The College Preparatory School
| The College Preparatory School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Motto | Mens Conscia Recti (A mind aware of what is right) |
| Established | 1960 |
| Head of School | Murray Cohen |
| Faculty | 48 |
| Number of students | 331 |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Website | 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 80 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.
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.
Campus
Originally located on Claremont Avenue, the school's current location is at the top of Broadway. 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.
Curriculum
As at many schools, students must complete a certain number of courses in English, science, math, foreign language, history, art, and physical fitness (known as "Wellness"). In addition to these courses, a number of electives are offered. Students are not "tracked" between honors and non-honors classes, as all standard CPS classes are taught at the "honors" level, according to the school administration. Grade point averages are calculated on a flat 4.0 scale. Some elective classes, especially in math and science, are designated as AP test preparatory, although many juniors or seniors in classes not specifically test-oriented, such as English and History, also take those respective APs.
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, to music performances by both students and visiting professionals. Every class participates in an annual retreat to various locations around the Bay Area.
Diversity at CPS
CPS 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), Buddhist Society Club (BSU), Jewish Culture Club, Communist Pirate Society (CPS) and others.
Athletics
CPS athletics has a variety of interscholastic teams, including cross country, soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, swimming, golf, and track and field. CPS has a number of intramural sports teams, with matches held during lunch breaks.
CPS 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. Their rivals are the Jayhawks of Head-Royce School.
Events
The school newspaper is the CPS Express, 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." Also, there are music and dance performances by arts clubs and classes several times each semester on the school's campus. Other annual events include the Snow Trip, a three-day trip to Bear Valley in the Sierra Nevadas after semester finals in January; CPS Day, with a morning of alternative education and an afternoon of work assignments for the benefit of the school grounds; Intraterm, 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; and a number of community-awareness activities such as Oxfam and Adopt-a-Family.
For the 2005-2006 school year the CPS tuition is $23,275, with 24% of the student body receiving need-based grants. The mean SAT scores (on a scale of 200-800) for the Class of 2005 were 724 verbal and 713 mathematical. The most recent national averages were 508 verbal and 518 mathematical.