Technically Philly » Science Leadership Academy

Friday Q&A: Chris Lehmann, Science Leadership Academy

Sean Blanda — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:00:10 +0000

SLA principal Chris Lehmannn speaks at TEDxNYED in March 2010

If you ask Chris Lehmann how he became the principal of the Science Leadership Academy, he’ll just laugh.

“That’s a loooong and complicated story,” he says.

The Philly-native has been the only principal in the SLA’s four-year history and has been an unabashed cheerleader for innovation in our nation’s education system, speaking at TEDxNYED, Ignite Philly and, most recently, the Supernova Hub conference last month about the subject.

The Science Leadership Academy, located near Logan Square, is a partnership between The Franklin Institute and the School District of Philadelphia that focuses primarily on science and technology. At SLA, every student receives a laptop and the school encourages “inquiry-based learning” that eschews tests for projects and collaboration.

When we caught up with Lehmann he was busy preparing for the upcoming school year and anxious to see how the first graduating class of the SLA fared in its first college semester. Below we ask him what’s the one word he reads everyday for inspiration and why innovating at a school is harder than at a startup.

StartupCorps helps city youth launch restaurant, record label

Mary Mazzoni — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:30:23 +0000

We already know that Philly is a hot spot for new startups, but we may see a whole lot more entrepreneurial action in the coming years, thanks to StartupCorps, an emerging youth entrepreneurship program.

Finishing its first academic year in June, StartupCorps has given away $3,500 in startup capital to Science Leadership Academy students, says founder Christian Kunkel.

Kunkel, originally from Harrisburg, has always had Philly in his blood, and when he dreamed up the idea for StartupCorps, he knew just where to take it.

“I’ve always been a Philly fan, and I moved to the area with the explicit intent of executing StartupCorps,” Kunkel says. “Historically there have been so many problems in the Philadelphia education system. Now they actually have a lot of innovative things going on, and there is a lot of flexibility to grow the program.”

Science Leadership Academy: A new model for schools

Jared Pass — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:10 +0000

Students walk down the hallway in between classes at the Science Leadership Academy.

In partnership with Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab, the university’s capstone journalism class, students Chelsea Leposa and Jared Pass will cover neighborhood technology issues for Technically Philly and Philadelphia Neighborhoods through May.

At the Science Leadership Academy the students are treated like adults, says junior Cody Nichols.

Built in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia and the Franklin Institute, the Science Leadership Academy (SLA) is a new student-oriented, project-based program. Put away your No. 2 pencil at SLA, there are no standardized tests aside from the state required PSSAs.

Students work closely together and with teachers to create a variety of projects. Student projects even contribute to the school’s daily activities. SLA’s help desk, for instance, is one of the largest student projects, says Chris Alfano, tehe school’s system administrator and computer support specialist.

“We have about 12 students who are assigned to come here, and they pretty much take care of all the school’s repair needs,” Alfano says. All 10th and 11th graders at SLA are required to have an internship that meets once a week.