Donda Academy
| Donda Academy | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
1625 Tierra Rejada Road 93065 United States | |
| Coordinates | 34°16′16″N 118°49′51″W / 34.271155358774855°N 118.83086422883599°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private school |
| Founder | Kanye West |
| Principal | Brianne Campbell |
| Grades | PK–12 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 10:1 |
| Mascot | Doves |
| Team name | Donda Doves |
| Tuition | $15,000 |
| Website | donda |
Donda Academy is a 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.
History
Kanye West revealed that he opened a Christian private school named Donda Academy after his late mother Donda West.[1] Rolling Stone was told that parents are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement to register their children.[2] Brianne Campbell is principal for the 2022–23 school year.[3]
In October 2022, Tamar Andrews, a Jewish educator who worked at the Academy, resigned after West's tweets about Jewish people.[4]
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 school year.[5][6] Hours later, the school notified parents that the school would reopen on October 28, 2022.[7]
Academics
The school curriculum includes worship, 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.[8]
The school has not sought accreditation by the private Western Association of Schools and Colleges,[9] and private schools in California are not required to be accredited or licensed, though they do have to register with the state.[10]
Athletics
The school's basketball team is named the Donda Doves.[11] The team was featured on the January 2022 cover of Slam, a basketball-focused publication.[12][13] Their inaugural game was held in February 2022 at the Credit Union 1 Arena, playing against Chicago Prep.[13] The Doves won the game 85-62.[13]
The team was scheduled to appear at the The Hoophall Classic and Kentucky Play-By-Play Classic showcases in 2022, but the invitations were rescinded in late October.[14] ESPN rated player Robert Dillingham number 8 on their ESPN 100 list; speculation surrounding Dillingham continuing with the team began in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 anti-Semitic remarks, the abrupt school closure and reopening, and the showcases being rescinded resulted in a "fallout" for the school.[14][15]
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Brown, Evan Nicole. "Jewish Educator Resigns From Donda Academy Amid Kanye West's Antisemitic Comments". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Southern, Keiran (October 27, 2022). "Kanye West's school Donda Academy closes as controversy grows". The Times. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Kanye West Shuts Down Donda Academy". TMZ. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Kanye West's Donda Academy Opens Again Just Hours After Announcing Shut Down". TMZ. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ Dawson, Shannon (September 16, 2022). "The Mysterious Donda Academy: How Kanye West Is Disrupting The World Of Education". NewsOne. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ Truffaut-Wong, Olivia (October 12, 2022). "What's the Deal With Donda Academy?". The Cut. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "California State Regulations -- Office of Non-Public Education (ONPE)". www2.ed.gov. 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- ^ Smith, Ryan (September 16, 2022). "What we know about Kanye West's Donda Doves school basketball team". Newsweek. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Deyscha (January 24, 2022). "Decidedly Different: Ye and Donda Academy Cover SLAM 236". SLAM. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c Villa, Adan (February 14, 2022). "Donda Academy creates headlines in Chicago". Wildcat Chronicle. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Marcum, Jason (October 27, 2022). "Donda Academy in flux; what's next for Robert Dillingham?". SB Nation. Retrieved October 27, 2022.