Grammy-winning producer, rapper and singer Pharrell Williams plans to open a group of small private schools for students from low-income families in Norfolk, VA.
The first school will launch this fall in Ghent, a historic neighborhood in Norfolk. It will target grades three through five.
“If the system is fixed and unfair, then it needs to be broken,” Williams said in a news release. “We don’t want lockstep learning where so many kids fall behind; we want bespoke learning designed for each child, where the things that make a child different are the same things that will make a child rise up and take flight.”
Named Yellowhab – yellow after Williams’ nonprofit organization and “hab,” after the name of the Mars habitat in the movie “The Martian,” the schools will be tuition-free for at least the first year. Costs of attendance will be managed by charitable efforts.
Curriculum will focus on STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and math — like the non-profit’s summer programs have.
Families can apply online at www.teamyellow.org/yellowhab until July 1. Students will be selected through a lottery system. The new school will open Sept. 7.
This week’s Hot Sheet sources: LoveBScott.com, Complex.com, EW.com, TMZ.com, WashingtonPost.com
