TAMPA, Fla. — At Academy Prep Center of Tampa it’s out with the old and in with the new. A $5,000 grant from 10 Tampa Bay and the TEGNA Foundation helped purchase brand-new desks for the school’s science and math classrooms.
“This project’s been ongoing for a while,” said Head of School L’Tanya Evans. “It’s very exciting to see it come to fruition.”
While the classroom’s bearded dragon doesn’t seem too thrilled about the new desks, staff and students are. When a group of girls entered the room…they let out “oohs and aahs”.
The desks are shaped to make working together easier, you can either sit or stand at them and get this—kids will actually be encouraged to mark them up, because the surface is like a white board.
Jenna Duficy, a former math instructor and now Assistant Head of School, says studies have shown that students learn better when they can easily erase something. “The research suggested that students who can write something and erase it without leaving a permanent mark are more likely to engage in deeper learning, because they’re more courageous in their thinking and risk taking,” explained Duficy.
The Jacarlene Foundation and the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation also helped fund the desk purchase.
And while new desks will help with the instruction here, the secret to Academy Prep’s success if more than just furniture. For 20 years, the private Middle School near Ybor City has been creating successful students through its rigorous program.
Children from low-income families attend the school for free, but they commit to hard work. Students go to school 11 hours a day, 6 days a week, 11 months a year.
“Yes, it’s an incredible program, there’s no doubt about it,” said Evans. “And our students know they get out of the program what they put in.”
Academy Prep’s long-term goal is to turnout community leaders and help stop generational poverty. It’s a lofty goal to be sure, but it all starts with a curious mind, a raised hand and maybe even a new, fancy, desk.