The Preuss School UCSD
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| The Preuss School UCSD | |
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| Established | 1999 |
| School type | Charter |
| Campus | 4 acres |
| Head of School | Dr. Doris Alvarez |
| Location | San Diego, California, USA |
| Enrollment | 767 students |
| Faculty | 43 full-time |
| Mascot(s) | The Triton |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Homepage | [8] |
The Preuss School UCSD is a coeducational college-preparatory charter day school established on the University of California, San Diego campus in 1999 for students between 6th and 12th grade. The school was named in recognition of a gift from the Preuss Family Foundation, and is chartered under the San Diego Unified School District. The Preuss School uses an intensive college preparatory curriculum to educate low-income students, hoping to improve their historical under-representation on the campuses of the University of California. Every student qualifies for federal free or reduced-price lunch, and tuition is non-existent.[1]
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[edit] History
The idea of establishing the Preuss School was first conceived by Cecil Lytle, Provost of Thurgood Marshall College.[2] His goal was to establish a college preparatory school for low-income students who come from a family without a college graduate. The Regents of the University of California quickly approved the idea and selected Dr. Doris Alvarez to head the project. After funding was obtained in 1998, the school began accepting applications.
By May 1999 the school had received over 500 applications for the charter class. About 300 of these were deemed acceptable by the admissions board, and 150 were then selected via a lottery. These students included sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders, with each class containing about 50 students. The school continued to add a new sixth-grade class each fall, increasing the size of each entering class until the intended total enrollment of 800 was reached.
[edit] Facilities
From the beginning, facilities for the Preuss School were a concern. It was quickly established that it would be best for the school to be located on the UCSD campus to allow students a look at university life. However, finding a suitable location was rather difficult, with all campus land already serving a purpose. For the first year of its existence the school was housed on the campus of the Thurgood Marshall college, in a building called "La Casa," surrounded by eucalyptus trees and within walking distance of UCSD's main library, Geisel Library. [3]
In August 2000 the Preuss School moved to its own new campus at the northeast corner of the UCSD campus. The facilities cost about fourteen million dollars, all of which came from community donors and organizations. The campus has five classroom buildings, each with six classrooms, three on the first story and three on the second. The one exception to this is the science building, which requires more room for labs. The campus also includes an office area, a gymnasium, an outdoor cafeteria, a media/resource center, and a lacrosse and soccer facility.
[edit] Academics
A goal of The Preuss School UCSD is to have each and every student accepted to a college or university. The school shapes its curriculum around college entrance requirements, with the primary focus being the University of California "A-G" entrance requirements.
Every Preuss student takes six years of a foreign language, either Spanish or Japanese. Each student takes seven years of Math, including two basic years, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calulus, and Calculus on-campus, with more advanced courses offered on the UCSD campus via shuttle. Required science classes include Earth Sciences, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. History classes include Western Civilization, U.S. History, and European History. English and Physical Education are also included in the required curriculum.
Each student also takes more electives than at most schools. During sixth, seventh, and eighth grades each student takes three electives each year. In ninth and tenth grades each student takes a year-long elective, while in eleventh and twelfth each student takes two year-long electives. Electives have included Robotics, Engineering, Drama, ASB, Journalism, Publications, Music, Music Technology, and Speech.
One other unique factor about The Preuss School UCSD is its policy on Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Every student is allowed (and required) to take AP classes while at Preuss. Many juniors take three or more AP courses, while everyone takes at least one during their sophomore, junior, and senior years. Native Spanish speakers even take AP Spanish Language in their freshmen year. This requirement is an attempt to increase GPAs for college admissions. Also, with AP credit, students will have to take fewer classes during college, in effect saving each student money.
Preuss is also known for its Standardized Test score results. Preuss has the highest "academic performance index" in San Diego County as of 2005.[4] Its results for STAR, California Standards Test (CST), and the University of California A-G Requirements passed are also higher than that of other schools with a similar student population.[5]
[edit] Schedule
Preuss also uses a different schedule than most schools in order to make room for all the courses offered. Both the school year and school day are longer than at most schools. The school year is 198 days (compared to 180 days for traditional schools), and the school day is 396 minutes (compared to an average of 360 minutes for traditional schools).[6] Preuss also uses a block schedule with four classes meeting on Monday and Wednesday and the other four meeting on Tuesday and Thursday. Fridays rotate between the two.
[edit] College Results
So far, Preuss School students have had positive results from their college applications. Of 2005's 75 graduates, 91% were accepted to a four-year college or university, with the other 9% being accepted to community college.[7] This is more than double the rate of a regular district high school. This group of students also have been offered more than $1.4 million in scholarships, grants and awards.
[edit] Graduation Requirements
Preuss also has several unique graduation requirements. Every Preuss student who hopes to graduate must complete at least ten volunteer hours each year and a total of sixty-five by the end of senior year. Each parent is also expected to volunteer at the school for at least fifteen hours a year, although this requirement is not enforced. Every year each Preuss student must complete a Science Fair project and a year-end display showing the work and progress he or she made that year.
[edit] Preuss student life
[edit] Clubs
Preuss sports over twenty-five clubs and organizations, an unproportionally large number of clubs considering the size of its student body. A majority of these clubs meet after school until five-thirty when the late-activity bus leaves, generally busing over two-hundred students home. A large number of these clubs are science related. Robotics has become somewhat of a sport on Preuss' campus with the school featuring FIRST Robotics and FIRST Lego League as well as Botball teams. Quiz clubs include Science Olympiad, Oceanography Club and National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Black Chemical Engineers Club which focus on practicing for Quiz Bowl-like events. Other science-related clubs include M.E.D. Club, SWAP, and Organ Donation Club.
Due to the school's requirement of community service Preuss also processes a number of outreach clubs. These are led by the Rotary-sponsored Interact, an organization which helps coordinate students with community service events, similar a Key Club. Others include Preuss' chapter of the National Honor Society, a Ecology Club which runs the school's recycling program, and a Student-to-Student mentorship program.
[edit] References
- ^ "Provost's Message" [1], accessed April 2, 2006
- ^ "UCSD Models Collaboration with Area Schools and Launches a Campus Charter School" [2], September 16, 2001.
- ^ "Preuss School Enrolls First Class" [3], Fall 1999.
- ^ "Preuss Background Information" [4], accessed April 1, 2006.
- ^ "School Characteristics and Students' Achievement" [5], June 2004.
- ^ "Preuss Education Model" [6], accessed April 1, 2006.
- ^ "Distance from home a concern at Preuss" [7], June 9, 2004.
