Students on the West Side of Columbus
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Franklinton Preparatory Academy Preparation for Life Dear Franklinton Preparatory Academy Friends, Michael Reidelbach Marty Griffith Families and Supporters: Chief Executive Officer Chief Operating Officer The opening of Franklinton Preparatory Academy on September 3, 2013, marked both the end of many years of hard work and the beginning of what we hope is a decades-long mission to serve the interests and the needs of high school students on the west side of Columbus. We are grateful for the confidence our parents have placed in us. It is a pleasure beyond description to engage with our young women and men, helping them grow, achieve an excellent education and become young adults who take charge of their future. As the first public high school to open its doors in the Franklinton neighborhood for over 32 years, Franklinton Preparatory Academy exists because of the grit, determination and perseverance of many people including the great citizens of Franklinton and the Hilltop. We are proud to be working hand- in-hand with citizen leaders, community organizations, local businesses and other stakeholders helping to make positive things happen on the west side. We chose this neighborhood to open our school precisely because of the deep sense of commitment and loyalty that Franklinton and Hilltop residents feel toward each other and now, thankfully, to us. We are truly fortunate to operate our school in the completely renovated Chicago Avenue School building. Built in 1897, our school combines the architectural beauty of the late 19th Century with the high-tech capacity of the 21st Century. The result is a striking architectural landmark that has been re-purposed and re-launched to meet the needs of the Franklinton and Hilltop communities for generations to come. Part of our commitment to the community is demonstrated through our partnership with Central Ohio Youth For Christ (YFC). YFC has deep roots in our neighborhood through its after-school programs and community outreach. Because both organizations operate out of the Chicago Avenue School, we are able to leverage our strengths and our networks to expand our reach enabling more young people to achieve an excellent education, develop strong character and, if desired, pursue spiritual guidance as well. It is an honor and a privilege to work with and form relationships with the extended FPA family as we strive together to reach our education and life journey goals. Working together, with your help, we will continue the mission of FPA, in the heart of Franklinton, for decades to come. Michael Reidelbach Martin S. Griffith CEO Founder, Principal GOVERNING BOARD 2014 - 2015 Governing Board Members l to r: Beverly Fox, Secretary; Valerie Heiby; Dan Overly, President; Deborah Rudy; Beth Lear, Vice-President; Jason Warner The Franklinton Preparatory Academy Governing Board meets the fourth Monday of each month in the second floor Commons area of Franklinton Preparatory Academy. Meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. and end at 7:30 pm. These meetings are open to the public and include a public comment period. Minutes from Governing Board meetings are available for review in the FPA office. Those interested in serving on FPA’s Governing Board should contact Marty Griffith for Board consideration. WHO WE ARE Franklinton Preparatory Academy is a grade 9 through 12 public tuition-free charter high school serving students primarily from Franklinton, the Hilltop, and the West Side. It is located at 40 Chicago Avenue, one mile west of the Broad Street and High Street center of Columbus Ohio. It is advantageously situated close to major museums, learning centers, universities and major corporate centers in Central Ohio. FPA began operations in September of 2013. We opened in the Annex to the Old Chicago Avenue School as it was going through the final phases of the $4.5 million dollar renovation that transformed the school to its current state. FPA leases the second and third floor of the 1897 Chicago Avenue School and moved in to our current space in April of 2014. On September 2 of 2014, FPA began its second year of operations in our beautiful, natural light infused spacious structure. FPA is pleased to be part of the restoration of Chicago Ave. School to its rightful place as a community touchstone, and an important resource to the current revitalization of the entire Franklinton community. As we designed our school, substantial research confirmed that students similar to Franklinton students will thrive after graduation if they have OUR VISION - OUR MISSION strong relationships with friends, with teachers and school personnel, with mentors and academic Our Vision: Preparation for Life. advisors, and with those from the community This is a tall order that we take very seriously. It is who will be working with FPA students. Positive essential that our students mature into capable adults relationships are the glue that keeps students in who can make good decisions for themselves, and school, showing up every day to focus on their who will be able to support themselves and their learning, working toward high school graduation families with meaningful employment. and success in careers, college and/or the military. Our Mission: To work collaboratively with our FPA students meet all of Ohio’s graduation students, parents and community stakeholders requirements. Standards approved by the Ohio to prepare FPA graduates to pursue and obtain Board of Education direct student learning, in meaningful post-FPA placements in careers, colleges, addition to standards identified by a variety of trade-schools or one of the branches of the armed job getting and job keeping national and state services. organizations. We have developed a continuous improvement plan for the school that guides our institutional thinking into the future. Our operating policies, procedures and practices reflect Ohio requirements and educational best practices. STUDENTS - materials. Specific and frequent feedback to students is essential. Students participate in direct THE HEART OF LEARNING instruction, work collaboratively with classmates, or are engaged in independent learning. Students As the first high school to open its doors in Franklinton show evidence of their learning against expected in over 30 years, we hold a deep commitment to our learning objectives. community and our students. For too long, students in Franklinton and the Hilltop were overlooked and Blended Learning underserved, bussed from their neighborhoods to high-schools 5 to 10 miles from home. When FPA Blended learning combines the best practices from opened in September 2013 we did so with the support online schools with face-to-face interactions between and collaboration of our neighborhood stakeholders. It teachers and other students. FPA uses GradPoint to is obvious to us that our commitment to Franklinton is provide Common Core and Ohio Standards based reflected back to us by the commitment our students content from 6th grade level through Advanced make to Franklinton Preparatory Academy. Our Placement courses. Students begin work where overarching goal is for they need to and advance at a pace that suites their our students to claim individual learning style. Flexibility is important so FPA as their home, students working on similar content often group their oasis and their together to explore recommended projects included launching pad for in the program. Teachers facilitate learning, monitor successful living after progress, and augment instruction with specific units graduation. Franklinton to enhance skill development. Benchmark, formative and the Hilltop are and summative assessments are included within each home to some of the course. most amazing your people we’ve had the Hybrid Learning pleasure to work with. Students who are working full time, pregnant, have a child, or who can’t commit to a fully scheduled The faculty noted the following as FPA student school day are able to work towards graduating from strengths. These attributes serve our students now and, with continued focus and development, into their future: FPA students are independent, resourceful, have empathy, support their friends, and are loyal and creative. They have the ability to trust, can call forth survival skills, are accepting of change, and are adaptable. FPA students find humor in many things, are talkative, easily strike up conversations with adults, are eager to learn and experiment with technology processes and, given a project that captures their interest, ambitiously complete the project with focus and enthusiasm. LEARNING -- BY ALL MEANS Mastery Learning FPA is committed to assuring that every student will graduate from high school able to demonstrate the skills and abilities needed to obtain and keep employment now and into their future. This means that students MUST demonstrate mastery of important content, whether this takes a long time or a short time, before they move on to other work. Our focus is the demonstration and practical application of learning, not on sorting students or counting hours spent in a seat. Students work toward well defined learning objectives. Teachers provide paced group instruction, one-to-one tutoring, or self-paced learning with programmed high school through FPA’s Hybrid Learning Program (HLP). The HLP is a combination of online classes, scheduled tutoring support, and collaborative seminars Practice has been made with other hybrid students that offers significant available to FPA students support for students who are not able to be in the who have been involved school building all day, every day. This unique program in a number of community allows FPA to give genuine support to students who service opportunities. These otherwise would not consider high school graduation are focused on local needs, as a viable option while building and deepening and are an excellent way for important relationships that keep students connected students to plan activities, to our school. work together, solve problems, and be proud of their Art, Music, Movement, Theatre accomplishments.