Orange County News

Creating Community Change With TK-3rd Campus Ribbon Cutting

Creating Community Change With TK-3rd Campus Ribbon Cutting

Posted by Rachel Foy on September 30, 2022 in General News



Santa Ana, Calif. —
On Sept. 30, the faculty and students of Scholarship Prep Public School celebrated the grand opening of their new TK through 3rd-grade campus with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located at 1821 N. Grand Avenue in Santa Ana and less than two miles from its flagship campus, the 19,000-square-foot facility offers bright and spacious classrooms and is Scholarship Prep’s first ground-up build. The school is currently enrolling students in grades TK-8 for the 2022-23 school year. Learn more about enrolling.

After receiving a seven-year renewal from the Orange County Department of Education in 2020, Scholarship Prep remains committed to seeing all students succeed and provides free comprehensive, wraparound services to support its diverse foster and homeless youth population in achieving their unlimited potential. With over 20% of Scholarship Prep’s current student population identified as homeless or foster youth, this expansion will help in its continued mission to Create Community Change.

With consideration of the school’s project-based learning academic program, these 16 large classrooms accommodate flexible seating for 400 students, creating space for students to collaborate, research, problem-solve, and present their work while addressing essential questions and real-world problems.

A focal point of this beautiful new facility is a mural that greets students each morning upon arrival. Created by artist Brian Peterson, the mural represents key figures of color who positively contributed to society in a myriad of ways, including civil service, social justice, civil rights, arts, and athletics. It serves to both educate and inspire students.


Executive Director and Co-Founder Jason Watts shares, “It is an especially exciting time for Scholarship Prep, as our brand new, state-of-the-art campus provides a unique opportunity for TK-3rd grade students throughout Orange County. We have designed a space that invites and excites students to learn and supports their social and emotional well-being. When you create an environment that is both nurturing and visually stimulating, there’s no limit to the levels of achievement students can attain if you accompany that with a caring, loving staff and excellent teaching. We hope it will be a beacon for educational excellence for many generations.”

Scholarship Prep welcomed many special guests at the Friday event and extended thanks to the many people and partnerships that made this project possible:


The Orange County Board of Education. WIth special thanks to Trustee Mari Barke and the board’s newest member, Jorge Valdez, along with staff member Felipe Vazquez who were in attendance at Friday's ceremony.

Santa Ana City Council Member David Penaloza

Former Santa Ana City Council Member and former Member of the California Assembly Jose Solorio

Scholarship Prep Board Members John Ing, Maribel Toan, and Leandro Ortero

Key design and building team members, including Blackwell Development, represented by Jerry Lopez, Esteban Armenta, and Erik Mendoza

Red Hook Capital Partners, represented by Enrique Diaz and Sarineh Minasian

Stifel, represented by Guillermo Garcia and Nate Keninitz

The architect team, Studio W

Many Scholarship Prep team members have played key roles in this entire project, special recognition went out to Chief Growth Officer, Marisa Quintanar, and our Facilities Coordinator, Jackie Moreno

Photos by: Erin J. Saldana