Athens Christian Preparatory Academy

Athens Christian Preparatory Academy is a new, independent 501c3 non-profit corporation formed for the purpose of private Christian high school education in Athens, Texas. The founder, Teresa J DeMay, has a unique blend of business and teaching skills and has a passion for Christian education. She is supported by an executive board of community professionals along with a school board of supportive and like-minded individuals.

Our model of education will differ from what is currently followed in public education. We hope to create a sort of college prep school meets art magnate school taking the best of creativity and innovation and coupling it with rigorous academics. All study will maintain a biblical worldview and promote morality and community service.

The operation of the school will "mimic" that of a university's. We will accept full-time and part-time students. Full-time students will receive a rigorous course of study that will exceed the state of Texas graduation requirements and provide internships and community service to bolster a student's transcript towards college application. The part-time students will be area homeschoolers who wish to participate in a more limited capacity. The policy will be that part-time students, with a one course sign-up, will be able to participate in all school competitions, clubs, and sports. This meets a need in our community that is currently not being met in any other way.

The school will have a higher-than-state graduation requirement for fine arts. We believe the arts are responsible for creativity and innovative thinking in every aspect of education. Simple memorization is not learning.

Relevance instruction will occur as a result of teaching- team project planning. All courses will be required to undergo long-range planning in order to identify cross-curricular opportunities known in our model as ROs or "Relevance Opportunities". For example, during a study of the history of the Renaissance, the English classes will write/read about the Renaissance; the art classes will create art in the style of the period; the music classes will study music of the period, etc. Whenever possible, the opportunity will be seized to teach the progression of culture and knowledge by identifying relationships between subjects. This creates for the student a truer sense of the connectedness of ourselves to past, present, and future. It also establishes real knowledge that endures with time and is not forgotten as soon as the grade is recorded. It also furthers the student's ability to critically analyze information within a broader context.

A hands-on approach to learning will be enlisted whenever possible. In traditional school environments this approach is often abandoned at the high school level despite studies showing the continued effectiveness of such an approach. We will search for opportunities within our learning environment and real-life applications within our community to apply new knowledge. Real life applications are truly the best re-enforcement of a student's education.

Our model approaches education from a 4-tiered model of application. 1-Concept; 2-Relevance; 3-Perspective; 4-Community. We will teach the new concept; illustrate relevance through projects that cross curriculum; provide a broader context for the new concept; and then look for an innovative way to apply the knowledge in our community. An example of this approach might be: 1-Concept/ a health class study of nutrition 2-Relevance/ We create a project by applying consumer math concepts of budget with a cooking club. 3-Perspective/We evaluate our school lunch menu. 4-Community/ We connect with our community by opening a "school restaurant"

Low student-teacher ratios will be critical, but are expensive to maintain. The school will engage in fund-raising events and on-going projects to create revenue for the school. Education towards self-sufficiency will also remain a teaching goal as it pertains to entrepreneurial efforts.

As funds allow, we will incorporate extensive use of technology both for education and communication. Our students must be prepared to fully participate in a society that relies heavily on the everyday use of technology.