Specialty Partner Programs
Academy Prep Center of Tampa collaborates with many partners and community leaders to offer its students a unique learning experience. By offering opportunities beyond typical academic classes, Academy Prep believes its student deserve the opportunity to expand their minds with specialty programs that are necessary for social and physical growth. The opportunities available to Academy Prep students include health and exercise, goal setting, social learning, and working with accomplished legal and medical professionals.
Berkeley Prep Writing Workshops
Twice a year, Berkeley Preparatory School leads writing labs for Academy Prep’s fifth through seventh grade classes. Within these workshops, students have the opportunity to learn from high school level mentors about the importance of the writing process. Each writing lab activity culminates with a trip to Berkeley Prep’s campus to finalize the drafts in the high school’s library.
Engineering for Kids
In partnership with The Beck Group, seventh grade students receive one semester of robotics taught by Engineering for Kids of Central West Florida. Students learn the basics of designing, programming, and controlling a fully functional robot. By the end of the semester, students are able to design and program a robot on their own to find solutions to specific scenarios.
First Tee
Golf lessons are taught through weekly golf trips to Rogers Park with various students during our enrichment period. Under the guidance of First Tee’s golf instructors, students learn fundamental golf skills, etiquette, rules and sportsmanship.
Fit Families for Life
Fit Families for Life is an educational initiative designed to engage our students and their families in programs and activities that foster healthy life choices and positive behaviors. With the involvement and commitment of Florida Blue Foundation, Fit Families for Life is designed for sustainability.
This program is the centerpiece of a health curriculum engaging every grade level in multiple activities that reinforce healthy behaviors. Using nutrition training and physical fitness as the key subjects, activities for students and families include cooking classes, yoga, gardening, and other healthy endeavors. As a comprehensive curriculum, Fit Families For Life becomes a model that can be replicated in other schools. Prevention is the key to change health outcomes, and intervening early in a child’s life is a direct way to foster good health decisions for generations to come.
Focus on Success
Business professionals lead students through a curriculum designed to prepare students for real life challenges through goal setting, turning limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs, and economic basics. The class concludes with a “Creating Destiny” party, a reunion based 15 years in the future.
Frameworks
Students in the fifth and sixth grades learn to manage their emotions, develop healthy relationships, and make good decisions. Once a week, instructors provide lessons in social and emotional learning, which allow students to discover methods of handling life challenges in their academic, social and professional environments.
Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts
The Patel Conservatory gives Academy Prep students the tools to dream, reach, discover and create the performing arts. Academy Prep Center of Tampa was selected from dozens of applicants to participate in a unique advanced partnership, in which students learn from experienced instructors in two subjects – acting and dance. In each course, students learn the power of voice, body language, and much more! Master classes and workshops are offered on a weekly basis to students interested in the performing arts.
Regions Bank
Beginning in the fifth grade, all students receive once-a-month workshops on financial literacy and the importance of budgeting. The experience begins with a “Getting to know you” trip to the zoo with Regions employees and culminates with a formal presentation on the major aspects of making smart financial decisions.
Sierra Club’s Inspiring Connection Outdoors (ICO)
ICO works to promote awareness of and interest in conservation and preservation efforts. Fifth grade students attend Saturday field trips sponsored by the Sierra Club. Students enjoy hiking, nature lessons, canoeing, and the exciting challenge of overnight camping.
Stageworks
Stageworks partners with Academy Prep to teach three integral classes in the afternoons – Drama, Bucket Drumming and Team Challenge. The drama workshops provide an opportunity for students to experience theater as an art form, study the basics of theatrical performance, and achieve focus and emotional stability through acting in front of an audience. Meanwhile, the drumming workshops allow students to learn about a variety of rhythms and the power of listening to each other. These performing arts activities help students develop leadership skills through various conflict-resolution activities. Team Challenge guides students through structured team-building activities and discussion exercises to aid in their growth asd future community leaders.
Tampa Prep Debate
Each fall, Tampa Prep introduces Academy Prep’s eighth grade students to the subject of Debate. Lead and organized by Tampa Prep’s own debate team, this class familiarizes students with topics of public speaking, body language, evidence-based responses, and collaborative preparation.
Too Good for Drugs
The Mendez Foundation brings “Too Good for Drugs” to Academy Prep’s sixth grade students each year. These quarter-long classes empower students to meet the challenges of peer-pressure by building confidence and self-efficacy through setting and reaching goals, making healthy decisions, handling conflict, resisting peer pressure, and building healthy relationships. Students also learn to identify and manage their emotions and the emotions of others so they can better relate to others and associate with positive peer groups. Drug topics are discussed in the context of expectations, peer pressure and influence, and the role of the media.