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Dr. DRE to Build State-of-the-Art Performing Arts Center as Part of High School

  • 06/15/17

Compton, Calif. — Compton Unified School District announced today that Dr. Dre will be personally committing $10 million to help fund the building of a performing arts center as part of the new Compton High School.

The center will offer students state-of-the-art equipment and technology needed to advance their creative pursuits including digital media production capabilities and a 1,200-seat theater. The Performing Arts Center will also be a resource for the Compton community at large. Dre will be directly involved in raising the remaining funds needed to complete the center which is expected to break ground by 2020.

“My goal is to provide kids with the kind of tools and learning they deserve. The performing arts center will be a place for young people to be creative in a way that will help further their education and positively define their future," said Dr. Dre.

“The support that Dre has shown to Compton over the years is unwavering and we are so excited that we will now be home to one of the greatest performing arts centers in the country,” said the Honorable Satra Zurita, President of the Compton Unified School District’s Governing Board of Trustees.

"The Compton Unified School District is pleased to partner with Dr. Dre to provide a state of the art performing arts complex for students and members of the community. We are looking forward to blending both his vision and that of the District to provide opportunities for individuals to both explore and apply their creativity in the arts," said Darin Brawley, Superintendent of the Compton Unified School District.

"The Compton Unified School District is building what will be the most modern high school complex ever provided to public school students. This extraordinarily ambitious project will be a beacon for transformational change in Compton – giving our community an unparalleled access to opportunity and achievement. Dr. Dre has stepped up and partnered with the school district to make this vision a reality. A true act of giving back to the community in a way that will directly impact the ever-resilient efforts of our students to rise-up and succeed. A true act of leading the way and standing as an example to others of how never to forget where you came from," said Micah Ali, the Vice Chairman of the Compton Unified School District’s Board of Education.

The board selected the architecture firm, DLR Group, to design the new campus, and the new performing arts center.

“The Compton community has been setting trends in the music industry for years, and has a long-established legacy in athletics. To further build upon this legacy, the District sought to set the standard with an educational campus of the future, including a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center that will be used by the entire community,” said DLR Group Principal Brett Hobza, AIA, LEED AP. “Our primary goal is to create an inspirational place to elevate learning opportunities for all students by designing spaces that support project-based learning, student exploration, and general instruction. Students won’t want to leave!”

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