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Donda Academy

Coordinates: 34°16′16″N 118°49′51″W / 34.27111°N 118.83083°W / 34.27111; -118.83083
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Donda Academy
Address
Map
1625 Tierra Rejada Road

Simi Valley, California
93065

United States
Coordinates34°16′16″N 118°49′51″W / 34.27111°N 118.83083°W / 34.27111; -118.83083
Information
TypePrivate school
FounderKanye West
PrincipalBrianne Campbell
GradesPK–12
Student to teacher ratio10:1
MascotDoves
Team nameDonda Doves
Tuition$15,000
Websitedonda.org

Donda Academy is an unaccredited Christian private school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in Simi Valley, California, United States. It was founded in 2022 by American rapper Kanye West.

On October 27, 2022, it was reported the school closed "abruptly" after West made antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media.[1][2] It was reopened hours later.

History

In September 2022, West revealed that he opened a Christian private school named Donda Academy after his late mother Donda West,[3] on the site of the defunct Simi Valley Stoneridge Preparatory School.[4] Rolling Stone was told that parents are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement to register their children.[5] The principal and executive director for the 2022–23 school year is Brianne Campbell, a Masters student at Pepperdine University who had previously worked as an actress and choir director.[6] The school enrolled about 100 students and employs 16 teachers, with a number of celebrities' children in attendance [7] West's four children with Kim Kardashian do not attend the school; instead they attend Sierra Canyon School.[8]

In October 2022, Tamar Andrews, a Jewish educator who worked at the Academy, resigned after West's antisemitic comments.[9]

On October 27, 2022, the school notified parents that it had canceled the remainder of the 2022–23 school year and would reopen at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.[10][11] Hours later, the school notified parents that the school would reopen on October 28, 2022.[12][13] The same day as the second email singer Keyshia Cole pulled her son out of the school.[14] When a fan asked on Twitter if she had signed an NDA, Cole responded, "And there was no NDA signed. Idk who may have but that wasn't brought up to us."[14]

Academics

The school curriculum includes Christianity, language arts, mathematics, and science. It also includes enrichment courses, such as world languages, the visual arts, film, choir, and parkour. The school has a 10:1 ratio of students to teachers, and no class exceeds 12 students.[15]

The school has not sought accreditation by the private Western Association of Schools and Colleges,[16] as private schools in California are not required to be accredited or licensed, though they do have to register with the state.[17]

Basketball team

The school's basketball team is named the Donda Doves.[18] The team was featured on the January 2022 cover of Slam, a basketball-focused publication.[19] In order of appearance, the players who appeared on the cover along with West were Bryce Baker, Brandon White, Jalen Hooks, Chuch Bailey, Javonte "JJ" Taylor, Jahki Howard, Robert Dillingham, Seven Bahati, Braeden Moore, Omarion Bodrick, and Zion Cruz.[19]

Their inaugural game was held in February 2022 at the Credit Union 1 Arena, playing against Chicago Prep.[20] The Doves won the game 85-62.[20]

The team was scheduled to appear at the Hoophall Classic and Kentucky Play-By-Play Classic showcases in 2022, but the invitations were rescinded in late October.[21] ESPN rated player Robert Dillingham number 8 on their ESPN 100 list; speculation surrounding Dillingham continuing with the team began in late October after West's antisemitic remarks, the abrupt school closure and reopening, and the showcases being rescinded resulted in a "fallout" for the school.[21][22]

After the showcase invitations were canceled, players JJ Taylor (small forward) and Chuck Bailey III (reserve guard) left the school, with Taylor transferring to San Ysidro High School.[23]

References

  1. ^ Porterfield, Carlie (27 October 2022). "Kanye West's Donda Academy Shutters Suddenly After Businesses Drop Him Over Antisemitism". Forbes.
  2. ^ Southern, Keiran (27 October 2022). "Kanye West's school Donda Academy closes as controversy grows". The Times. Los Angeles.
  3. ^ Arnold, Chuck (September 16, 2022). "Inside Kanye West's mysterious Donda Academy school: 'full' worship, NDAs, celebrity children and no accreditation". New York Post. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Adams, Biba (24 September 2021). "Kanye West to open school, Donda Academy, outside Los Angeles: report". Yahoo! Life. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  5. ^ Roundtree, Cheyenne (September 15, 2022). "What the Hell Is Going on at Kanye West's Mysterious New Private School?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Tangalakis-Lippert, Katherine (2022-10-22). "For $15k and a signed NDA, students at Kanye West's unaccredited Donda Academy start the day with 'full school worship' before parkour enrichment classes". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  7. ^ Mahadevan, Tara (September 16, 2022). "New Report on Kanye West's Donda Academy Reveals Parents Are Asked to Sign NDAs". Complex. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  8. ^ Smith, Ryan (October 27, 2022). "Kanye West's Donda Academy Faced Trouble Before Sudden Closure". Newsweek. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  9. ^ Brown, Evan Nicole (24 October 2022). "Jewish Educator Resigns From Donda Academy Amid Kanye West's Antisemitic Comments". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  10. ^ Southern, Keiran (October 27, 2022). "Kanye West's school Donda Academy closes as controversy grows". The Times. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Kanye West Shuts Down Donda Academy". TMZ. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Kanye West's Donda Academy Opens Again Just Hours After Announcing Shut Down". TMZ. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  13. ^ Adams, Matt (2022-10-27). "The status of Ye's Donda Academy is unclear after uproar over his antisemitic remarks". NPR. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  14. ^ a b "Keyshia Cole Takes Son Out Of Donda Academy After Kanye West's Shooting Comments". Rap Up. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  15. ^ Dawson, Shannon (September 16, 2022). "The Mysterious Donda Academy: How Kanye West Is Disrupting The World Of Education". NewsOne. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Truffaut-Wong, Olivia (October 12, 2022). "What's the Deal With Donda Academy?". The Cut. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  17. ^ "California State Regulations -- Office of Non-Public Education (ONPE)". www2.ed.gov. 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  18. ^ Smith, Ryan (September 16, 2022). "What we know about Kanye West's Donda Doves school basketball team". Newsweek. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Smith, Deyscha (January 24, 2022). "Decidedly Different: Ye and Donda Academy Cover SLAM 236". SLAM. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Villa, Adan (February 14, 2022). "Donda Academy creates headlines in Chicago". Wildcat Chronicle. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Borzello, Jeff; Givony, Jonathan (October 27, 2022). "Ye's Donda Academy dropped from hoops events amid reports of closure". ESPN. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  22. ^ Marcum, Jason (October 27, 2022). "Donda Academy in flux; what's next for Robert Dillingham?". SB Nation. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  23. ^ Peter, Josh (October 29, 2022). "Donda Academy out of basketball season opener in Minnesota as fifth tournament drops school". USA Today. Retrieved October 31, 2022.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donda_Academy&oldid=1125015468"