We have seen so much progress in our students already as everyone has embraced their prep year. Fine tuning study skills, meeting interesting people, and willingly accepting all challenges is paying off already. We are excited to share some highlights from the recent weeks as everyone has been working very hard to get the most out of this experience. There has been measurable improvement both in and out of the classroom and we are really looking forward to see how far it will go as we are still just getting warmed up!
Registration for the Prep Class of 2023 is open and has begun to fill, as we have held our several open houses. Contact us now to attend an upcoming orientation and to schedule a Prep for a Day visit to see the program in action!
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Career, Culture & Current Events |
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Students continue to research and present current events articles, and are clearly growing more comfortable with their public speaking. We have been impressed with students' abilities to speak knowledgeably in front of the class, and lead thoughtful discussions on their topics. We have discussed and visited several local sites with strong ties to history. |
We saw the Van Allen house in Oakland, which served as headquarters for General Washington briefly in the summer of 1777. It was very interesting to be there and discuss the continental army's journey in the mud that summer from Morristown to Rockland along what is now Rt 202. We also spent time at the Camp Merritt Memorial in Cresskill. It was eye opening to learn about how 800 acres of modern day Dumont and Cresskill served as a camp for training troops preparing for World War I a little over 100 years ago. The memorial has become even more relevant over the past few years as it was built to honor those who died there in the spanish flu pandemic of that time. It led to an interesting discussion comparing and contrasting the pandemic we are enduring with the one of that time.
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Other enrichment days have also been incredible experiences; We took a tour of the Bergen County Jail, set up by Park Ridge Police Chief Joseph Madden. There we had the opportunity to learn all about careers in law enforcement, and get a taste of life as a recruit from Lt Damian Pope, OIC of the Bergen Police Academy.
A visit to Dr Davies Farm in Congers yielded so many takeaways. From learning the family history of Dr Davies (one of the only female medical doctors in Rockland in her time), to the process of making cider and donuts, and running a successful agritourism business. The most incredible donuts and cider we have ever tasted!
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We met with several other very successful people who shared their experience with us; Assemblywoman Lisa Swain gave us insight into public service and framework of local and state governments. NFL Agent Jon Perzley spoke of the 4.0 mentality, which we can all have as we attack the goals and challenges in our lives. |
While we ate lunch at the Mahwah Bar and Grill, Owner Craig Kunisch spoke of the family history in the business and what it takes to be successful in the restaurant industry. Super Bowl Champion Chris Snee brought his two rings and told his story coming from small town PA with a chip on his shoulder to rise to the pinnacle of professional sports.
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NBA Senior Vice President Chris Halton gave an outstanding presentation about how we can build our brand and set ourselves apart from the competition at every level . It was so interesting to see how replay, statistics, and other platforms have evolved as Chris's group leads the most technology forward professional sports league in the world.
In the weeks ahead, we will be visiting a local museum, and heading into New York City to get a behind the scenes look at commercial real estate with a stop by Rockefeller Center.
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We covered so much information in Healthy Living last term as students have a greater knowledge of how to create a healthy meal plan, read food labels and what their individual nutrient needs are! We are gearing up for our next Assessment which tests students knowledge of our macronutrients (Carbs / Protein / Fats). Understanding that not all macronutrients are created equal will open their eyes to making better choices and being more conscious of what they are putting in their bodies. The benefit of learning how to fuel your body at such a young age will pay great dividends for athletes looking to improve performance in addition to creating healthy habits for life! |
Sports Psychology & Leadership |
At the close of the first quarter, students submitted their first reflection paper about a topic of their choosing and they were so much fun to read! Their writing was very thoughtful and they applied the topics from class to their own lives seamlessly. Since then, we have completed our second exam and are moving on to our final chapters for our Sports Psychology lessons before we shift to a focus on Leadership in Sports (and life). I am hopeful that some of the lessons the students have learned and continue to learn in the classroom will begin to show in their athletic careers as they put them into practice on the field/court! |
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Our enriched Algebra class is finishing Unit 2 as students have been exploring ratios and percents, even taking a dive into some challenging probability lessons. Working with factorials, permutations, and combinations has given us a unique way to master some important fundamental concepts while introducing some more advanced topics to be seen in high school. Many of our students took the HSPT and other high school entrance exams these past few weeks and the feedback has been that they felt very well prepared by the work we completed this fall to practice in advance. |
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Before we knew it, the first ELA Term was over! This school year is moving very quickly with exciting growth in reading comprehension, essay writing and an incredible improvement in the students public speaking abilities. This term students' will be taking on John Steinbeck's classic fictional masterpiece "Of Mice and Men". Detailed character study, continued essay work and engaging class discussions have already begun and the active reading work that was our focus in term 1 is already quite noticeable. Continued emphasis on reading comprehension, writing skills, building vocabulary, and using active reading skills is on tap for term 2! |
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Marking Period 1 has flown by in science. A foundation in both Forensics and Biology has been established. Students have enjoyed several hands-on labs to date. Currently they are learning about the proper protocol of Crime Scene Investigation. This week they are working on Crime Scene Sketches showcasing their artistic talents. Over the next few weeks, they will be working on a major project that involves applying skills learned in MPI to solve a crime. I look forward to seeing how well they narrow down a suspect list from daily interrogation reports; process the evidence provided; and reach a decision as to motive, opportunity, and ability of the individual or individuals involved in committing this crime. In addition, in MPII students will be learning about the scientific importance of Fingerprints, Blood and DNA evidence. |
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Students continue to embrace all aspects of our Personal Development program. They have been submitting activities such as cook for the family, win the morning, tutor a sibling, household chores, and more. Several students have opened their own checking accounts and with their phones deposited the checks written to them by The Prep. We have had class lessons on give and take, taking ownership, mindfulness, and have all completed our laundry essential skills lesson. |
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Having now completed our first major block of training and testing, the program takes a step forward with more external loading. Our first period focused on general movement literacy, ensuring that all athletes have a firm grasp of the most fundamental movement patterns and building work-capacity to support future work loads.
Our end of cycle assessments showed improvements across the board in strength, speed, explosiveness and capacity; a handful of athletes more than doubled their reps in the strength tests (push ups, pull ups, sit ups), we saw multiple tenths of seconds shaved from 40 times and vertical jumps approaching 30 inches. A group of students even improved their mile time by more than 30 seconds.
The next cycle builds upon this foundation by introducing additional loading. So we expect to see significant strength and speed gains.
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Follow The Prep Class of ‘22 as they explore the #pathlesstraveled |
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