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“We don’t want all our students to become architects. More and more studies are showing the measurable, positive impact of design on people’s social, physical and mental health. We’d like them to leave CHAD with an appreciation for how design can improve their lives and the lives of others.”

Tony Bracali, AIA
Principal, Anthony Bracali ARCHitecture
CHAD Board Member

Academic Strength + Design Preparation

Academic:

CHAD teachers strive to create dynamic, student-centered classrooms in which democratic principles thrive. Our fluid curriculum is authentic: it reflects the real world, responds to our students’ interests and lives, and prepares them to be active, life-long learners. Our teaching is shaped by varied and valid assessments. We ask students to transform problems into possibilities. Assessments are used to inform student self-reflection and teacher instruction. Through differentiated instruction, each child is both nurtured and challenged to continually reach for and expand his or her own potential. We enrich students’ intellectual growth through process and skill-oriented learning. Students are asked to be accountable for the quality and integrity of their academic endeavors. We demand active participation, clear expression, sophisticated thinking, and high-level work from the members of our community.

Design:

CHAD emphasizes the use of the design process across the curriculum as a vehicle for creative and analytical thinking. CHAD’s program provides students with the opportunity to understand the design process through creative and disciplined exploration. Important to this process are studio activities that involve structured investigation, self-reflection, critique, aesthetics, historical context, and multiculturalism. CHAD builds the confidence needed to explore problems, take risks, and turn challenges into numerous possibilities. Students learn to design in response to both the user and the environment.

Paul Musumba

By Paul Musumba

Paul Musumba has been an organic chemistry instructor for CHAD Phila since December of 2017. Prior to his stint at CHAD, he was a chemistry teacher at Delaware Valley Charter High School in Philadelphia. He received a B.S. in Biology and Organic Chemistry from Drexel University in 2010, and a masters degree in Chemistry and Computer Science with Teaching, Organic and computational Chemistry from Temple University in 2016. You can read more about Paul's experience and publications on his LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-musumba-53194b14/

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