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Departments
& Courses

There’s a culture of innovation and creativity at Tampa Preparatory School. A willingness by the faculty and administration to try new ideas, think differently, push envelopes–anything that better serves students. We’ve transformed education into the absolute best experience for our students and we’re not afraid to shake things up if it means a better, smarter journey.

Preparing Students for Success!

That spirit of “what’s best for students” saturates the school, inspires the faculty to be creative in class and sets the expectation for students that there is always something to be passionate about. The result? Students graduate uniquely prepared to succeed in a world of accelerating change, able to adapt and evolve. And the school keeps moving forward.

See Course Descriptions

Course Highlights

We offer 118 courses in 11 subject areas in levels from College Prep to Advanced Placement (AP). Our core curriculum covers the major disciplines (Arts, English, History & Social Sciences, Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, and World & Classical Language). But from there, it takes off. Each year, faculty are invited to present new course ideas.

Their passions are shared with students through courses such as:

Bioethics

Focused on the ethical, social, and legal issues related to public health & biomedicine

Film Criticism

Students learn to analyze and evaluate film & television

App Development

Exploring the process of coding & designing an app

The Chemistry of Art

Understanding the role that chemistry & science plays in creating art

Graphic Novels

Explore storytelling through art & comics

Sports Medicine

Learn about physical fitness and the treatment of injuries related to sports & exercise

Engineering Design

Learn about engineering & the design process

Forensic Science

See how science is used to examine evidence & investigate crimes

Algebra 3 with Financial Applications

Focuses on the real-life application of algebra concepts

Academic Departments
& Core Curriculum

We at Tampa Prep pridefully provide our students with the best scholastic experiences. Our varying courses and departments allow the freedom of learning and exploration for each student.

The Arts

Tampa Prep provides a wide variety of Arts courses in both Middle School and Upper School for diverse student interests, including Visual Arts, Chorus, Theater, Band, String Ensemble, Video Production, Digital Arts, Dance and more. Students may also staff the school newspaper and yearbook where they write, edit and design student publications.

Students can prepare for Advanced Placement exams in Music Theory, Studio Art 2D and Studio Art 3D.

Students with an interest in intensifying their studies in one particular area can complete our Arts Concentration program.

Learn About Our Arts Concentration

English

In English courses, we’ll challenge you to formulate arguments, weigh and select evidence, reason logically and effectively, write a clear narrative, express personal views, use language imaginatively and present all of the above in clear, grammatically-correct prose.

In addition to the sequence of courses, we offer courses in Creative Writing, Film Criticism, English Literature: Renaissance to 20th Century, Poetry in Motion, True Crime Literature, Graphic Novels, Frankenstein and the Modern Vampire, Shakespeare in Depth and more.

Students can prepare for Advanced Placement exams in Language and Composition and Literature and Composition.

History & Social Sciences

Our History & Social Sciences curriculum will expose you to a variety of historical interpretations to foster open-mindedness, respect for opposing points of view and sensitivity to the complexity of the world. We’ll inspire you to think critically, and to articulate your ideas with clarity.

In addition to the sequence of core courses, we offer courses in Humanities, Advanced Research and Rhetoric, Cultural Anthropology, Introduction to Law, World Religions, US Politics: Presidential Elections, and more.

Students can prepare for Advanced Placement exams in World History, United States History, American Government, European History, Economics, and Psychology.

Mathematics

Mathematics courses teach the systematic approach to problem solving incorporating innovative techniques. Students learn more than the basics and short-term memorization techniques as they explore how to set up, understand and reason through different situations. We recognize the relevance of mathematics in the modern world and we give students the necessary tools to solve non-mathematical problems using these methods.

In addition to the sequence of courses leading up to the Calculus level, we offer courses in Algebra 3 with Financial ApplicationsEconomics, Computer Science and Programming, Statistics and Probability, as well as Calculus III with Analytical Geometry.

Students can prepare for Advanced Placement exams in Statistics, Calculus AB, and Calculus BC.

Tampa Prep offers an interdisciplinary STEM Concentration for rising 10th grade students who relish the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This academic track challenges students to become better problem solvers, and dive deeply into a particular area of science to find out what it really means to become an expert in a field of study.

NOTE: One of our Math teachers, Eugene Jalbert, literally wrote the book on Calculus. His textbook, AP Calculus BC, is available on iTunes.

Learn About our STEM Concentration

Physical Education

The Tampa Prep Physical Education Department’s guiding philosophy is to assist students in their understanding of what it means to live a full, fit life. This is achieved in the Upper School via course offerings such as: Health & Personal Fitness, Dance Style, Sports Medicine, Anatomy & Applied Kinesiology, Applied Physiology and Neurology, Emergency Medical Response, Performance Psychology and Athletic Conditioning.

All middle school students are required to participate in athletics during the last period of their school day. Each middle school student must participate on at least one team during the school year. Other options include a Physical Education class or Study Hall Athletic Conditioning (SHAC) which is a combination of the two.

Learn More About Our Athletics Department

Science

Science courses enhance students’ awareness of their environment and the scientific and technological implications in it. Our courses cross disciplines and challenge students to think critically, while their laboratory experience teaches them to interpret data, construct hypotheses and write clear and persuasive technical lab reports.

In addition to the sequence of core and advanced science courses (Biology,Chemistry, Physics), we offer courses in Robotics (starting in 6th grade), Principles of Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Food Chemistry, Forensic Science, App Development, Web Design with HTML5 and CSS3, Applied Anatomy and Kinesiology and so much more.

Students can prepare for Advanced Placement exams in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics 2, Physics C and Environmental Science.

Tampa Prep offers an interdisciplinary STEM Concentration for rising 10th grade students who relish the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This academic track challenges students to become better problem solvers, and dive deeply into a particular area of science to find out what it really means to become an expert in a field of study.

NOTE: Our STEM and Robotics teacher KK Quah has written two books for LEGO Education that used two of their Education Sets. He also authored Preparing Your Team for FIRST LEGO League, which was sold by LEGO Education and focused on how to problem solve for FLL missions and how to get a process started to come up with solutions. Mr. Quah coached FLL for more than 10 years.

Learn About Our STEM Concentration

World & Classical Language

World and Classical Language courses focus on communication and cultural awareness and understanding. Our diverse faculty includes native and non-native speakers of the languages taught. Middle School students take Prima Lingua in the sixth grade, which exposes them to the structure and basics of several world languages. Beginning in the seventh grade, students have the choice to pursue Latin, Spanish or French. The three-year graduation requirement in the Upper School prepares our students with communicative proficiency that paves the way for further language study, travel or conversational use of the language.

Students can prepare for Advanced Placement exams in French Language, Latin, Spanish Language and Spanish Literature.

Tampa Prep offers an interdisciplinary Global Studies Concentration for rising 10th grade students who are passionate about international issues.

Learn About Our Global Studies Concentration

Ready to Become
a Terrapin?

Our students find many ways to grow academically and personally within our halls, cultivating friendships, pursuing passions and they have fun doing it! Learn what it means to be a Terrapin.

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