DeKalb Academy of Technology and Environment is a charter school located at 1492 Kelton Drive in Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States. The school has about 800 students in kindergarten through eighth grades. In October 2008, Kathy Cox recognized the school as a top 10 school in Georgia for math and science. The school has the vision to be recognized as one of the top 10 charter schools in the nation. DATE was named by the Know Magazine Education Guide as being Metro Atlanta's Best Public School for 8th Grade in DeKalb County. DATE's 8th grade class ranked #1 in Reading and #9 in math on the GCRCT. DeKalb Academy of Technology and Environment Elementary and Middle Charter Schools was featured in the book The Places and Faces of DeKalb County Georgia, highlighting its academic success, environmental and technology focus, and parental participation. DATE was selected to have a playground built by KABOOM and sponsored by Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. DATE students outperformed elementary and middle school students collectively in the DeKalb County School District and State Technology Fair. The school is accredited by AdvancED.
Vision
The school's vision is to become one of the top 10 charter schools in the nation.
Mission
The mission of the DeKalb Academy of Technology and Environment, Inc. is to educate a student population about the essential need to consider environmental ramifications of technology and other business decisions, via a hands-on, community-oriented instructional curriculum.
Academics
The mission of the school is to give its students a background in technology and study of the environment by engaging in environmental projects. Technology supports all core learning areas. The specials area classes that all students participate in are technology, band, art, French, health, music, environmental science, and physical education. The school has a special Discovery Gifted Program for those who have been identified as gifted by DeKalb County School District and Georgia Department of Education standards. The school band consists of three levels, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The band is for the 5th-8th grades. The band takes part in many activities like parades, performances, and competitions. They took second place in a regional band competition on April 25, 2009. Specialized academic programs include the full implementation of all Common Core Standards with the addition of FOSS science and Everyday Mathematics curriculums.
Clubs, organizations, and extracurricular activities
The school grounds suggest the school's connection with environmental education is evident. Features include large vegetable gardens, shade garden, flower and herb garden, hydroponics and aquaponics learning stations, and a chicken coop. Education includes plants, animals, and living things. The setting of the school and its grounds are not the traditional school setting. Each class has the responsibility of participating in recycling, gardening, and six-week environmental themes. To link with technology, every classroom has an electronic Interwrite smart board with student response systems. There are computers and iMacs in every classroom. Classroom sets of Google Chrome Books and Lenovos are available for students and teachers.
