Dr. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of DPSCD, recently announced to the faculty, parents, students and community that CMA will relocate to the campus at Ludington Middle School, 19501 Berg Road in Detroit.
The move is long overdue and expected as the growth of CMA continues to soar. Currently, CMA houses 550 students and 45 faculty and staff members.
The improved school will offer a wealth of amenities: central air, additional classroom space, athletic fields and a commitment from the district to upgrade and add many new features that support our training and teaching of media arts.
CMA students have expressed their feelings and doubts about the move to the new building. Many have shared that they will not have transportation back and forth to the Ludington location. But Vitti said transportation services will be offered from the current building to the new one.
CMA will also become a new test in school where students are required to pass the admissions exam to get in. Students who are currently enrolled at CMA will be grandfathered into the new building, which becomes CMA’s home this fall.
“I feel like this is better for us and the school needs to expand because this area is so small and we will have enough room for activities such as ROTC,” said sophomore Jayla Rodgers.
New people are very curious about the new opportunities open to the students, and what the new location will bring for the students and staff.
Math teacher Lauren Bayles said: “I feel that the move to a new location can be positive and a good thing for CMA if the adjustments and improvements that are to be made at the new location are made to accommodate high school students and the high school program, if the accommodations can not be made I think it may be better not to move until they are made, such as science classes made for high school students, and the gym made for older children.”
Other staff and students share the same concern. Concerns noted were: the science classes aren't going to be able to accommodate older high school students to be able to learn to the best of their ability. The gym isn't big enough to house a basketball game, so of course most students are concerned about where the games will be held.
On Jan. 17, board member Angelique Peterson-Mayberry spoke with some students about the move.
Peterson-Mayberry said that they are trying to adjust all the major things they see as a constraint of not being able to move, like updating science classrooms to be able to teach high school students and a bigger gym. But until the gym can be rebuilt, CMA games will be played at the current location.
