The first student day at SLAM! Tampa is today, August 10 and FOX 13 News got a look inside the brand-new charter school before it opened.

SLAM!, which stands for Sports, Leadership, and Management, is a one-of-a-kind academy because it presents its lessons through sports.

“Let’s bring them to the gym and let them shoot 20 baskets, and let’s talk about probability or what’s the formula you have to come up with to get the arc of the ball,” says Jim Griffin, principal of SLAM! Tampa.

The school is free to attend and is currently open to grades 6 through 10. They plan to add 11th grade next year and 12th grade the following year. Administrators expect an attendance of 500 students this year.

“I’ve never been so happy to come to a school that’s not like a regular school. This is the school I’ve been dreaming to have,” said 15-year-old Mario Lopez, an excited student who’s looking forward to attending SLAM!

The theme of SLAM! Academy is active learning.

“Kids that are sports, dance, and drama. They’re hands on,” says Annette Lopez, of SLAM!. “They are kids that need to move around and that’s really hard in a traditional classroom.”

Visit SLAMTampa.com for more information.