Becoming a Terrapin 2023-2024

Find Your Becoming a Terrapin

HELLO

FUTURE TERRAPINS! Tampa Prep is a major metropolitan college preparatory school for grades 6-12 in the heart of downtown Tampa. The pace of learning on this campus is mirrored in the growth of our fine city.

We are known for our cutting-edge learning environments and innovative faculty, both of which stimulate the young minds that will lead us tomorrow.

As a place to think, create, be yourself, aspire to excellence and go beyond, our students find many ways to grow academically and personally within our halls. And with 17 sports offered and more than 50 clubs and activities, there are countless ways for students to cultivate friendships, pursue passions and have fun doing it!

I am delighted that your family is seriously considering Tampa Prep. When you meet our students and faculty you will see how diverse they are in culture and interests, which means here you will definitely find your place. I hope you enjoy exploring our school!

— KEVIN PLUMMER, HEAD OF SCHOOL

It’s human nature to venture beyond the next horizon. To push past boundaries.

Outthink obstacles. To challenge. To question. Next is the fire in your belly that refuses to let you settle or back down. It’s the voice in your heart that says, “Try, just once more.” And it’s that moment when impossible turns possible.

We are TAMPA PREP. And we are here to inspire next – the next great discoveries, innovations, and creations. Join us.

find your

next.

.

WELCOME TO FLORIDA’S MOST

INNOVATIVE

S CHOOL Quick Facts

710 246

STUDENT POPULATION

COLLEGES ADMITTED OUR SENIOR CLASS OF 2023

94% OF FAMILIES STAY AT TAMPA PREP AFTER ADMISSION

Our classes are not like average, ordinary classrooms.

We flipped them. Made our desks into mobile think tanks. Gave the teachers a mic, projector, and the ability to bring the whole world into first period.

Truly innovative classrooms require more than just modular, mobile furniture and 1-to-1 iPads, however.

Tampa Prep’s commitment to INSPIRE NEXT is personified in our curriculum. We begin with a comprehensive approach that integrates technology into every aspect of curricular activities and extracurricular opportunities. Tampa Prep language students explore famous French museums through virtual reality. Our sixth grade English students produce movies of book reviews on their iPads. Our upper school students are writing VR apps to help themselves study the periodic table in Chemistry.

And we are not just a 1-to-1 iPad school . . . we are a 1-to-1 robot school within the STEM curriculum.

“I think that is one of the things that distinguishes us. Tampa Prep has maintained the belief that it is safe to have your own ideas, and our students are encouraged to bring them forward.”

— Suzy Lassacher ‘85, alumna and faculty member

OUR STUDENTS COME FROM

73% 12% 8% 3% 3% 1% Tampa

Other Hillsborough

Brandon/ Riverview

Pinellas County

Pasco County

Out of State

In the heart of

Downtown

Tampa

11.2-ACRE CAMPUS WITH UNIVERSITY-GRADE FACILITIES Downtown Tampa is an amazing place to grow. The service learning opportunities, corporate partnerships that lead to senior internships, and the waterfront location cannot be found at any other independent school in Tampa Bay. Our campus places students in the midst

of a modern, energetic and diverse environment. The talented professionals we call faculty members are dedicated to the task of keeping education—in the classroom, on athletic fields and beyond—just as modern, energetic and diverse as this city.

BUILDING

NEXT

Tampa Prep's new 4-story stateof-the-art Genshaft & Greenbaum Building of Learning and Discovery, boasting university level science labs, collaborative work spaces, outdoor event terrace and more, will open in the Fall of 2024.

OUR MISSION

THINK CREATE BE YOURSELF ASPIRE TO EXCELLENCE GO BEYOND MORE THAN JUST A COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL...

A PREPARATION FOR LIFE WITH A HIGHER PURPOSE THAN SELF

N:

Academics STUDENT SUCCESS

558

AP Exams were taken by students in 2023.

1230

Mean SAT Composite score for the class of 2023 compared to 992 average score in the state of Florida.

25%

of Tampa Prep students have chosen to participate in an Academic Concentration.

UNIQUE ELECTIVES – Algebra 3 with Financial Applications – Biotechnology and Human Genetics – Cultural Anthropology – Emergency Medical Response

– Estudios Latinoamericanos – Graphic Novels – Intermediate Python Programming – Introduction to Physiological Performance – Mock Trial

23 ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES OFFERED

academic concentrations Tampa Prep offers four dedicated Concentration programs beginning in their tenth grade year. Arts for those who want to specialize in an artistic discipline, Biomedical Sciences for students who are interested in a variety of medical professions, Global Studies for those who are passionate about international issues, and STEM: Engineering for those who relish the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Each of these programs requires students to select classes from a body of relevant coursework that lies at the heart of each focus. In addition, students must participate in one of several extracurricular activities that complement each program. Participants must also attend a manageable selection of related events.

The underlying goal of each Concentration is to equip graduating students with a range of experiences that prepares them for further opportunities in these fields, while also completing Tampa Prep’s graduation requirements.

Students who successfully complete all requirements for a Concentration will be recognized at graduation.

Learn more: https://tampaprep.org/concentrations/

athletics At Tampa Prep, every Middle School student has the opportunity to participate in sports, from basketball to rowing, bowling to tennis, letting kids learn what they enjoy. Our Upper School has competitive JV and Varsity teams, encouraging students to do what inspires

them. Our coaches help teach teamwork, resilience, health benefits, persistence, determination and how to handle victory as well as defeat. We consider athletics to be an important part of a student's overall wellrounded educational experience.

FALL

Cross Country (B,G) V, MS Diving (B,G) V, MS Golf (B,G) V Rowing (Club) Soccer (B) MS Swimming (B,G) V, MS Volleyball (G) V, JV, MS

WINTER

Bowling (B,G) V, MS Basketball (B,G) V, JV, MS Soccer (B,G) V, JV (G) MS Wrestling (B) V, MS

SPRING

Baseball (B) V, JV, MS Lacrosse (B) V, MS Rowing (B,G) V, JV, Novice Tennis (B,G) V, MS Track & Field (B,G) V, MS Beach Volleyball (G) V

17

Fall, Winter and Spring sports offered for students in grades 6-12

70

Individual and State Titles

extra curriculars At Tampa Prep we want students to seek out great “ahha” moments. Figure things out. Make discoveries. Go exploring. Share interests with peers. It is through these “ahha” moments that leaders find their footing and step forward, initiating student-led clubs and special interest groups.

Our downtown location is ideal for community partnerships, and affords students the opportunity to gain real life experience in their areas of interest. For instance, our Medical Explorers Club has partnered with Tampa General Hospital to gain fullday immersion ER training.

Tampa Prep clubs cover topics including:

Academic Visual Arts Performing Arts Just for Fun Service STEM Social Justice & Equality Honor Societies Student Council Athletic

TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT SCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILD • Attend Open House or schedule a tour of the school.

Such events reveal the true philosophies behind mission, curriculum, and community.

• Ask questions like, “What kind of children thrive here?” and “How do teachers and administrators handle problems when they arise?”

• Talk to current students and ask them what they do and don’t like about the school. Consider how the answers balance with your own child’s educational and emotional needs.

• Attend an extracurricular activity like an athletic or arts event if you can. Are there others there with whom you could envision yourself and your child spending time?

guiding

students Beyond college counseling, one of the most important facets of Tampa Prep is its intensive advising program. Many parents cite it as influential in their enrollment decisions and come to depend on it to keep them informed of both existing and possible or anticipated challenges.

The goal of advising is to create a safe space for community. The advisor’s job is a complex one which requires considerable commitment and conscientiousness. He or she provides a reliable, communicative link between the advisee and his or her parents/guardians and teachers, particularly for students with a grade of C or below in a course. In addition, the advisor functions as the advisee’s advocate, and monitors and promotes the advisee’s academic and personal growth.

An open, communicative relationship between parents/guardians and advisors is important.

Ninth grade teachers and advisors are particularly sensitive to the academic and social adjustments involved in being an Upper School student and communicate early and frequently when concerns arise about these matters.

ACADEMIC COURSES ARTS DANCE Middle School Dance Styles: Dance for Film & Social Media (7,8) Upper School Dance Styles: Dance for Social Change & Development (9-12) Musical Theatre Dance (9-12) DIGITAL ARTS Introduction to Journalism (9-12) Intro to Digital Media (9-12) Journalism (10-12) Yearbook (10-12) Web Design with HTML5 & CSS3 (9-12) Honors App Development (9-12) Film Studies (8) Filmmaking 1 (9-12) Filmmaking 2 (9-12) Filmmaking Workshop (10-12) Advanced Filmmaking (11-12) MUSIC Beginning Chorus (6) Chorus (7,8) Beginning Band (6) Instrumental Ensemble (7,8) Chamber Strings (7-12) Upper School Beginning Band (9-12) Upper School Advanced Instrumental Ensemble (9-12) Piano Lab (9-12) Guitar Lab 1 (9-12) Digital Music Studio (10-12) Popular Music Ensemble and Music Production Lab (10-12) Treble A-Capella Group (9-12) Chamber Chorus (9-12) VISUAL ARTS Middle School Art (6-8) 2D Art (7,8) 3D Art (7,8) Studio Art 1 (9-12) Studio Art 2 (9-12) Ceramics 1 (9-12) Ceramics 2 (9-12) Ceramics 3 & Ceramics 4 (10-12) Printmaking 1 (9-12) Printmaking 2 (10-12) Drawing and Painting 1 (9-12) Drawing and Painting 2 (9-12) Crafts & Design 1 & Crafts & Design 2 (9-12) Crafts & Design 3 & Crafts & Design 4 (10-12)

Sculpture 1 and Sculpture 2 (9-12) Sculpture 3 and Sculpture 4 (10-12) Cultural Art Studies 1,2,3, & 4 (9-12) Advanced Art Studies (11,12) Honors Thinking About Art (11,12) The Cemistry of Art (11,12) AP Studio Art 2-D Design (11,12) AP Studio Art 3-D Design (11,12) THEATRE ARTS Middle School Theatre Arts (7,8) Introduction to Theatre (9-12) Theatre Performance 1 (9-12) Theatre Performance 2 (9-12) Middle School Technical Theatre (7,8) Technical Theatre 1,2,3,4 (9-12)

ENGLISH English 6 English 7 English 8 English 9: Genres of Literature and Composition Honors English 10: World Literature and Composition Honors English 11: American Literature and Composition AP Language and Composition (11) AP English Literature and Composition (12) SEMESTER ENGLISH ELECTIVES The following are one-semester courses.

Honors Creative Writing (12) Honors English 11: Mysteries, Thrillers, and Killers English 11: Contemporary American Literature 1951-Present Honors English 11: Introduction to Philopophy Honors English 11: Introduction to Public Speaking Honors English 12: English Literature and Composition

Honors English 12: Literature in Film Honors English 12: Renaissance to Twentieth Century Honors English 12: Reading & Writing Workshop Honors English 12: Meditation & Wellness - A Literature Class Honors English 12: Literature of the American AIDS Crisis Honors English 12: Words, Sights, Sounds

Honors English 12: Graphic Novels Honors English 12: Frankenstein & the Modern Vampire Honors English 12: College Writing Skills Honors English 12: True Crime Honors English 12: Fantasy & Dystopia

HISTORY & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES World Geography & History (6) Civics (7) United States History (8) Honors Foundations of Historical Thinking: A Big History Approach (9) Honors Topics in Global History (10,11) AP World History: Modern (10) Honors United States History (11,12) AP United States History (11) Honors Government & Civics (11,12) AP US Government & Politics (11,12) HISTORY ELECTIVES Honors Mock Trial (10-12) Introduction to Social Justice (11,12) Honors Contemporary World Affairs (11,12) Honors Cultural Anthropology (11,12) Honors African American History (11,12) Honors Economics (11,12) AP Macroeconomics (11,12) AP Microeconomics (11,12) AP European History (12) Honors Latin American Studies/Estudios Latinoamericanos (11,12) Honors Psychology (11,12) Advanced Psychological Research (11,12) AP Psychology (11,12) Honors History of the Holocaust (11,12) Honors Introduction to Law (11,12) Honors United States Politics: Presidential Elections (11,12) Honors World Religions (10-12) Honors Thinking About Art (11,12)

MATHEMATICS Mathematics (6) Pre-Algebra (6,7) Algebra Concepts (8) Algebra 1 (7-10) Geometry (8-10) Algebra 2 (8-11) Honors Algebra 2 (8-11) Advanced Honors Algebra 2 (8-11) Honors Algebra 3 with Financial Applications (11,12) Honors Financial Literacy (11,12) Honors Statistics and Probability (11-12) Honors Precalculus (10-12) Advanced Honors Precalculus (9-12) Advanced Honors Calculus (11-12) AP Calculus - AB (10-12) AP Statistics (11,12) AP Calculus - BC (10-12) Advanced Honors Calculus III with Analytical Geometry (11,12)

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Middle School Athletic Requirement All Middle School students are required to participate in athletics during the school year. Students will be allowed to select from a list of options each athletic season to fulfill this requirement. Please keep in mind the following when making your selections: 1. Each student must participate on at least one team during the school year.

2. A student may choose the Study Hall option only once per school year.

Middle School Athletic Options: 1. Athletic Team • Each student must participate on at least one team during the school year • Options ▫ Fall - Boys Soccer, Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, Swimming ▫ Winter - Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Girls Soccer, Wrestling ▫ February Intersession - Rowing, Track & Field ▫ Spring - Boys Baseball, Lacrosse, Cross Country, Girls Softball, Boys Tennis, Girls Tennis, Pickleball, Rowing (Crew), Swim 2. Physical Education • Offered in Fall and Spring seasons • Not offered during the Winter Athletic season • This option ends at the end of each academic school day 3. Study Hall Athletic Conditioning (SHAC) • Space is limited to 30 students • This option ends at the end of each academic school day 4. Study Hall • A student may choose the Study Hall option only once per school year • This option ends at the end of each academic school day When participating on an athletic team, student-athletes are expected to do the following: 1. Attend and participate in all team practices 2. Attend each contest for which their team is scheduled

Physical Education/Personal Fitness & Health (9-12) Athletic Conditioning (10-12) Honors Introduction to Sports Medicine & Athletic Training (10-12) Honors Emergency Medical Response (10-12) Fitness for Life (10-12) Intro to Physiological Performance (10-12)

SCIENCE Earth Science (6) Life Science (7) Physical Science (8) Beginning Robotics (6) Fall Semester Intro to Python Robotics (7,8) Fall Semester Programming in Processing C (7,8) Spring Semester Intermediate Python Programming (7,8) Spring Semester Arduino Programming (7,8) Honors Biology (9,10) AP Biology (11,12) Honors Chemistry (10-12) Advanced Honors Chemistry (10-12) AP Chemistry (10-12) Honors Physics (10-12) Advanced Honors Physics (10-12) AP Physics 1 (11-12) AP Physics 2 (11-12) AP Physics C: Mechanics (11,12) AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism (11,12) AP Environmental Science (11,12) Honors Introduction to Engineering Design (10,11) Honors Principles of Engineering (11) Honors Aerospace Engineering (12) Honors Computer Science Principles (11,12)

SCIENCE ELECTIVES Honors Organic Chemistry (11,12) Honors Food Chemistry (11,12) Honors The Chemistry of Art (11,12) Honors Environmental Science (11,12) Honors Forensic Science (10-12) Honors Introduction to Sports Medicine & Athletic Training (10-12) Honors Emergency Medical Response (10-12) Honors Marine Biology: Oceans and Life (11,12) Honors Marine Biology: Resources and Conservation (11,12) Honors Intro to Python Programming (9-12) Honors Intermediate Python Programming (9-12) Honors Advanced Python Programming (10-12) Honors Web Design with HTML5 & CSS3 (9-12) Honors App Development 1 (9-12) Honors App Development 2 (10-12) Honors Human Medical Disorders (11,12) Honors Biotechnology (10-12)

WORLD AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES Prima Lingua (6) French 1A (7,8) French 1B (8) Honors French 1 (9-12) Honors French 2 (9) Honors French 3 (9-12) Advanced Honors French 4 (9,11,12) AP French Language (11,12) Honors French Language and Culture (11,12) Latin 1A (7,8) Latin 1B (8) Honors Latin 1 (9-12) Honors Latin 2 (9-12) Honors Latin 3 (9-12) AP Latin (11,12) Advanced Honors Readings in Latin Literature (12) Spanish 1A (7,8) Spanish 1B (8) Honors Spanish 1 (9-12) Honors Spanish 2 (9-12) Honors Spanish 3 (9-12) Advanced Honors Spanish 4 (9-12) Honors Spanish for Heritage Speakers (9,10) Honors Spanish Language and Culture (10-12) AP Spanish Language and Culture (11,12) AP Spanish Literature and Culture (11,12) Honors Estudios Latinoamericanos (11,12)

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Tampa Prep extends education beyond the traditional classroom in all grades. The goal is to deepen the student’s appreciation for, and understanding of, academic studies and to foster a deeper understanding of the self, the world, and other people. Individual classes may use guest speakers, take local field trips, role-play mock trials, or otherwise incorporate non-traditional ways of learning such as the Harkness method, explained below. The following trips and projects are just a few of the many experiential learning opportunities which occur school-wide each year.

HARKNESS METHOD

CLASS TRIPS

The Harkness table, Harkness method or Harkness discussion involves a teaching and learning method where students are seated in a large, oval configuration to discuss ideas in an encouraging, open-minded environment with only occasional or minimal teacher intervention. Most classrooms at Tampa Prep are set up to support the Harkness method, and most teachers employ it.

DECLAMATIONS

Students in grades 6-12 take class trips that range from local ropes courses (grades 9 and 10) to walking the Boston Freedom Trail, learning more about the American Revolution (grade 8) to swimming with dolphins in Key West (grade 7) to hiking and camping in Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina (grade 11).

Declamations are a unique Tampa Prep tradition that help students build confidence through public speaking.

All students, grades 6-12, are required to prepare and deliver an oral presentation. Students advance through rounds performing for their class and their grade, and finalists perform in a school-wide assembly. Parents are welcome to attend this assembly.

SENIOR INTERNSHIPS Completion of a 70-hour Senior Internship is a graduation requirement. Seniors are counseled through the process of updating their resume, networking for a job search, preparing for and having an interview, and working in the job force. They blog about their experience.

3# PROJECT For the 3# project (3 lbs. is the weight of the human brain), students in Honors English resolve to learn something they have always wanted to try. This can be anything from playing an instrument, to cooking a vegan meal, to building a car engine. Throughout the process, they maintain a digital portfolio of blog entries, research and multimedia samples of their works in progress.

Their portfolios are part of their final presentation in a gallery-style exhibition and are presented to guests.

COOKIE COMPANY PROJECT In Honors Economics, students form companies to sell cookies and other treats to the Tampa Prep community, applying and executing what they are learning in class.

Each company has to present a marketing/social media plan and a business plan to a group of TP experts in hopes of receiving a business loan.

thoughts & notes

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