Georgia Charter Schools Association was thrilled to attend the grand opening ceremonies for two new charter schools this fall: KIPP SOUL Primary and International Charter Academy of Georgia.
On Wednesday, Aug. 22, KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools celebrated the opening of its ninth and newest school—KIPP Soul Primary. Parents, APS Board Member Kandis Wood Jackson (Seat 7), KIPP Metro Atlanta Board Members, GCSA staff members, Elisa Levy from the Marcus Foundation and Ed Chang from redefinED were among those attending the grand opening.
The celebration included a band performance by KIPP Atlanta Collegiate 
students and a special song prepared by Kindergartners at KIPP SOUL Primary. Kinnari Patel-Smyth, Executive Director of KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools; Dave Howland, Managing Director of External Relations for KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools and Tasha Davis, Principal of KIPP Soul Primary, gave remarks during a special presentation to mark the occasion. Those attending also included Jamika Spencer, a former KIPP Metro Atlanta student and founding KIPP Soul Primary parent (Pictured with Howland on the right). Spencer is eager for her children to have the same academic opportunities that she enjoyed.
KIPP Soul Primary School opened with 125 Kindergartners and plans to expand by a grade level per year. By the 2022-2023 school year, the school will educate Atlanta students in Kindergarten through the fourth grade. The school is located in West Atlanta near KIPP Atlanta Collegiate.
Parents, elected officials and dignitaries were on hand to commemorate the opening of 
International Charter Academy of Georgia on Wednesday, Aug. 8 the state’s first Japanese-English dual-language immersion school. Those speaking at the inaugural event included State School Superintendent Richard Wood, Georgia Rep. Scott Hilton, Consulate-General Takashi Shinozuka and ICA Georgia Principal Minako Ahearn. The special ceremony came to a close with the presentation of a $30,000 grant check from the Japan Foundation.
International Charter Academy of Georgia is a state-authorized charter school that serves students in Kindergarten through the fifth grades. The school will teach core subjects in both Japanese and English to enhance academic achievement and to expose students to a wide range of content learning areas in the target language.
