Tempe Preparatory Academy
Encyclopedia
Tempe Preparatory Academy is a charter school
in Tempe
, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona
in the United States. Founded in 1996, Tempe Preparatory Academy (also known as Tempe Prep or TPA) offers a Great Books
curriculum centered around Western culture, history, language, and literature. Its motto is Verum, Pulchrum, Bonum, meaning Truth, Beauty, Goodness. It is also the founding model for the Great Hearts Academies schools, but is not a part of this Charter Management Organization (CMO). Tempe Prep is an independently governed charter school.
Tempe Prep offers a Great Books education centering around fundamental texts in the Western pantheon. Tempe Prep's philosophy includes small class size (no classroom has more than 22 students) and education using the Socratic method
.
, which takes place in the spring of each school year. However, if a family has one child enrolled, any other children automatically receive a spot.
Because the academy is a charter school
, it has the right to cap its enrollment, and does so at 360 students with no more than 20 students per section. However, starting in the 2008-2009 school year, Tempe Preparatory Academy will cap each class at 22 students, allowing two more students into each class. Another addition in the 2008-2009 school year is one class of sixth grade.
Tempe Prep earned ratings of "excelling" from the state of Arizona in 2008 and 2010.
Tempe Preparatory Academy has recently added a 6th grade to their school.
The school also offers numerous musical groups, such as string ensemble, wind orchestra, percussion ensemble, and Cantamus, a choral ensemble, which sang at Carnegie Hall in the summer of 2007.
) in the 2A Conference's Central Region. As of summer 2008, Tempe Prep is the four-time defending state champion in girls' high school track and field as well as the defending champion in men's high school track and field. In women's high schsoccer, the school won the state championship in 2008. In total, Tempe Prep athletics have win a total of 11 state championships. Tempe Prep is also a member of the smaller Charter Athletic Association
(CAA), since the AIA does not administer sports for junior high students.
Tempe Preparatory Academy offers the following athletic teams:
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
in the United States. Founded in 1996, Tempe Preparatory Academy (also known as Tempe Prep or TPA) offers a Great Books
Great Books
Great Books refers primarily to a group of books that tradition, and various institutions and authorities, have regarded as constituting or best expressing the foundations of Western culture ; derivatively the term also refers to a curriculum or method of education based around a list of such books...
curriculum centered around Western culture, history, language, and literature. Its motto is Verum, Pulchrum, Bonum, meaning Truth, Beauty, Goodness. It is also the founding model for the Great Hearts Academies schools, but is not a part of this Charter Management Organization (CMO). Tempe Prep is an independently governed charter school.
School philosophy
As a charter schoolCharter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
Tempe Prep offers a Great Books education centering around fundamental texts in the Western pantheon. Tempe Prep's philosophy includes small class size (no classroom has more than 22 students) and education using the Socratic method
Socratic method
The Socratic method , named after the classical Greek philosopher Socrates, is a form of inquiry and debate between individuals with opposing viewpoints based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas...
.
Admission
As a public school in the state of Arizona, Tempe Preparatory Academy has no entrance requirements. Interested families must apply for the school's annual admissions lotteryLottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
, which takes place in the spring of each school year. However, if a family has one child enrolled, any other children automatically receive a spot.
Because the academy is a charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
, it has the right to cap its enrollment, and does so at 360 students with no more than 20 students per section. However, starting in the 2008-2009 school year, Tempe Preparatory Academy will cap each class at 22 students, allowing two more students into each class. Another addition in the 2008-2009 school year is one class of sixth grade.
Awards
In 2008, the school was awarded the Blue RibbonAward.Tempe Prep earned ratings of "excelling" from the state of Arizona in 2008 and 2010.
Academics
Tempe Preparatory Academy offers few choices in its academic curriculum. 9-12th grade students may choose to study Latin/Greek, French, Spanish, or German. The rest of the curriculum is fixed.Tempe Preparatory Academy has recently added a 6th grade to their school.
- 6th Grade: English, Math, Science, Drama, History
- 7th grade: Literature and Composition, American History, Pre Algebra, Life Science, Latin I, Art / Music Theory
- 8th grade: Literature and Composition, American History, Algebra, Earth Science, Latin II, Art / Music Theory
- 9th grade: Humane Letters Seminar (emphasis: European History/Literature/Early Modern Political Thought) (2 Hours), Geometry, Biology, Art / Poetry, Language I
- 10th grade: Humane Letters Seminar (emphasis: American History/Literature/Political Thought) (2 Hours), Algebra II, Physics I, Music Theory / Poetry, Language II
- 11th grade: Humane Letters Seminar (emphasis: Ancient—i.e., Greek, Roman, Hebrew—Literature/History/Philosophy) (2 Hours), Pre-Calculus, Calculus I, Physics II, Drama / Music Theory, Language III
- 12th grade: Humane Letters Seminar (emphasis: European Literature/Modern Philosophy) (2 Hours), Calculus II, Chemistry I, Drama / Art, Language IV
Senior thesis and defense
Senior students at Tempe Preparatory Academy must complete a written thesis and defense before receiving a diploma from the school. Students are required to write a fifteen page thesis based upon three texts, one of which must be a TPA curriculum text. They are advised by a faculty member and must appear before a defense committee.Activities
Tempe Prep offers many extracurriculars in fine arts and academics. Although Tempe Prep is a small school, the Speech and Debate team and Odyssey of the Mind teams are competitive, regularly placing in the top 5 at tournaments with many schools over 10 times the size. Tempe Prep is the has won the Arizona 123A State Champion in Speech and Debate every year from 2006, through 2011. The Odyssey of the Mind teams won the State Championship between 2002 until 2007 with a World Final Placement of 5th place in 2004, 4th place in 2007, 2nd place in 2008, and 5th place in the 2009 World Finals Competition.The school also offers numerous musical groups, such as string ensemble, wind orchestra, percussion ensemble, and Cantamus, a choral ensemble, which sang at Carnegie Hall in the summer of 2007.
Athletics
Tempe Prep competes in the AIA (Arizona Interscholastic AssociationArizona Interscholastic Association
The Arizona Interscholastic Association is the major high school sports association in the state of Arizona. It comprises most of the state's public district high schools, various charter and private schools, plus one high school in California San Pasqual High School in Winterhaven, California,...
) in the 2A Conference's Central Region. As of summer 2008, Tempe Prep is the four-time defending state champion in girls' high school track and field as well as the defending champion in men's high school track and field. In women's high schsoccer, the school won the state championship in 2008. In total, Tempe Prep athletics have win a total of 11 state championships. Tempe Prep is also a member of the smaller Charter Athletic Association
Charter Athletic Association
In Arizona, the Charter Athletic Association is a sports league system for smaller charter junior high and high schools. It is unaffiliated with the Arizona Interscholastic Association....
(CAA), since the AIA does not administer sports for junior high students.
Tempe Preparatory Academy offers the following athletic teams:
- Junior High Boys: Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Track and Field
- Junior High Girls: Basketball, Cross Country, Volleyball, Soccer, Softball, Track and Field
- High School Boys: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Soccer, Track and Field
- High School Girls: Softball, Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Track and Field, Volleyball