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An education program founded by rapper Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and record executive Jimmy Iovine and focused on entrepreneurship, technology, and design is coming to two Denver schools next fall, the school district announced Thursday.
“You know how Dre said ‘let me welcome everybody…’?” Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said in a statement. “Well, this partnership welcomes our students into a whole new world of creativity, entrepreneurship, and future-ready learning.”
Manual High School and Denver School of the Arts will each host an Iovine and Young Center for Innovation. Students at the two schools will be able to take classes that blend “design, technology, business, and the arts,” the district said.
The programming will start with ninth graders in the fall of 2026, the district said. Denver School of the Arts will also pilot classes with middle school students. Melissa Boyd, an executive director of secondary schools with DPS, said the courses have names like Rapid Prototyping and Disruptive Innovation and are like nothing she’s ever seen.
“We look forward to working with Denver Public Schools to unlock the superpowers of these students,” said Iovine in a statement. “Together, we’ll empower young people — especially those from underrepresented communities — to think differently, dream bigger, and lead the next wave of innovation.”
Iovine and Young also cofounded the company that made Beats headphones.
Manual High is a district-run school open to all students. About 95% of students at Manual High are students of color. Denver School of the Arts is also district-run but admission is based on an audition. About 38% of students at Denver School of the Arts are students of color.
The Iovine and Young programming started at the University of Southern California in 2013. It has since expanded to high schools, including a standalone school in Los Angeles and a program at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta.
Denver’s programming will be paid for through philanthropy, the district said, with the Denver Public Schools Foundation taking the lead on fundraising.
Melanie Asmar is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Colorado. Contact Melanie at masmar@chalkbeat.org.
