Poder Academy Holds Grand Opening Friday

Officials cut the ribbon on Cheyenne's first public charter school, the Poder Academy on Friday. The Poder Academy is actually in it's second year, after spending their first year in a wing at Johnson Junior High, this year they moved to the former Triumph High School building on Morrie Avenue.

Marcos Martinez, CEO of the Poder Academy, says the goal of the school is To prepare students for college and beyond, through rigorous academic and athletic programs.  He says the school has a longer day from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. There is also extra help after school, on weekends and during brakes. In fact the students have already been in school for several weeks, while Laramie School District #1 students don't start school until next week.

Martinez says the students also participate in tennis and chess, which he says help them develop problem-solving skills. He says research has shown that tennis and chess have a positive correlation to academic success, and help promote healthy lifestyles well into adulthood