Pitbull: Fights for Education with SLAM Charter School
Pitbull, a Cuban-born platinum rapper who has based his music career in Miami is using his star talents for a good cause. Known for hit songs such as “Give Me Anything” and “Feeling This Moment,” the 32-year-old combined the spirit of the two song titles with the official opening of the new charter middle and high school Sports Leadership and Management (SLAM), which he helped build in the neighborhood he grew up, Little Havana in Miami.
“There’s no way that you can tackle any obstacle or any issue around the world if you’re not educated,” Pitbull (AKA Armando Christian Pérez) told the Washington Post. “My mother always told me that the biggest diseases in the world, the most dangerous, were ignorance and greed. That’s why we have to educate. That’s why I fight for it. That’s what I feel is the real revolution.”
Non-profit Mater Academy and Academia, which is a national charter school management company, will oversee the SLAM charter school.
“Here at SLAM we are excited about the 2013-14 school year. We have an incredible team of experienced, and dedicated, teachers on board,” said SLAM charter school’s principal Alex Tamargo. “We also have partners – from national sports teams – like the Florida Marlins – to broadcast media that will enhance our curriculum and provide valuable opportunities to SLAM students, and our facility with technology-rich classrooms, a broadcast studio, science labs and a roof-top recreation area is a dream come true.”