TAGOS Leadership Academy

TAGOS Leadership Academy
Address
1350 N. Parker Drive
Janesville, Wisconsin, 53545
United States
Information
Type Project-Based Charter School
Motto

Purpose - Worthwhile Work - Making A Difference

Established 2007
Oversight Janesville School District
Principal Al Lindau
Faculty 9
Grades 7-12
Number of students 80
Color(s)           Grey & Purple
Mascot Tigers
Newspaper TAGOS Times
Yearbook The Tiger
Website

TAGOS Leadership Academy is a project-based charter school in the city of Janesville, Wisconsin. The school is housed in the former Parker Pen Company facility, now known as the Arrow Park Complex. Al Lindau, the Dean of Students, founded TAGOS Leadership Academy in 2007.

As of the 2008-2009 school year, Tagos had approximately 60 students.

The school name, TAGOS, is Greek for "leadership". The name is also an acronym for Tailoring Academics To Guide Our Students.

Contents

History

The idea for TAGOS began in 2007 with a planning committee made up of community members that included teachers, local business owners, government officials, and local parents.

Receiving initial funding from the state of Wisconsin in the form of a planning grant, committee members visited model project-based schools across the United States, including schools in San Diego, Appleton, Wisconsin, Sante Fe, New Mexico and Henderson, Minnesota. The principles and practices demonstrated to work in the schools visited were then applied and adapted to TAGOS Leadership Academy.

TAGOS opened its doors to 36 students at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. At the time, construction at the building at Arrow Park was underway, so a rental building on S. Main Street in Janesville was used. On December 23, 2007, when construction was completed, TAGOS began its occupancy at Arrow Park.

School grounds and facility

The TAGOS main school building is housed in a former Parker Pen Company warehouse in the Arrow Park Complex. The building is owned by real estate development company Hendricks Development Group of Beloit, WI who helped the Janesville School District locate the site, and then worked with TAGOS to meet the facility needs of the program and renovated accordingly. The building has been renovated twice since re-opening in 2007 and is now 8,000 sq ft (740 m2). It contains a video and audio recording studio, a commercial kitchen and cafeteria, an art and pottery studio, and a library. The school relies heavily on technology. There is a computer for every student and instructor, two smart boards with projectors and a Macintosh computer.

Curriculum

The curriculum at TAGOS Leadership Academy meets state standards in high academics. It primarily consists of student-driven project-based learning. Additional classes or seminars are also available. These seminars cover topics ranging from banking to personal health. All school work is kept on a digital database called Project Foundry, where all the students' work is logged and progress can be reviewed.

Additional academics are, but no limited to:

Awards and recognition

TAGOS has been recognized by EdVisions as a lab school for the organization, a national project-based school cooperative.[1] On July 25, 2008, staff at TAGOS were presented with an EdVisions plaque. TAGOS has frequent visits from educators from around the country.

References

External links