Washington Preparatory School

Washington Preparatory School (WaPrep) is an exciting college preparatory school (6th-11th grade) that emphasizes STEM, project learning, communication skills, and entrepreneurial thinking. 2020-2021 will be our third academic school year. However, the year 2020 is different for institutions of learning across our nation. Tuesday, March 3, 2020, was WaPrep’s day 1 for remote instruction as COVID-19 and the Flu were real threats to our community safety. Thankfully, our students and faculty did not miss a beat. Faculty and students alike had new tasks and skills to learn, we all had good days and not so good days, yet resilience showed us the path to June, learning continued at a high level, and our 8th-grade moving-up ceremony in our parking lot was a success. The guiding principles of WaPrep, our five pillars, allow students to engage in our rapidly changing world effectively. Academic excellence achieved with the internationally renowned International Baccalaureate Diploma Program for juniors and seniors, international and intercultural involvement, experiential learning opportunities, service learning and leadership, and STEEM (science, technology, entrepreneurship engineering, and math) creates a relevant and healthy recipe for successful college preparation. Washington State has been my home for the last thirty-two years. Before jumping on board with WaPrep, I enjoyed serving in two highly respected independent schools. For nine years, Charles Wright Academy and, more recently, twenty years at Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences. I have served as teacher, coach, outdoor and international trip leader, dean of students, head of upper school, and dean of faculty for STEM program areas. In each of these roles, I was responsible for providing opportunities for each student to grow academically and personally.