STERLING HEIGHTS — Noor International Academy, a new public school academy chartered by Central Michigan University that includes students from kindergarten through fourth grade, opened this month in Sterling Heights as the fourth school in the award-winning Hamadeh Educational Services (HES) system.

The HES system (www.hesedu.com) also includes two public school academies chartered by Oakland University that include Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights and Universal Academy in Detroit. Universal Learning Academy, chartered by Bay Mills Community College, has just moved to its brand new, state of the art, 13.5 acre site in Westland.

Noor International Academy, as well as Star, Universal and Universal Learning Academies, includes a diverse student base from more than two dozen different countries. It focuses on meeting stringent academic standards as well as promoting cultural diversity, teaching a second language, mainly Arabic, as well as the use of the latest in educational technologies to prepare kids for life in the 21st century.

The school hopes to grow to PreK-12 in the future, and will hold its grand opening on September 30. For more info or to enroll, visit http://www.niapsa.org/.