TOPEKA (KSNT) – Middle school students now have the opportunity to excel nearly two years ahead thanks to a Topeka Public Schools (TPS) program introduced in 2018 by Superintendent Tiffany Anderson.
Seventh grade students were officially inducted into the College Preparatory Academy through a coating ceremony, a medical profession tradition, on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The newest round of 7th graders from across four Topeka public middle schools get the opportunity to be a part of an accelerated curriculum and learn up to three grade levels ahead of what they’re currently learning.
Anderson not only serves as the superintendent of TPS but also as the principal of these college preparatory scholars. Something important to both her and her students is the opportunity to teach about commitment and the importance of becoming not only a scholar and future graduate but also becoming successful in their careers.
Much like a white coat ceremony for medical professionals, the jacketing ceremony marks a student’s transition to the advanced math and computer science curriculum.
“We talk to students about, what is a white coat ceremony? What does a doctor go through? My late husband was an OBGYN and a robotics surgeon,” Anderson said. “So, I got a chance to sit in the solemn ceremony with the white coating. In this space, the parents actually coat their students, as opposed to doctors will have a faculty member do it. Parents are a child’s first teacher.”
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College prep scholars also take part in tie-tying and professional dress workshops, participate in college visits, and take the ACT as 9th graders to prepare for success in post-secondary education and career pathways. The jacket the students receive is a gift from some local supporters of the community. But it also represents and symbolizes many things for the school, from the colors to the little details within the patch.
“We talk about the importance of the blue because blue, dark blue, navy blue, black, or gray are the colors that we would like for students to wear when they go in for an interview,” Anderson said. “There’s a patch on their jacket. That patch is the emblem that students created in 2018 when we opened. So as the founder, I really ask students to think about who they are. The jackets themselves and the entire uniform really reflect the pledge that we make to be the best that we can be and really relying on the entire community to uphold us.”
One student who is just beginning his first year at college prep saw this learning opportunity to come out of his shell and meet more people in the community.
“I’d love to just grow up and be myself,” Fernando Paprra said. “And even though you can do believe in yourself, and if you’re shy, you can. You never have to, like, don’t believe in yourself. You like believe in yourself and talk to people and do what you can.”
TPS officials said these 7th graders and first-year scholars will one day become the leaders, business owners and professionals all shaping our community and beyond. They said today is just the first step towards their future.
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