James Madison Preparatory School


James Madison Preparatory School is a charter school started in 2000 in Tempe, Arizona. The school was co-founded by brothers Stephen Batchelder and David Batchelder and serves grades 6–12.
WWW madisonprep.org

History

JMPS was founded by the Batchelder brothers to "challenge committed students with a robust, traditional education emphasizing America’s history and system of government." It is a classical liberal arts school which seeks to promote understanding of American history and the United States Constitution.
James Madison Preparatory School opened its doors in the fall of 2000. Fifty-three students showed up on the first day. JMPS had received its charter from the State Charter Board in 1999, having received the highest score ever given for a charter school application up to that time. The first year only 9th, 10th, and 11th graders populated the campus, but by the second year, the school had grown to include 7th, 8th, and 12th graders.
The first graduating class at James Madison Preparatory School was the Class of 2002, which had four graduates. The largest graduating class was the Class of 2012, which had 31 graduates.

Academics

JMPS offers English Grammar, Civics, American History, World History, Geography, Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Economics, Biology, Latin, Chemistry, Calculus, Geology, Western Philosophy, Physics, Physical Education, Political Science, Fine Arts, Composition, and Literature. Also included in their curriculum are "self-reliance" classes designed to provide students with real world, practical life skills, including balancing a checkbook, living within a budget, paying taxes, shopping for insurance, cooking a meal, changing a car tire, and sewing on a button.
JMPS was ranked as an "Excelling" school in Arizona for the 2008–2009 school year based on AIMS test results.

School culture and student government

JMPS has a dress code for students, emphasizing business attire such as slacks, dress shoes, and a polo or oxford shirt.
All students are required to participate in a daily chore at the end of each school day, where the students perform minor routine maintenance on the campus such as taking out classroom trash, vacuuming classrooms, and cleaning bathroom windows. The daily chore is scheduled to take between 5 and 10 minutes.
JMPS has a student-run high school government modeled after the American three-branch system of government.
  • Each year, the school holds an election to decide on the next year's student government president, who then appoints a student cabinet to help manage student affairs, including student fundraisers to fund events such as school dances.
  • The Student President also nominates students to serve on a student Supreme Court, which judges and sentences minor student misconduct cases. Up to nine students may serve on the student court, for terms of up to two years. Students may be re-appointed when their terms end.
  • Students are placed into homerooms, where they decide on two representatives to the school's Student Senate, which votes on Cabinet and Court appointments. The remaining students are encouraged to be involved in the Student House of Representatives, which votes on bills introduced to aid in student government.
The middle school student council serves as a liaison between middle school students and the high school government.

Houses

Students at Madison Prep are placed into "houses," which are also called "homerooms" or "advisor groups." Each house holds approximately 17 students, and one faculty member is assigned to every house. The faculty advisor serves as the contact person between the school and the parents. The advisors work with the students in their group to help guide them through their academic career and their practical college preparation.
All houses compete with each other for house points throughout the school year to earn the honor of being Top House. House points are earned in a wide variety of ways, and a scoreboard that shows the current standings is kept up in the front office.

Clubs

JMPS offers a variety of clubs, including Anime Club, Art Club, Chess Club, Choreography Club, Debate Club, Improv Club, Student Newspaper, Health and First-Aid Club, Yearbook, Weight Training Club, Archery Club, Quidditch Club, and Spanish Club.

Academic Decathlon Team

JMPS offers the Academic Decathlon Team. The season runs during the 1st and 2nd trimesters.
The team members consist of three "A" students, three "B" students and three "C" students, as well as one alternate for each of the three grade groups. The students compete as individuals, winning individual gold, silver and bronze medals, and their scores count toward an overall team score. Winning teams move on to state and national competitions. Each student competes in the following ten academic events: art, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, mathematics, music, science, social science and speech. The final event of the day is the Super Quiz in which the entire team competes in a game-show type setting in front of an audience of family and friends.

Athletics

All sports teams participate in the Canyon Athletic Association. The school participates in:

Fine arts

Fine arts programs include a choir, string section and a rock band. These perform rehearsed pieces at school concerts, and are open to any students interested in joining them.
JMPS also fields a student drumline and color guard, which practice during the fall and perform at football games for JMPS. Each year they hold a performance called "Glownight," which is followed by a bonfire led by the seniors.
JMPS also puts on several theatrical productions, including:
  • A fall/winter play
  • A spring musical
  • A spring production performed by the 8th grade