Des Moines Prep, the city’s first public charter high school, has opened its doors this week, offering a focused education with an emphasis on college and corporate readiness in a historic 90-year-old building on Southwest Sixth near MLK Parkway.Classes have commenced at Des Moines Prep, which currently hosts about 120 students from various cities across central Iowa, with a capacity to accommodate more than 600 students. Ninth grader Dezire Gonzalez expressed her excitement about the new school, saying, “It’s so beautiful. So amazing.” Gonzalez, who aspires to be a business leader, transferred from a traditional public school to the tuition-free charter school to better express her ambitions. “I want to start speaking out my voice to everybody so they can hear what I want to do in life, like what I want. So yeah, the school is really going to help me with that,” she said.Matt Lakis, the principal of Des Moines Prep, shared his enthusiasm about the school’s progress. “There aren’t words to describe it. I mean, to see where we started and to where we are right now. It’s truly just breathtaking,” he said. The school features classrooms with large windows, smaller class sizes and uniforms to foster team spirit. Lakis emphasized the importance of preparing students for environments similar to colleges or large corporations. “They know how to occupy spaces like this that feel more like a college or a large corporation. We want our students to feel comfortable and confident walking into rooms that look like this,” he said.Des Moines Prep is part of a network of charter schools operated by a nonprofit founded by the billionaire owner of the Chicago Cubs. Lakis highlighted the school’s mission to prepare students for life beyond high school. “It’s the idea that we want to prepare our students for what comes after high school, not just chasing a diploma, but looking at the four or five-year plan after high school,” he said.Ninth grader David Green, who dreams of playing in the NBA, acknowledged the educational benefits of attending Des Moines Prep. “Because you get a better education here than you do in public schools, and you get a better opportunity for colleges,” he said.Lakis described the opening of Des Moines Prep as a realization of his vision for a school. “This is everything I wanted and more, when you dream up what a school could be. And starting anew — the possibilities are really endless,” he said.» Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
Des Moines Prep, the city’s first public charter high school, has opened its doors this week, offering a focused education with an emphasis on college and corporate readiness in a historic 90-year-old building on Southwest Sixth near MLK Parkway.
Classes have commenced at Des Moines Prep, which currently hosts about 120 students from various cities across central Iowa, with a capacity to accommodate more than 600 students.
Ninth grader Dezire Gonzalez expressed her excitement about the new school, saying, “It’s so beautiful. So amazing.”
Gonzalez, who aspires to be a business leader, transferred from a traditional public school to the tuition-free charter school to better express her ambitions.
“I want to start speaking out my voice to everybody so they can hear what I want to do in life, like what I want. So yeah, the school is really going to help me with that,” she said.
Matt Lakis, the principal of Des Moines Prep, shared his enthusiasm about the school’s progress.
“There aren’t words to describe it. I mean, to see where we started and to where we are right now. It’s truly just breathtaking,” he said.
The school features classrooms with large windows, smaller class sizes and uniforms to foster team spirit. Lakis emphasized the importance of preparing students for environments similar to colleges or large corporations.
“They know how to occupy spaces like this that feel more like a college or a large corporation. We want our students to feel comfortable and confident walking into rooms that look like this,” he said.
Des Moines Prep is part of a network of charter schools operated by a nonprofit founded by the billionaire owner of the Chicago Cubs.
Lakis highlighted the school’s mission to prepare students for life beyond high school.
“It’s the idea that we want to prepare our students for what comes after high school, not just chasing a diploma, but looking at the four or five-year plan after high school,” he said.
Ninth grader David Green, who dreams of playing in the NBA, acknowledged the educational benefits of attending Des Moines Prep.
“Because you get a better education here than you do in public schools, and you get a better opportunity for colleges,” he said.
Lakis described the opening of Des Moines Prep as a realization of his vision for a school. “This is everything I wanted and more, when you dream up what a school could be. And starting anew — the possibilities are really endless,” he said.
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» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
