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Keeping the PREP culture through change at ACP High
If you go up to any student that attends school in the Chandler Unified School District and ask them what they think about Arizona College Prep (ACP), they would most likely tell you that we are a small, nerd school that is really bad at sports. For the four years that I have been attending ACP, middle and high school, everybody I know comments on how it is a nerd school where everybody knows each other. For the most part that was true when there were only 600 to 700 hundred students in total at the Erie Campus two years ago. But times have changed and now that number has almost doubled. ACP went from everybody knowing each other because of the small size to not knowing half of the people in their class. Even though the change in numbers, ACP is still trying to keep things the same. It has been difficult to pass along the ACP culture. All the new freshmen and transfers have never experienced ACP and how it works.
The big idea that staff at ACP is trying to push is the P.R.E.P. way. The acronym stands for Passion, Relationships, Excellence, Purpose. Of those words, three stand out to me: passion, excellence and purpose. Passion is about encouraging students to find something they enjoy and give it 100%. At ACP, excellence is about putting in the work and taking pride in being the “smart school." And finally - purpose - if you aren't doing something with a purpose, then why are you even doing it at all? A quote that I think about all the time when I hear the word purpose is, “Activity without purpose is the drain of your life” by Tony Robbins. This quote helps me remember that if I’m not happy with something I’m doing or I’m not having fun with it, then I shouldn’t be doing it at all. Another big phrase that ACP has coined is “Strive for the impossible, be extraordinary”, which is read over the announcements every day. It’s part of our culture. We are encouraging people to be different and weird. To have no fear and be yourself. Because the students and staff of ACP are here to support you.
The opening of the new campus and the growth of the school is a new beginning. It is a fresh start for the school. Yes, it is still the same ACP but with a few added things. There are more kids coming to this school so it has become more diverse, and it gives the school a chance to bring together people who wouldn’t usually be together at other schools. In a way, the growth of the school has bettered the culture. Even though we have grown in size, our core values and the culture have stayed the same. It is just being projected to a greater number of people.
chandlercommunicationoffice@cusd80.com
CUSD staff and ACPHS students