Seattle Press on Line - Shopping for Answers at the Mall Academy

Teacher Ted

Shopping for Answers at the Mall Academy

By Ted Lockery

Jan 17, 2002 -- I don't usually spend much time reading the Seattle School District's employee newsletter, but the headline in this month's issue jumped out at me: "The Mall Academy, Seattle Schools' Newest Innovative High School Program, Opens at Northgate Mall."

There, on the front page, was a photograph of students, faculty, and administrators cutting the ribbon at the school's grand opening, as a nearby clothing store's bigger-than-life photograph of a bikini-clad model showed off the latest beach fashion.

Reading on, I learned that the Seattle Public Schools' Mall Academy is a partnership between the Seattle Public Schools and the Simon Youth Foundation--a non-profit branch of the Simon Properties Group, which owns the Northgate Mall and, according to its Web site, is "the largest publicly traded retail real estate investment trust in North America." Further investigation revealed that the Simon Youth Foundation has 16 mall schools in North America, all located in malls owned by the Simon Property Group.

I couldn't help but feel uneasy. A public high school in a private shopping mall? Didn't the School Board just pass a fairly comprehensive policy to "significantly restrict commercial advertising in public schools?" Is its reciprocal--placing a public school within a shopping mall--some sort of loophole?

The article in the newsletter assured me that the Mall Academy would provide courses of study that would be both rigorous and relevant, allowing students to develop career skills through internships with mall stores. Mall Academy students who wish to take college-level courses through Running Start could do so at nearby North Seattle Community College, the school's academic partner.

Arny Bereson, executive director of the Simon Youth Foundation, says the program will "provide students with the personalized attention they need to achieve academic success." It's hard to be critical of such a program, particularly when the student body consists mostly of "fifth-year seniors" who might otherwise drop out.

I later spoke with Dr. John German, principal of the Mall Academy, and was told that the school "is not providing a cheap labor force" to the Northgate Mall--that Mall Academy students don't sweep floors or stock shelves but, instead, work with management in such areas as merchandising and planning. He said that in some cases these internships have led to part-time jobs at stores such as The Foot Locker, but that such internships do not commit students to working for particular retailers.

I have sincere respect for the teachers and staff at the Mall Academy who, in Dr. German's words, "won't let students fail." Their commitment to reaching the hard-to-reach by whatever means necessary is noble. At the same time, we should take a critical look at the bigger picture, and raise some important questions.

Is there a conflict of interest in the largest real estate investment trusts in North America hosting public schools within the retail properties they own? Should we be suspicious about such partnering between shopping malls and public schools when school districts like ours argue that these mergers "will serve as a catalyst for partnerships between educators and employers and will benefit the mall, its stores, and the students it serves?" Are schools about preparing citizens for democracy, or about preparing employees for corporations?

More importantly, would questions such as these ever get asked in a Simon-partnered school?

Ted Lockery is a teacher at Nathan Hale High School. He can be contacted by e-mail at teacherted@seattlepress.com.

Reader Comments

Discuss this article in the forums!


Trevor Waldron	Apr 16, 2004	Seattle, Northgate	student
This is a response to Ted Lockery from a student I currently attend the Mall Academy at Northgate. I am a senior on track for graduation and I have had multiple jobs, all located outside of the northgate area. Our school focusses on getting students real jobs and making sure that they can get the education needed to obtain them. It is not your normal public school, we have a student body of sixty-eighty kids, and we are a running start program. As early as junior year students can earn credit for college at North Seattle Community College while completing high school courses. I have been at the Mall Academy for two years Ted, and I have yet to see any student close to being a 5th year senior. Why don't you take the time to visit our school, and see it for yourself. -Trevor Waldron


Anonymous	Apr 16, 2004	Seattle	student
"Fifth-year seniors?" YEAH RIGHT! Wouldn't that make the student about 23 years old? I am sure that no one attending The Mall Academy is older than 20 years old. I know that for sure because I am a former student and graduate of that school. I can understand how the school board passing a policy to band advertising in public schools and than having a public school in the mall is an oxymoron. The point of my comment is that you shouldn't veiw something so negativley that you know nothing about. Obviously you didn't do enough research on this topic or you would know that the teachers at the Mall Academy are some of the most dedicated individuals that I have ever met. I have very fond memories of my junior and senior year of highschool. I remember having math, humanities, science, a career studies course, Volunteer work, senior projects and more. I seem to remember learning about art, literature and human anatomy which all seem like relevent courses of study to me. I also think that you have no right to bad talk the Simon Youth fondation because you obviously don't know that they have a scholarship foundation for students with outstanding attendance and high G.P.A's. I personaly recieved a $3,ooo dollar scholarship check for the college of my choice from them. I feel more supported by the simon youth foundation than I ever did when I attended Nathan Hale. Maybe if I ever want to meet a fifth-year senior I will visit your school. -Anonymous