DeKalb Brilliance Academy opens in Decatur

For the founders of DeKalb Brilliance Academy in Decatur, the opening of the new charter school is a dream come true more than three years in the making.

“It has been just the most remarkable journey to build this school with our community,” said Jocelyn Alter, co-founder and head of school for DeKalb Brilliance Academy. “Three years ago, we sat in local churches and recreational centers across south DeKalb, and we asked families ‘what do you think the purpose of school should be?’ And families told us ‘Please don’t just prepare our kids for college or the work force, please help them understand what they’re good at, what they love, and what makes them shine. Help them understand how they can put their talents to good use and how they can leave a legacy in their community.’”

Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school, located at 2575 Snapfinger Road, on July 22 and invited the community to check out the new facility.

DeKalb Brilliance Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school that will provide kindergarten through second grade education starting with the 2022-23 school year. Eventually, the school will offer kindergarten through eighth grade classes, stated officials.

“Together with hundreds of families and community members, we have designed a school that brings real-world learning into our classrooms from experts in our community,” said officials.

The school offers an entrepreneurial project-based learning model through which teachers partner with community experts to create real-world learning, according to DeKalb Brilliance Academy’s website. “When our students learn about the importance of nature, they will work in teams to design a neighborhood park. They will visit a potential site, interview community members about what they want, collaborate with their teammates to create a design and get coaching from urban planners each month through the design process before presenting their ideas,” said officials, giving an example of the entrepreneurial project-based learning model.

Though the school has already closed its open enrollment period for the 2022-23 school year, any child living in the DeKalb County section of Atlanta Public School districts will be eligible to enroll next year with students then selected from a lottery.

For more information, visit www.dekalbbrillance.org or call (404) 618-2242.