Attention Incoming 7th and 8th Graders!

An Important Message Regarding Latin Course Work from Mrs. Lengel-Zigich, Assistant Headmaster

Dear Future Spartan Families,

We are so excited to welcome you to our campus for the 2024-2025 school year! Today we wanted to reach out to you to provide what is hopefully some helpful information regarding academic choices for your child. 

Our middle school students begin taking Latin as their foreign language in sixth grade. Thus, incoming seventh or eighth graders are often a bit anxious about the transition into our school due to the foreign language requirement. We strongly encourage students who have had no Latin exposure to enroll in a summer school course to better prepare them for the transition into our school. 

The typical trajectory for a Scottsdale Prep student is Latin I in sixth, Latin II in seventh, and Latin II in eighth. A new 7th or 8th grader to our campus will automatically be placed in Latin II. For this reason, we advise all new students to take a Latin I course over the summer such that they have some additional support prior to the school year. 

Below you will find links to our suggested online courses. We have found that these best align with our curriculum and have proven helpful to students in the past. Should you have any questions regarding Latin requirements, please do not hesitate to reach out.

• Agilix: Online Self-Study Course Work (Email: SCoolidge@scottsdaleprep.org)
• GH Online Summer Courses

I look forward to meeting you and your students in August!

Marisa Lengel-Zigich

Assistant Headmaster | Curriculum & Instruction

Headmaster

Mr. McAfee serves as Headmaster at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy and joined our community in 2022 after serving as a teacher and Headmaster in other classical schools.

Mr. McAfee earned his BA in Education and Social Science from Prescott College, and his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. He has taught history (particularly U.S. History) and English in different schools since 1997. In 2013 he was the founding Principal at Benjamin Franklin High School in Queen Creek, AZ. He also served as two years as Headmaster in Ascent Classical Academy in Colorado.



Mr. McAfee lives in Queen Creek with his wife Sheila. Their two daughters have graduated college, and their son is at Washington and Lee University. Mrs. McAfee works at the Phoenix Airport (a job taken so they could bring home their college students for the holidays without selling a kidney). Mr. McAfee, a retired collegiate baseball player, has traded in his soccer/football/baseball/softball coaching career for golfing (when it is hot and cheap), long walks with his dog Montie, reading, and a new passion for smoking meats.

Assistant Headmaster | Director of Curriculum & Instruction

Mrs. Lengel-Zigich has been with Great Hearts since 2015 and came to work at Scottsdale Prep in 2021. She first began as a Kindergarten Assistant Teacher then became a Lead Teacher in Fourth Grade before moving to Scottsdale Prep to teach 6th and 7th grade Literature & Composition. Prior to Great Hearts Mrs. Lengel-Zigich taught freshman and sophomore Honors English at Pinnacle High School and additionally created Core Knowledge curriculum for local non-profits in coordination with the Scottsdale and Paradise Valley School Districts.

Mrs. Lengel-Zigich received her Bachelor’s Degree from ASU in English Literature with an Emphasis in Secondary Education and a Minor in Religious Studies. She received her Master’s Degree in Classical Education from the University of Dallas through Great Hearts’ Quintilian Fellowship.

Mrs. Lengel-Zigich is a proud mother to two Great Hearts students and additionally a mother to two dogs, three cats, and a fish! She married her high-school sweetheart and best friend, Mr. Lengel-Zigich and agreed to take his lengthy name. In her spare time Mrs. Lengel-Zigich loves watching wonderful films and devouring great books.

Assistant Headmaster | Director of Student Life

Mr. Laugen began serving Scottsdale Prep as an Assistant Headmaster in Spring 2023. He is a 1993 graduate of Coe College, a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He spent fifteen years as a classroom instructor in both Iowa and Arizona before making the move to administration while earning his M.Ed. in Education Administration from Grand Canyon University in 2009. He fondly shares that over his thirty years of experience, he has enjoyed working with students and families in every capacity from substitute teacher to Head of School. Most recently, Mr. Laugen served as the Head of School at Cross Schools in Bluffton, South Carolina. He has also held roles as an administrator at independent schools of caliber in Arizona, Michigan and Texas.

Mr. Laugen also brings a deep appreciation for developing students through extra-curricular activities, cultivated over his twenty-three years of experience as a high school football coach, and twelve years of experience as a high school baseball coach.

Assistant Headmaster | Director of Operations

Mr. Clement serves as both Assistant Headmaster and the Director of Campus Operations. He first joined the Scottsdale Prep faculty in 2012-13 and has served the Academy as the Fine Arts Master Teacher, Network Instructional Coach, music teacher, Speech & Debate coach, and Director of Instrumental Ensembles. He was honored to be recognized as Scottsdale Prep’s 2015 Teacher of the Year.

He is a native of Arizona and earned his Bachelor of Music from Arizona State University. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Speech and Debate Coaches Association, directing State Tournaments as well as Scottsdale Prep’s annual Congressional Debate tournament.



Mr. Clement is blessed to be married to “the better Clement.” He and Mrs. Chasse Clement began dating a few months after she joined the faculty and have been happily married since 2016. They enjoy travel, escape rooms, milkshakes, and spending time with their two black cats (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern).