New Powel/SLAMS school building (photo from RogersArchitects.com)

A new public school building opened this morning in the Powelton Village neighborhood, as the 2021-2022 academic year begins and students return to full-time in-person learning for the first time since March 2020.

The new building, located at 3610 Warren St., houses the Samuel Powel Elementary School and the Science Leadership Academy Middle School (SLAMS). The 87,000-square-foot, two-story building is a joint project by Drexel University and developer Wexford Science and Technology.

To celebrate the opening of the new school building and the start of the new school year, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and School District Superintendent William R. Hite stopped by the school this morning. They greeted students and families and participated in the Opening Bell ceremony.

This is great news for elementary and middle school students and their families in Powelton Village, but unfortunately, not all public school buildings in West Philly were able to re-open for in-person learning this morning. Middle school and high school students attending Science Leadership Academy (SLA) at Beeber are starting the 2021-2022 academic year by continuing virtual learning. The school has temporarily reopened virtually as the building is undergoing some improvements, according to Monday’s announcement by the School District.

Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 8, students in grades nine through 12 will return to SLA Beeber for in-person learning, but students in grades five through eight will relocate to attend in-person learning at the former Powel School location (301 N. 36th Street) for the remainder of the school year as the remaining improvements are completed “with safety and cleaning protocols in place,” according to the announcement.