Currently located at Shepherd Mall
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/astecwiki1.jpg
Information & Latest News
1/10/15: Plans move forward for ambitious ASTEC Charter School campus (http://www.okctalk.com/content/98-plans-move-forward.html)

The Advanced Science and Technology Education Charter (ASTEC) Schools became Oklahoma’s first start-up charter school in 2000, founded by Dr. Freda Deskin. The school began with just 100 middle school students and quickly grew to include a high school with a combined enrollment of 750 students, plus a “waiting” list of several hundred.

ASTEC is a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (S.T.E.A.M.) schools where students have technology as a core subject every day in engaging classrooms where the liberal arts are fully integrated. In addition to these core subjects, ASTEC values character, manners, proper etiquette, social and cultural awareness, a strong work ethic and entrepreneurship.

All students who enter ASTEC Middle School are required to take 9-weeks of character education, manners and etiquette. The administration, faculty and staff reinforce these positive behaviors throughout the school year. The results of this practice are profound and is one of the first things visitors notice: well-behaved, polite and respectful students.

As a health and wellness conscience school, ASTEC Charter Schools, with sponsorship from Mr. Harold Hamm and Continental Resources, became the first school in Oklahoma and the Midwest to become one of Dr. and Mrs. Mehmet Oz’s HeathCorps schools.

Links
ASTEC, Inc. | Advanced Science and Technology Education Center (http://www.asteccharterschools.com/)

Gallery






http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/astecnew1.jpg

I went to a week-long space camp sponsored by ASTEC in the summer of 1998, before entering the third grade. It was thoroughly enjoyable and a great memory :-)

I thought the school was in Shepherd Mall though (at least then), because that's where the camp was held.

I have a friend who graduated from ASTEC. It is located in the mall on 23rd street (the name is escaping me right now -- Shepherd?)

Okay, found lots more about this school and project.

ASTEC, Inc. | Advanced Science and Technology Education Center (http://www.asteccharterschools.com/)


The Advanced Science and Technology Education Charter (ASTEC) Schools became Oklahoma’s first start-up charter school in 2000, founded by Dr. Freda Deskin. The school began with just 100 middle school students and quickly grew to include a high school with a combined enrollment of 750 students, plus a “waiting” list of several hundred.
ASTEC is a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (S.T.E.A.M.) schools where students have technology as a core subject every day in engaging classrooms where the liberal arts are fully integrated. In addition to these core subjects, ASTEC values character, manners, proper etiquette, social and cultural awareness, a strong work ethic and entrepreneurship.
All students who enter ASTEC Middle School are required to take 9-weeks of character education, manners and etiquette. The administration, faculty and staff reinforce these positive behaviors throughout the school year. The results of this practice are profound and is one of the first things visitors notice: well-behaved, polite and respectful students.
As a health and wellness conscience school, ASTEC Charter Schools, with sponsorship from Mr. Harold Hamm and Continental Resources, became the first school in Oklahoma and the Midwest to become one of Dr. and Mrs. Mehmet Oz’s HeathCorps schools.

I went to a week-long space camp sponsored by ASTEC in the summer of 1998, before entering the third grade.

same here... but in the summer before the 6th grade. in 1989. at that time, the group was housed in the cate center at ou. -M

I believe that they are in Shepherd Mall in the former TG&Y location. With all the problems at the mall it may be time for the next step.

Wow. Really impressive looking buidings in those renderings.

I went to a week-long space camp sponsored by ASTEC in the summer of 1998, before entering the third grade.


same here... but in the summer before the 6th grade. in 1989. at that time, the group was housed in the cate center at ou. -M

6th grade in '89 ... 3rd grade in '98... jeez, you guys are so young, sigh.
:)

Man, seems like that would have been a natural for the campus of the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (https://www.ossm.edu/). I know OSSM has a massive amount of land, and is not filling it up as quickly as they had hoped. I would guess it will take generations if it ever happens. Seems they could have spared a few acres for this, while furthering their mission.

6th grade in '89 ... 3rd grade in '98... jeez, you guys are so young, sigh.
:)

For me, 3rd grade was in '03 & 6th grade was in '06.

Man, seems like that would have been a natural for the campus of the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (https://www.ossm.edu/). I know OSSM has a massive amount of land, and is not filling it up as quickly as they had hoped. I would guess it will take generations if it ever happens. Seems they could have spared a few acres for this, while furthering their mission.

That would've been cool. I don't understand the location they've chosen at all. Not in a downtown vs. suburbs sense, but that location can be a little...seedy. Seems like yours would have been a much better plan.

That lunchroom looks like a Mad Men ad.

Thread title needs to be changed from Aerospace to Advanced STEC.

I'm glad the students will get to enjoy a state of the art building. Anything is better than that dump they have now.

Very impressive renderings, and a deserving school. This location is a bad idea though... I wish they'd build this in a less dangerous and more accessible area of town.

Maybe something like this is needed to spruce up the area...

Maybe something like this is needed to spruce up the area...

There are areas that you spruce up, and then areas that you don't. The problem with OKC's redevelopment is a lack of concerted planning. I thought it was universally understood that this area between Pershing and NW 10th would be where all homeless services are relocated.

Now why build this in the middle of it all? You identify a handful of neighborhoods and areas to focus on by targeting your investments strategically so that you can assure success. These are conflicting influences. I don't think ASTEC specializes in at-risk students in the same way that the Emerson school does??

We need better planning. Putting this on Lincoln or anywhere else would have been a boon to all. This reminds me of the OK Contemporary facility being planned on N. Broadway and how we're also not really serious about having an "Arts District" west of the CBD.

The location is such an abomination. This is about the worst dreggs neighborhood in OKC. Uncle Dad and Aunt Mom aka keeping it in the family, if you read between the lines. I wish ASTEC luck but based upon my associations with management and staff this is probably beyond their comprehension.

The location is such an abomination. This is about the worst dreggs neighborhood in OKC. Uncle Dad and Aunt Mom aka keeping it in the family, if you read between the lines. I wish ASTEC luck but based upon my associations with management and staff this is probably beyond their comprehension.

I somewhat disagree. Knowing this school is being built might make me take a second look at Miller/Youngs-Englewood. I am currently house-hunting and these are neighborhoods I have written off because of the school situation. Having ASTEC a quarter-mile away could change the equation.

The problem with that is that NW 10th is like Great Wall of China

NW 10th is definitely not a street built with character. I think the location is a good location "access wise" and that is why they chose it. Also probably because the property was fairly cheaper than places you're looking at. Maybe they were thinking of the inward-outward strategy. Grow it like a flower in bloom. Have a nice school and watch the neighborhood grow from the darkside to the right side. Who knows.

As for the homeless, I see that action closer to Penn than this which is nearly right down the middle and closer to the State Fairgrounds than the Salvation Army's new diggs is.

I don't know if they would have to pay for land at all if they worked a collaborative deal with OSSM.

I don't know if they would have to pay for land at all if they worked a collaborative deal with OSSM.

Not my cup of tea. Seems you know more about it than I...

Westlawn Gardens aka Mulligan Flats is infested with low skilled...criminally induced unibrows who have family trees with no branches. Anyone who willingly moves into this area must either be ignorant of the area, asking for trouble, or simply lacks the good sense to care. Doctor Taco the neighborhood you mentioned is more of a lateral step and a step up of only about 2 sheets of paper high compared to here. I would build next to a toxic waste dump before I would move anywhere near this area.

ASTEC just had a big fund raiser last week. They are moving forward with paying the architect to complete full schematic design, as well they're about to issue an RFQ for program management and pre-construction services. That's essentially just bringing on a GC to help estimate the costs and validate the AE. This may be moving faster than anyone may have originally thought.

I went to space camp at ASTEC back in like 2001 haha.

nm

October 29th, 2013 - Greg Horton
Lesson plans

Charter school purchases 23 acres of land to build $35 million campus (http://www.okc.biz/oklahoma/article-7084-lesson-plans.html)

ASTEC Charter Schools will move to a new location for the fall term of 2016. Founded in 2000, Advanced Science & Technology Education Charter Schools is based on the ideas of its CEO, Freda Deskin, a career educator and education administrator. When Oklahoma passed charter school legislation, she decided to put her decades of experience into designing an ideal educational model.

bad idea...

bad idea...

Which part specifically?

bad idea...Why, this looks like a great facility?

bad idea...

Yes, Spartan, why don't you give us an inkling to your reasoning...

A campus like this would have been great next to new MAPS 3 Central Park...

Would have been even better had it shared a campus with the Oklahoma School for Science and Math (https://www.ossm.edu/), which sits on a massive campus that it can probably never hope to fill, based on how little has been built there over the past 20 years. With both of those schools sharing the same air some amazing collaborations could have taken place.

ASTEC's idea for having their own campus started 10+ years ago. In that time, they've looked at several sites from A to Z, and I believe at one point briefly considered the Journal Record building.

I think at the end of the day, it boiled down to land cost, coupled to some degree with the demographics of their student population.

They will soon be interviewing for a Program Manager Consultant to oversee the development of their campus.

Great project but it does seem like a big missed opportunity to have this apart of downtown somehow.

I wonder if the City ever got involved in trying to help them and at the same time fill a hole or two in one of the more ubran districts?

I agree about them co-locating with OSSM but I also like the idea of seeding other parts of the inner city and letting it spur additional development/residential construction.

This location could do wonders for the Miller/Las Vegas neighborhood property values. Right now there are beautiful, well-maintained historic homes in there but a lot of people are unhappy with the local OKCPS elementary.

The new location is roughly the same distance from those neighborhoods (but flipped) at the new location as it was at the old location, and similarly disconnected by major roads...

The new location is roughly the same distance from those neighborhoods (but flipped) at the new location as it was at the old location, and similarly disconnected by major roads...

Alright then.

Just sayin... I hope the new location is positive for the school, its students, and its surrounding neighborhoods...

Just sayin... I hope the new location is positive for the school, its students, and its surrounding neighborhoods...

Me too. We live about a mile and a half from this location and I hope will be a great influence to the surrounding neighborhood.

The location is okay it isn't as terrible as some people try and make it out to be. But I do think building this near the OSSM campus would have been a better idea. But maybe OSSM wouldn't have been okay with that.

Is this still happening?

The location is okay it isn't as terrible as some people try and make it out to be. But I do think building this near the OSSM campus would have been a better idea. But maybe OSSM wouldn't have been okay with that.

The location is better now than it will be. The point I have been making in this thread is that the city has a concerted overall plan to relocate ALL homeless services to this area. So why put a charter school here? Esp a school that should go in C2S (and build off of the downtown elementary) or somewhere with more neighborhood vitality.

The location is better now than it will be. The point I have been making in this thread is that the city has a concerted overall plan to relocate ALL homeless services to this area. So why put a charter school here? Esp a school that should go in C2S (and build off of the downtown elementary) or somewhere with more neighborhood vitality.This would be cool to urbanize it entirely and put it in the C2S area and create a mini-unversity there.

They bought the land last fall and set fall 2016 as the proposed opening date and are raising money, so all systems seem to be 'go'.

It would be a huge boost to their fund development initiative if they did a land swap with OCURA and moved this elsewhere.

anything new on this? I haven't been by but will make a quick stop on my way home today. Just curious if dirtwork has turned or if this has died.

It is still alive and kicking...

It is still alive and kicking...
awesome! I will drop by and take some pictures later today

awesome! I will drop by and take some pictures later today

Not in construction phase yet...

Not in construction phase yet...oh.... I see. Any idea when we will see dirt start to turn?

Again, can anyone explain why we are putting a very nice school for gifted children next to a consolidated homeless services campus?? This is what happens in a world without planning - which I guess would be OKC.

I'm guessing that someone felt it may have been a fairly centralized location for a school dominated by working class Hispanics.

C2S outreach must not be effectively reaching minorities then, OR (more likely) something about the way we have conducted revitalization in that area isn't making the Hispanic community feel welcome, which is really atrocious considering they're the only ones using the neighborhood right now.

Or they had secured land before C2S had made much progress on anything. But way to jump to a racist conclusion there.

Or they had secured land before C2S had made much progress on anything. But way to jump to a racist conclusion there.

Idiot

Nice racist jab, but you are the one suggesting it's okay for a largely Hispanic charter school to be relegated to non-ideal location, which I do not consider okay.

Name calling, sweet.

I happen to have a few folks at my church that attend ASTEC...they live in Choctaw and are White. Shock!

And if your concern is about the proximity to the concentration of the Hispanic population, this location is actually CLOSER than Shepard Mall (which is closer to the concentration of Asian population). It's close enough to the highway, that most of the trip can be taken by highway from the discussed C2S area, which decreases the time it takes to get there since you're not hitting stop lights every 1/2 mile like you would going to Shepard. I think you're looking for a problem where there isn't one.

Name calling, sweet.

I happen to have a few folks at my church that attend ASTEC...they live in Choctaw and are White. Shock!

And if your concern is about the proximity to the concentration of the Hispanic population, this location is actually CLOSER than Shepard Mall (which is closer to the concentration of Asian population). It's close enough to the highway, that most of the trip can be taken by highway from the discussed C2S area, which decreases the time it takes to get there since you're not hitting stop lights every 1/2 mile like you would going to Shepard. I think you're looking for a problem where there isn't one.

You just double down as the idiot you are (hopefully you do understand the implication of projecting "name calling" while calling me a racist to back up your race-ignorant diatribes defending status quo)

C2S will surely thrive as the cultural hub it needs to be if we locate community facilities at nearby highway exits in the vicinity.

I'm going to keep calling you out as the idiot you are until others take notice. Your illogic drags down virtually everything you seem to click on.

To be clear I'm not taking issue with the school, but pointing out a major problem that can only be resolved if they get the support they really need. This shouldn't be done without that level of support.