Ashlei Miller, principal of Carmen Middle and High School of Science and Technology: Northwest Campus, sees great possibilities related to her school’s move to the historic Harambee neighborhood.
The charter school will open next school year at the former HOPE Christian High School building, 3215 N. Martin Luther King Drive.
“This move allows us to continue providing a supportive, high-quality learning environment while deepening our connection to a community rich in history, culture and opportunity,” Miller said. “We’re excited about what this means for our students, not just academically, but as members of a broader, vibrant community.”
Miller said she envisions the school serving Black business owners in the area and contributing to the neighborhood in other ways through its mission.
The school will complete this school year in its current building, located at 5496 N. 72nd St., and move to the new building in July, Carmen Schools Chief Executive Officer Aaron Lippman said.
The move was made after MPS voted in November to stop authorizing Carmen as a charter school and end its lease at the 72nd Street building in 2027.
New opportunities for partnerships
Antonia Redic, middle school assistant principal at Carmen Northwest and a Milwaukee native who lives near the new campus, is familiar with the resources that will become available for students there.
“There’s a public library down the street, so I’m excited to partner with them to provide extended opportunities for our students and families,” she said.
She was referring to the recently renovated Martin Luther King Branch, located at 2901 N. King Drive.
Redic said the new building is also closer to downtown and other areas where students already participate in internships. For example, she said, one student interns at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, 401 W. North Ave.
Carmen will offer new pathways for graduation next year, including an entrepreneurship pathway, Miller said. Miller said she envisions students partnering with businesses on King Drive and the surrounding neighborhoods, and succeeding in the entrepreneurship pathway.
Upgraded facilities
The current Carmen Northwest building was built in 1959 to house the former John Muir Junior High School and doesn’t have air conditioning.
The new building in Harambee, built in 2001 and expanded in 2005, has central air conditioning, a newer gym, and other more modern facilities.
“We needed a quality gym because that’s a really big component of our culture at Northwest,” Lippman said.
Carmen Northwest to charter through UWM
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, or UWM, will serve as Carmen Northwest’s new charter authorizer.
Redic said the school already collaborates with UWM through Carmen’s College and Career department. She said over 20 students were accepted into UWM, and the university supports incoming students with a senior sign day.
“It’s already a great partnership between Carmen Northwest and UWM,” she said. “I just think this charter is going to make it even stronger.”
Lippman said UWM sets a high performance bar for charter schools, while giving schools like Carmen the freedom to meet the bar in a variety of ways.
“I think there’s an opportunity for us to build systems and structures within our organization to better meet kids’ needs,” he said. “It’s a different kind of experience.”
Addressing transportation challenges
The new location in Harambee is about six miles from the old campus, which means administration is figuring out travel logistics for the move.
About 60% of students at Carmen Northwest live within a mile of the campus. Lippman said they tried to stay near the current location, but available options like office parks and strip malls weren’t feasible.
Lippman said the school has never traditionally offered transportation but is currently working with vendors to get transit options in the works.
“We anticipate transportation for some students, we won’t be able to offer it for all,” Lippman said. “We really want to make sure we are true to our promise for current students that they continue to be able to engage at Carmen Northwest even if it’s far from home.”
Alex Klaus is the education solutions reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
