Kanye Opens New Private Christian School Donda Academy, Parents Of Students Must Sign An NDA

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Kanye West Opens New Private Christian School Donda Academy, Parents Of Students Must Sign An NDA

Kanye West has opened the doors of his mysterious new Christian Preparatory school named after his late mother Donda West!

Headquartered in Simi Valley, California, the tuition-based Christian prep school’s mission is to build

“the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators by providing them with a world-class education that includes a rigorous core curriculum, and an emphasis on sustainability, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving… using an ethic of integrity and care.”

The school–which is not yet accredited and was still looking to hire instructors shortly before the school year began–is reported to cost students $15,000 a year. As many as half of the students currently receiving tuition at the facility are believed to be the recipients of financial assistance or school scholarships.

Kanye West

While Kanye West’s mission is admirable, there have been a number of abnormalities. The school has shared little information about its academics beyond what’s on its sparse website. The academy’s website merely notes that students’ daily schedule includes

“full school worship; core classes of language arts, math, and science; lunch and recess; enrichment courses including World Language, Visual Art, Film, Choir, and Parkour.” 

The school caters to children aged five to 18 and allows 12 students per class. According to sources, families are required to sign nondisclosure agreements; a consultant to the school claims only parents sign, and described it as an “informal agreement.” 

The ‘Head of School’ is listed as Brianne Campbell, according to the California Department of Education. However, Rolling Stone Magazine reported that Campbell, 28– who also leads the school’s choir program– ‘has never held a formal position as an educator,’ with her most notable experience being a musical tutoring business she runs out of her home. Campbell, who did not respond to an interview request from the publication, enrolled in a master’s degree program in education at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles earlier this year and is projected to finish the course in less than year.

Malik Yusef, a producer and longtime collaborator of Kanye’s who says he helped shape the school’s concept, told sources that Kanye West is serious about Donda Academy, and the school is by no means being done on a whim. According to Yusef, the Chicago rapper has a five-year plan to open multiple campuses nationwide. Yusef said,

“I want to be emphatic that there’s never been a time that Kanye West did not want to do this. I think people don’t understand the gravity of that. This man always wanted to create a school in his mama’s name.… Look at what we’re doing with the choir and the fashion in school — I don’t think there’s a venture capitalist or anybody that’s had a vision this clear on what education can look like for you.”

Malik Yusef said that public facts about the school are intentionally vague, as Kanye West doesn’t need to explain himself, and parents themselves prefer the privacy. Yusef explained,

“People choose to bring their kids to Donda Academy for a sense of privacy. A sense of care, a sense of concern, a sense of love, an environment of health, and an environment of wealth, an environment of learning, and putting God as a focus…I don’t think Kanye needs to tell the world what he’s doing, so that he can be under more scrutiny.”

For the 2021-22 school year, Donda Academy launched its all-star Donda Doves basketball team alongside 21 students from kindergarten through eighth grade, according to the California Department of Education. In late August, the institution opened its doors to roughly 100 students, with proud parents posting images of their children heading off to class in their all-black uniforms.

Tamar Andrews, a consultant for Donda with two decades of experience in early-childhood-education programs, says that information about the school will be released in due time, however, it’s currently not a high priority for the team.

“Honestly, we don’t care if people know about the school. The people that want to come to the school are looking for a good Christian school in that area and they know that we’re there … there is also a certain notoriety that comes with being affiliated with Donda. So, I don’t know that we have to advertise, which is a blessing and a curse.”

What are your thoughts on Kanye’s Donda Academy? Let us know in the comments below!

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