If your idea of students at the mall looks like a video for ’80s teen pop icon Tiffany, the new high school going into Sugarloaf Mills will change your thinking.
Phoenix High School at Sugarloaf Mills is a partnership between Gwinnett County Public Schools and Simon Youth Foundation, a division of Simon Property Group, owner of the mall. The new facility set to open Monday, Oct. 22, is a extension of the existing Phoenix High School, also in Lawrenceville.
Both spaces are open campuses designed to serve students who are committed to finishing their education but need additional support or are interested in working while they go to school. Although any Gwinnett student can attend Phoenix, many at the school have fallen behind in their credits, dropped out or have experienced circumstances that have hindered their educational progress.
The main campus serves more than 500 full-time students and many part-time students working to get back on track. The mall school has a current enrollment of 95.
The Simon Youth Foundation has a 20-year history of partnering with public school districts across the country to form alternative high schools that serve students who struggle to succeed in a tradition classroom environment. While the Sugarloaf Mills program is the first in Georgia, the foundation has 35 academies in 15 states.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will be bringing readers a full story on this new-to-Atlanta blend of education and retail spaces in the Sunday paper.
Dedication ceremony
Phoenix High School at Sugarloaf Mills ribbon-cutting.
When: 1 p.m. Thursday
Where: 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway Suite 101A, (Mall entrance 6, turn left for the school)
Information: phoenixhs.org
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