Meet Raj Solanki | Principal

We had the good fortune of connecting with Raj Solanki and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raj, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Community Prep School (CPS) strives to re-engage students who have struggled in traditional education. Often, our students have tried to attend traditional high schools and found that those schools did not work for them. Education is one of those things that may not be thought about much if one is not a parent or educator, but, I believe, every school and every student is a concern of the entire community because what happens in every school affects the quality of citizenry we experience in our communities.

The students at CPS are often ones who might become a statistic if they don’t find us. It’s estimated that high school dropouts commit 75% of the crime in the US, not to mention their reduced earning potential. We aim to reduce the number of dropouts in the Colorado Springs area by providing a different approach to high school that focuses on building strong relationships, providing self-paced classes, social-emotional and character education, outdoor education, community interaction, and restorative practices.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Public education is a wild world. We are working in a system that was designed to train factory workers for the world of the early 20th century when one needed the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. Now, our industries and communities need a different kind of citizen and employee; one who is: an effective communicator and collaborator, a creative thinker, and a skilled problem-solver. Likewise, the studies on ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) indicate that many of us have childhood trauma that affects everything from our physical health to our employability.

Schools need to be trauma-informed and focused on developing skills instead of instilling specific information. At CPS, we aim to meet every student as an individual, help them overcome the barriers to their success and imagine a life they would love, then make a plan to get there.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Nothing beats the outdoors in Colorado. Minutes from downtown Colorado Springs, on the way to Manitou Springs is Red Rock Open Space. Supposedly, from what I’ve been told, the quarry one can find if they hike down the main path at Red Rock Open Space is the source of the red bricks that make up our building at CPS. It was originally built in 1886 as Garfield Elementary.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We owe a lot of our success to the dedicated staff at CPS, the community partners we work with, all those who have served in staff or board capacities in the past, and the Colorado Springs District 11 who has been our charter authorizer for over 25 years.

Website: communityprepschool.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communityprepschool