Design 39 Campus to welcome first eighth graders

Design 39 Campus will reach a milestone on Tuesday when it welcomes its inaugural eighth grade class.

Poway Unified School District’s only transitional kindergarten-to-eighth grade campus, located in Del Sur, will have around 1,150 students, said Principal Joe Erpelding. It can accommodate up to 1,400 students, which will happen after Del Sur is built out.

The eighth grade class will have around 115 students. Most have been at Design 39 since it opened two years ago, he said.

Design 39 Campus is set up to educate students in a different manner than Poway Unified’s other 38 campuses. Because of its different approach to education it is a school of choice for students within certain 4S Ranch and Del Sur areas based upon fees those homeowners paid. Students are admitted via lottery. The biggest waiting lists are for 4S Ranch students assigned to Monterey Ridge and Stone Ranch elementaries, Erpelding said.

Everything is a bit different at Design 39, starting with the names of things. Classrooms are called “learning spaces,” the administration building is the “welcome center” and library is “the loft.” Teachers are called “learning experience designers” while Erpelding — who does not have a traditional principal’s office — said he refers to himself as the “chief door opener.”

“I look for opportunities for people to be innovative,” he said. “I am focused on students getting life ready, not just going to school to get a job, but to elevate humanity. To think of others besides themselves. (To learn about) cultures and celebrate our unique differences.”

He said the non-traditional terminology reflects the campus’ shift from school centric education — where a teacher delivers information to students — to learner-centered education — where learning is not bound by time or space. Students are encouraged to explore their creativity and curiosity while learning skills such as reading and writing.

“(Traditional) schools kill curiosity,” he said, adding Design 39 does not believe in limiting a student’s learning based on grade level. For example, if a fifth grader is ready for seventh grade math, the student can study that subject with older students. “There are no false glass ceilings, where first graders only do first grade work,” he said.

Older students are also encouraged to mentor younger students. “It’s an opportunity for students to become teachers themselves, because we’re all teachers,” he said.

Erpelding said standardized tests evaluate how well students retain information, but do not evaluate if students can connect what they have learned with the world. Design 39 is striving for them to not only be college and career ready, but also life ready. “Having an aptitude for empathy is foundational to us,” he said.

Since this educational environment is different from what they’ll likely encounter in the future, Erpelding said Design 39 is working with Del Norte’s counseling and academic departments to help the eighth graders prepare for their transition to high school.

“Our students excel (in their studies),” he said. “We’re teaching them Common Core (material) from the same math books (for example), but with a different approach. It’s a more inquiry-based learning model where they see themselves as dynamic participants.”

He said students are encouraged to learn from each other, be future focused and flexible so they can learn, unlearn and relearn skills so they are adaptable in their future careers.

Erpelding succeeded founding Principal Sonya Wrisley, who retired in January. There will be 17 new teachers when school starts and everyone — from faculty to parents — will focus on the theme of “connecting.”

The school’s non-traditional approach has not been a good fit for everyone and some students have left, primarily because their parents wanted more proof that their children were learning, he said. To better address that concern — since students do not bring home typical homework packets — students this year will take photos of their work, which will be sent to their parents so they can see how their children are doing academically.

Erpelding started his career as a Poway Unified teacher before leaving in 2003 to become a vice principal in the San Diego Unified School District. He returned to PUSD in 2008 to be principal at Tierra Bonita Elementary. As an Apple Distinguished School, Tierra Bonita also took a different approach to education, one that acknowledged that students learn differently and need a more personalized approach instead of one-size-fits-all, he said.

Erpelding, who grew up in San Diego, credited his wife, Kim, a teacher at Turtleback Elementary, for encouraging him to pursue an education career. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at San Diego State University and was studying marriage and family counseling in grad school when she suggested he get a teaching credential instead. He earned his master’s in educational administration from National University and additional credentials at SDSU.

The couple lives in 4S Ranch and has two teenage sons.