The College Preparatory School

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The College Preparatory School
Mens Conscia Recti
(A mind aware of what is right)
Location
Oakland, California, United States
Information
Head of School Murray Cohen
Students 343
Faculty 51
Type Private
Mascot Cougar
Established 1960
Homepage http://www.college-prep.org

The College Preparatory School (also known as CPS or College Prep), of Oakland, California, is a four-year private coeducational day high school. Its motto is mens conscia recti, Latin for "a mind aware of what is right."

The school's strict academics and small size (approximately 85 students per grade level) have translated into an admissions rate as low as or even lower than many top-ranked American colleges and universities. In turn, many students from CPS go on to study at America's top universities, primarily in California or the East Coast.

In a 2007 Wall Street Journal article, CPS ranked 6th in the nation for its success rate in getting students into selective colleges.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The College Preparatory School was founded in 1960 by Mary Harley Jenks and Ruth Willis. The school originally had 33 students. Undergoing several periods of expansion, the school moved to its current campus in 1983.[2]

[edit] Campus

The original campus was located on Claremont Avenue. The current campus is located at the top of Broadway, near Lake Temescal. Built in a eucalyptus-lined ravine, of usually two-storied wood-shingled buildings connected by balconies, walkways, and courtyards, it is often said that the small campus resembles a ski lodge. At the front of the campus is the Gully, a grassy area with sloped sides, often used for sports or other outdoor activities.

The school sits almost exactly on the western edge of the area burned by the 1991 Oakland firestorm, and narrowly escaped destruction in that disaster. Flames actually advanced partway down the hill at the southern end of the campus before being turned back by firefighters and volunteers; two members of the Oakland Fire Department were later honored for their role in saving the school.

[edit] Curriculum

Students are not "tracked" between honors and non-honors classes, as all standard College Prep classes are taught at the "honors" level, according to the school administration. Grade point averages are calculated on a flat 4.0 scale.

[edit] English

CPS has an extremely rigorous English curriculum, and four years of English class is required of all students. Classes are taught in a room with a round table, to allow for better discussion. Freshmen and sophomores take English I and II, respectively. Juniors and seniors take class together in semester-long English seminars. Recent seminar titles include "From Sappho to Tupac: Poetry Past and Present, East and West" and "Nineteenth-Century American Literature". No AP English classes are taught, but often students still take the exam.

[edit] Science

Students are required to take three years of Science: Physical Science (an introductory Science course) as freshmen, Chemistry as sophomores, and Biology as juniors. Many students take one or more science electives. The standard electives are Physics, AP Physics, AP Chemistry, and AP Biology. Other electives that have been offered in the past include Marine Biology, Immunology and Disease, Issues in Science, AP Environmental Science, Neurobiology, Animal Behavior and Practical Chemistry.

[edit] Mathematics

Students are required to take three years of Math. Classes are designated Math I through V. Math I focuses on algebra, Math II on geometry, Math III on algebra and trigonometry, Math IV on precalculus, and Math V on calculus. Both Math III and IV have accelerated sections, and Math V has AB and BC sections corresponding to the two AP Calculus exams. With enough student interest, either Math VI, which focuses on multivariable calculus, or AP Statistics is offered as a year-long course. Up through Math IV, math classes at CPS are taught in a group format. Students sit at arranged groups that rotate throughout the year. The groups navigate through a text designed specifically for CPS students by the math department, so that the role of the class teacher is merely to facilitate group discussion and explain difficult concepts. Most tests are taken individually, but some are taken as a group, where each member of the group receives the same grade.

[edit] History

CPS students must complete three years of history study. Freshmen take World Civilizations, Sophomores take Western Civilizations (similar to European History), and juniors take US History. No AP courses are offered for these subjects, though students often study for AP European History and AP US History exams. Students can elect to take an extra year of History. Economics is usually offered as one elective; others have included World Religions, Linguistics, 20th Century European Art, and International Law, Human Rights and Genocide.

[edit] World Languages

CPS requires three years of study in world languages, through level III in at least one language. The four World Languages offered are: Spanish, French, Latin, and Japanese. In 2008, CPS will begin a program in Mandarin. AP classes in Spanish and French are conducted in seminar format, where students study an aspect of culture or literature in the language. Students studying Japanese prepare for the AP Japanese exam in level IV/V. Latin students in level IV/V prepare for the AP Vergil and AP Latin Literature exams.

[edit] The Arts

Students are required to complete two years of study in at least 2 arts subjects. Possible art subjects include:

  • Dance classes are generally offered at various levels, and can count toward the fitness requirement.
  • Drama Performance is the class designation for participation in a play. There is one play or musical each semester. Acting classes are also offered periodically.
  • Stagecraft and Drama Tech can be part of a full production, or a separate class. Both receive credit.
  • Visual Arts classes include various focuses, such as 2-D or 3-D art. AP Studio Art is also offered when possible.
  • Photography classes make use of the CPS darkroom.

[edit] Health, Fitness and Recreation

Students must complete 6 semesters of "Wellness". Playing a sport for a semester fills this requirement, which encourages participation in team sports. For those students who do not play enough sports to fill this requirement, Physical Education is the only option.

[edit] Other Electives

  • Introduction to Computer Science
  • Beginning and Advanced Debate
  • Philosophy
  • Women's Studies

[edit] Student life

Assembly, held twice weekly outside in the main courtyard, provides an opportunity for anyone to announce events, share opinions on current events, wish a classmate a happy birthday, or otherwise communicate to the community. While many students in the school come from privileged backgrounds, the school takes proactive steps to increase student body diversity by offering scholarships and prospecting students from a variety of backgrounds. Regularly, the school also hosts Tuesday morning forums with topics varying from AIDS awareness, to sexual harassment and discrimination, to life as a professional author, and to music performances by both students and visiting professionals. Every class participates in an annual retreat to various locations around the Bay Area.

[edit] Diversity

College Prep has recently added a Diversity Coordinator to its staff who, it is hoped, will facilitate both discussion and change in the diversity of the faculty, staff, and students. Students attend the yearly POCIS (People of Color in Independent Schools) conference and stage events such as forums, guest speakers, and classroom discussions.

Students also participate in the school's diversity organizations, such as the Pride in Diversity (PID) club, the Black Student and Faculty Union (BSFU), Latinos Unidos, Asian American Association (AAA), Gender and Sexuality Awareness (GSA), ROCK (Reacknowledging Our Christ as King), Jewish Culture Club, Communist Pirate Society (CPS) and others.

[edit] Athletics

College Prep athletics has a variety of interscholastic teams, though some field sports such as football are not offered because CPS does not own a field. Because of the school's small size, and the policy of exempting students from Physical Education classes during a semester of participation, the percent of students who join sports teams is exceptionally high; over 20% of CPS students were on the soccer team in 2007, for example. Students also participate in league sports not offered at CPS.

College Prep is one of ten schools in the Bay Counties League - East. The school's mascot is the Cougar, and the school colors are blue, maroon, and white. The CPS rival is the Jayhawk of Head-Royce School.

[edit] Cross Country and Track and Field

In part because it does not cut participants, the CPS cross country team usually boasts large participation numbers, and does well in competition. The men's and womens varsity and junior varsity teams often practice together, running in nearby parks such as Lake Temescal Regional Park. The Track and Field team, a more recent addition to CPS athletics, is also competitive.

In 2006, the CPS men's cross country team placed second at the California State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.[3] In 2007, the cross country team placed first and second in NCS, and fifth and seventh in state, for men and women respectively. [4][5]

[edit] Soccer

In the 2007-2008 Seasons, over 20% of CPS students were on either the men's varsity, men's JV, or women's varsity soccer teams. The men's varsity team was 16-7-1 for the season.

[edit] Tennis

With tennis courts located close to campus, Tennis is a popular sport at CPS.

[edit] Volleyball

Volleyball at CPS is highly competitive. Both the men's and women's teams have had successful post-seasons in recent years.

[edit] Basketball

Basketball is the only winter sport at CPS.

[edit] Baseball and Softball

Both Baseball and Softball have had their best records in recent years.

[edit] Swimming

Numerous CPS swimming records were shattered in 2007. The girls team has won 5 straight conference championships (2004-2008).

[edit] Golf

The golf team is a recent addition to CPS athletics.

[edit] Intramural Teams

[edit] Academic Competition

[edit] Debate

The school also has a nationally competitive policy debate team, which won the national Tournament of Champions in 2003 and reached the final round in 2004.

[edit] Math

Most students at CPS take the AMC10 and the AMC12. Many students qualify for and take the AIME, and several of those eventually travel to the USAMO.

CPS also has a casual mathematics team, who train by taking California Mathematics League tests and compete in local Math competitions. The team members refer to themselves as Mathletes.

[edit] Chess

There is no official chess team as CPS. However, CPS has had several nationally ranked chess players, and there is a strong chess presence on campus.

[edit] Foreign Languages

[edit] Events and Traditions

  • The school newspaper is the "College Prep Radar", and the yearbook is known as Entropy.
  • Every year the school features a large scale performing arts event, alternating yearly between a musical and music "tour", where the Jazz Band and Orchestra perform around California. Also, there are music and dance performances by arts clubs and classes several times each semester on the school's campus.
  • "The Snow Trip" is a three-day trip to Bear Valley in the Sierra Nevadas after semester finals in January
  • "CPS Day" is a morning of alternative education and an afternoon of work assignments for the benefit of the school grounds
  • "Intraterm" is a week in the middle of spring semester which affords students the opportunity to travel on an organized trip or take or teach alternative classes.
  • Students participate in various community-awareness activities such as Oxfam and Adopt-a-Family.
  • "Senior Ditch Day" is a healthy CPS tradition where seniors decorate the school with elaborate signs and artwork, adhering to one unified theme. It generally takes place in the last few weeks of school, and is actually condoned and chaperoned by several faculty members, who remove content that is in poor taste.

[edit] Tuition and Endowment

The CPS tuition for the 2007-2008 school year is $26,850, with 23 percent of the student body receiving need-based grants.

The CPS endowment is very low compared to other schools of its caliber. According to PrepReview.com, the CPS endowment is currently $9 million, or $26,866 per student.[6] The average endowment for the top 30 day schools listed on the site is $45 million.

[edit] Test scores

The mean SAT scores (on a scale of 200-800) for the Class of 2007 were 716 critical reading, 715 math, and 719 writing.[citation needed] The most recent national averages were 503 critical reading, 518 mathematical, and 497 writing.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notes and References

  1. ^ "How the Schools Stack Up", Wall Street Journal, 11/30/2007
  2. ^ Becoming A Real School 1960-1990 : The Story of The College Preparatory School by Robert Baldwin, Jr. Berkeley, CA : Regent Press, 2004.
  3. ^ "2006 CIF State XC Championships Division V Boys
  4. ^ "2007 CIF State XC Championships Division V Boys"
  5. ^ "2007 CIF State XC Championships Division V Girls"
  6. ^ PrepReview.com
  7. ^ "The Carlyle Group Names David Marchick Global Head of Regulatory Affairs; New Position Will Provide Government Affairs, Regulatory and Strategic Advice", press release 9/19/2007
  8. ^ Lannan Foundation award bio
  9. ^ "So what do you do, Romesh Ratnesar?", mediabistro.com, November 11, 2003
  10. ^ Staff bio, TIME website, January 2004
  11. ^ Attended but did not graduate.

[edit] External links


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Bay Counties League - East

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