The students of E Prep welcome the opening of the Cavaliers Reading and Learning Center

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By Matthew K. Weiland

EVEN BEFORE THE RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY on Thursday at the Entrepreneurship Preparatory School, the students of E Prep quietly, studiously stole the show by merely showing how it's done. The sixth-grade class, the first class ever in this new space, charter members of this charter school devoted to innovation and enterprise, did something that young and old alike find hard to do. They sat quietly.

Well, fairly quietly, at least.

Long before Cavalier legend Campy Russell introduced two current Cavs who were there for the celebration, All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and first-round draft pick Shannon Brown, the students sat upright, waiting for the occasion to begin. Some sat with hands folded in laps, most neither fidgeting nor slouching, all comfortably talking among themselves without talking over one-another. They sat as students are expected to sit when waiting for someone to arrive, waiting for something to begin.

Then, when Mr. Emerson entered the room - Marshall Emerson III, the Head of E Prep - he quietly called for "Learning Positions" and the students sat up just a little straighter, an extra spritz of starch, how one is expected to meet guests. And it gradually became clear that one of the primary aspects of E Prep is that it's all about expectations. You're expected to act accordingly. You're expected to be prepared. You're expected to learn. You're expected to go to college and graduate. You're expected to succeed then to help others succeed.

NESTLED WITHIN CLEVELAND'S GLENVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD,
E Prep has become home to the Cavaliers fourth Reading & Learning Center, a technology lab and library that features 28 computers with 15" flat-screen monitors, donated by Sun Microsystems; a 77" front projection Smart Board, purchased by the Cavs, who also procured over 500 new books for the library, with the shelving, tables and chairs contributed by Wayside Furniture; and high-speed Internet access and infrastructure courtesy of OneCleveland, all set-up by Gary Mitchell, who donated his time.


Accentuating the Center are large photographs of the Wine and Gold: Eric Snow, head pressed against a basketball, the word "Self-Discipline" written across the bottom; LeBron James and Larry Hughes, the word "Respect" highlighting their shared emotions; the team helping Z to his feet, the picture punctuated with the word "Perseverance." Certainly it is the stuff of excitement and inspiration. Yet, it is also the foundation upon which dreams are built, the imagery of moments captured, of achievement and actualization and the epiphany of can-do. Of the realization that, "I can do it, too." Words and pictures and moments that resonate throughout a lifetime.

"We tell our students and our parents that this is the class of 2017," says Michael Cristal, Chairman of the Board for E Prep, who has worked with co-founder John Zitner in creating this incubator of education and cultivation. "When we first said that to parents, we could see some confused looks since the math didn't add up. But John noted that he wasn't talking about their high-school graduating class, but rather their college graduating class. We want our students thinking about college from the time they enter here and that there's an expectation that they'll attend a university and earn their degrees."

Toward that end, classroom doors throughout the school are decorated with the colors of teachers' alma maters: the Bowling Green Falcons, the Kent State Golden Flashes, the Ashland University Eagles. "All of our students sign a contract with their parents, teachers and Mr. Marshall regarding what's expected of them," Mr. Cristal continues, pointing toward a large wall in the main greeting area which will eventually become a gallery of those agreements with photographs of the students who signed them. "Ultimately, students will see their picture every day next to these contracts, a reminder of why they're here and what they need to do to succeed."

WITH HIS USUAL COMBINATION OF STRENGTH AND HUMILITY, Campy Russell challenged these young academics - many of whom travel from as far away as Warrensville Heights and Sheffield Lake, all arriving by 7:00 a.m. to this former ammunitions plant now transformed into a ploughshare for seeding young minds. He challenged them to be passionate, to be inquisitive, to be committed. "Put together in your mind what you really want to do," the former NBA All-Star and University of Michigan graduate implored. "What do you want to achieve in school
and throughout your lifetime? Be committed to something you want to do. Remain curious. Ask questions. And always be willing to listen."