University Prep

University Prep
Main entrance in August 2015
Address
8000 25th Avenue NE
Seattle, Washington 98115-4600
United States
Information
Other name UPrep
Former name University Preparatory Academy
Type Private (independent) middle school and high school
Motto Discover Together
Religious affiliation(s) unaffiliated
Established 1976 (1976)
Head of School Matt Levinson[1]
Grades 6-12
Enrollment 568
Average class size 14-16
Student to teacher ratio 8:1
Color(s) Blue and Green          
Athletics Soccer
Cross Country
Volleyball
Ultimate
Basketball
Baseball
Softball
Track and Field
Tennis
Mascot Puma
Newspaper

The Puma Press (Upper School)

The Puma Prints (Middle School)
Affiliations Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS)
Website www.universityprep.org

University Prep, formerly known as University Preparatory Academy and now popularly known as UPrep, is an independent, coeducational middle and high school located in the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The campus sits just across the street from Dahl Playfield and is adjacent to the Picardo Farm, the original P-Patch (community garden area).

Approximately 570 students attend University Prep.[2] The Upper School, which includes grades nine through twelve, enrolls about 320 students, and the Middle School, which includes grades six through eight, has about 250 students. Academic classes average sixteen students, and there is a student-to-faculty ratio of eight-to-one.

Recently, University Prep has acquired property with the intention of expansion. It will allow for 150 new students. The construction is expected to be finished in 2020. This expansion has been persistently protested by many people living in the neighborhood.[3]

History

University Prep was founded in 1976 by a small group of Seattle Public Schools teachers dedicated to providing the best possible education to a heterogeneous student body. From 2002 to 2014, the head of school of University Prep was Erica L. Hamlin. The current head of school is Matt Levinson.[4]

Campus

University Prep's campus has three main buildings: the three-story classroom and administrative building (including a library, cafeteria, science classrooms, and meeting spaces), a classroom building, a gymnasium, and the fine arts center (part of the classroom and administrative building), which features a proscenium theater known as Founder's Hall as well as art and practice rooms. The adjacent Dahl Playfield is used for sports and other activities.

Curriculum

The school year is organized into two semesters and four quarters, and students are expected to carry a minimum of five classes each semester.[5] School hours are 8:25 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. for upper school and 8:15 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. for middle school, after which athletics, activities, and after-school programs begin. In addition to academic classes, the day includes electives, physical education, supervised study, and free periods for Upper School students. The school transitioned from a Moodle education software client to a Schoology-based learning management system. In Middle School, all students have personal iPads. In Upper School, students may choose either a Windows or Apple computer. In most cases, students are given a choose of using paper or completing an assignment digitally. All classes, excluding Physical Education and fine arts classes, are honors level.

Sports

University Prep competes at the 1A state classification level for sports. The Middle School sports program offers girls volleyball, soccer and cross country in the fall, basketball in the winter, and boys baseball, girls softball, track and field and ultimate Frisbee in the spring. The Upper School also offers the same sports as the Middle School, but with the exception of girls soccer and boys ultimate Frisbee in the fall, and boys soccer and boys and girls tennis in the spring. The 2010-2011 school year marked the change of the old sports system. Before that academic year, University Prep's Upper School had the same athletics program as its Middle School with the exception of having tennis. Boys soccer was moved to the spring season to bring a more competitive level of play for the teams and various other reasons. To counter the absence of boys soccer in the fall, boys tennis and boys ultimate Frisbee were added to the fall athletics season. Recently University Prep's most successful teams have been boys ultimate and girls soccer. Boys ultimate has finished 2nd in state in the two years since its creation while girls soccer has most recently finished third in state. Seventy-seven percent of the school participates in school's athletic program.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "University Prep Announces New Head of School". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2014-12-15.
  3. ↑ https://cosaccela.seattle.gov/portal/Cap/CapDetail.aspx?Module=DPDPermits&TabName=DPDPermits&capID1=14HST&capID2=00000&capID3=19803&agencyCode=SEATTLE&IsToShowInspection=
  4. ↑ "Erica and Nason Hamlin Endowed Scholarship Fund". Archived from the original on 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  5. ↑ http://www.universityprep.org/about
  6. ↑ Webpage on Seattle City Council website

Coordinates: 47°41′16″N 122°18′00″W / 47.687879°N 122.300004°W / 47.687879; -122.300004

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