By Claire Newfeld
Students and parents can expect many changes to Tempe Prep for the 2015-16 academic year. Some changes are definite, while others are still waiting to be voted on by the board. One of the most significant changes proposed to the board would be the restructuring of the science curriculum, which would be implemented for the Class of 2017 and beyond.
The students would start high school taking Biology, followed by Physics their sophomore year, Chemistry their junior year, and then would choose their senior year science disciplines. The senior science class selection would be similar to the freshman year language class selection, with the choices being Biology II, Physics II, and Chemistry II. Because of this, next school year both the juniors and seniors would take Chemistry.
In addition, there would be a capstone project similar to that of the senior thesis in Humane Letters that would involve some sort of independent research. “The capstone in science will be something that comes naturally out of the course,” says TPA Headmaster Dr. Baum. One of the primary oppositions to the capstone project is that it may add a heavy weight to seniors’ already full workloads, so the science faculty led by Mr. Atkinson has proposed that the senior thesis be limited to first semester and the science project the second semester. Ultimately, the board has yet to vote on the proposition, but they are currently discussing it.
A change that has been approved by the board is the expansion of the sixth grade to four sections. The reason for this is that there has been an enrollment contraction in the high school, and adding a section of sixth grade could make up for the lack of funds and maintain proper enrollment levels. The decision has only been made for the next school year, but if it works, it could be made permanent.
Dr. Baum and the junior high faculty also hope that the expansion and focus on TPJA will increase school performance as a whole. One of the main reasons for students leaving Tempe Prep in high school is the difficulty of the curriculum, and Dr. Baum believes that if we put more effort into educating the students in the lower years, they wouldn’t have as hard a time in high school. “The success of TPJA is fundamental to the success of the whole school,” says Dr. Baum.
The final major change, which will be determined by a select group of faculty, is the shrinking of the 12th grade. This could possibly only last for one year depending on the size of the Class of 2017, but the proposal plans to take Calculus, Fine Arts, and possibly Humane Letters down to two sections. The reason for this is financial, as it costs a lot to have three sections of 12th grade, and with only 52 students, it may be more cost effective to keep them in two sections.
Some of these changes may not be actualized based on the decision of the school board, but it is important that the community be aware of them. If they are implemented, even more changes may need to be considered. For example, with a permanent expansion of the sixth grade could come an expansion of the seventh grade, and then the school would need to think about whether or not it would like to stay on this campus long term. The population could become too big for the current layout, so we would either need to build out or move to another location. However, these further changes will not be discussed until the later part of 2016.