By Theresa O’Connor
From diving into Scout’s world in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” to graduating college to analyzing the fight for freedom in the American Civil War to working at dynamic companies to reading the chilling words of “nevermore” in Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” to pursuing their passions: TPA’s alumni are off to wonderful things.
Now some of their children attend Tempe Prep, and while seniors may still sing Gaudeamus Igitur at graduation and read Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” in 10th grade, there are many differences between the two generations of Knights.
These second generation Knights and their alumni parents include sixth grader Emma Cervantes and her mother, Rachael Cervantes, Acaiah Butler and her father and Ava and Alyssa Huppenthal and their father, John Huppenthal.
Mother-daughter duo Rachael and Emma share their story about their experiences at TPA. Before her first day of sixth grade, Emma and her mother discussed TPA’s overview. Emma was “excited to attend TPA” and other sixth grade activities such as the middle school Lock-In. Emma says compared to Dobson Academy, her elementary school, TPA is a lot bigger and she is not used to switching between all her classes. She also says that there’s a lot more homework, schoolwork and group work during class.
From the TPA class of 2004, Rachael graduated from Arizona State University and majored in Family and Human Development. Since high school, she now sees several campus changes. One is the overall TPA community. She says that the school concentrates more on community building by organizing more parent-involvement and community events. “Not only did the campus expand a ton, but the community as well,” she says. When Rachael attended middle school, TPA only included grades 7 through 12. She adds that Tempe Prep has many more clubs. During high school, she was involved in Cantamus and Odyssey of the Mind.
Rachael says she remembers loving Humane Letters, especially the selection of books in 10th grade. She also liked “working in groups to figure out problems” in math, chemistry and physics. She said she learned and grew through these group projects – even if it meant engaging in some friendly competition.
Rachael says she has “so many memories from TPA” including going on the senior trip, participating in drama performances, having a poem published, making food in Spanish class and dissecting hearts in biology.
She decided to send Emma to TPA because she felt like she had a “really good experience.” She adds that she “did not have a hard time once (she) moved on to college” and she wanted Emma to feel prepared and ready for her future.
Not only does each student provide something meaningful to the TPA campus and community, but it is even more special when TPA alumni send their children to the school to experience the curriculum and traditions their parents did.