three general purpose classrooms, one media technology classroom, a television broadcast studio with a soundproof media lab with control room, three multi-media editing bays, one soundproof studio editing bay, and a staff planning room.

The Academy of Business at Clairemont High School is a College, Career & Technical Education program and facility that support an award-winning, Linked Learning community that focuses on the business and finance industry pathway. Founded in 2004, the academy offers an unique three-year program that provides college-preparatory curriculum that incorporates business elective courses at each grade level. The finance-centered program offers students the opportunity to learn about stocks and bonds, and how they are traded.

Based on the Academy of Business' high level of success, the Moxie Foundation approached San Diego Unified School District and Clairemont High School last year with the concept of establishing three additional academies within the comprehensive school setting. Moxie Foundation founder Irwin Zahn's vision for Clairemont is to create a total school transformation by offering all students the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning through Linked Learning academy pathways. The focus of the three new academies were selected based on projected growth industries and anticipated career opportunities in San Diego. The new academies include: the Academy of Information Technology, the Academy of Engineering Design, and the Academy of Health & Medical Sciences.

With input from and collaboration with Clairemont students, parents, staff, industry and education partners and the greater Clairemont community, the new academies officially opened this year to ninth- and tenth-grade students, and will include all grade levels next year.

The Moxie Foundation is dedicated to enriching and empowering individuals and communities by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success, personal health, and the environment.

CONTACT: Cynthia Reed-Porter, communications supervisor l Communications Office l San Diego Unified School District l Mobile phone: 619-546-3378 l E-mail: creed-porter@sandi.net

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