Our Board of Trustees consists members from three families. Our backgrounds include bachelor's and master's degrees in a variety of business and education studies; years of teaching experience in public, private and homeschool environments; and more years of corporate and entrepreneurial business experience.

The Heritage Preparatory Academy Board consists of:

• Ed & Tammy Kendrick

• Jarod & Alisha Luebchow

• Galen & Clair Litwiller

As faculty is one of the most influential elements of school culture, we seek individuals who demonstrate a love of God, a love of learning, and a love of children! Teachers must share the vision of a classical, university-model school and be able to participate in the integrated instructional approach that involves parents. They must be positive character role models and demonstrate personal mastery over the course content they teach. Effective communication skills and having the ability to motivate and inspire students toward learning are key.

Once hired, faculty will be challenged to deepen their own grasp of the subjects they teach, as well as their understanding of the classical approach. Heritage Prep will provide professional development opportunities for faculty to reflect carefully about the connections between their subject matter and the Christian worldview.

Meet the staff for the 2007-2008 school year:

• First and Second - Mrs. Cindy Otto
• Third and Fourth - Mrs. Kathy Hasselbring

• Fifth-Eighth - Mrs. Alisha Luebchow (English)

• Fifth-Eighth - Mrs. Clair Litwiller (Science)

• First-Eighth History will be done in unit studies

• High School - private tutoring is available - call for details

The university-model integrates challenging academics, student activities and Christ-like character development, and affirms the parents' role as the primary influence in their children's lives by redirecting time from the school to the family.

The UMS approach employs a university-style schedule adapted to the elementary, junior, and senior high levels. Paid professional teachers teaching in their areas of expertise conduct central classroom instruction. Elementary students attend classes on Tuesday and Thursday while secondary students go to school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Students spend alternate days at home where parents continue the instruction or monitor student progress. Teachers provide parents with detailed lesson plans and instructions for days spent at home. Parents need not have teaching experience.

The UMS approach caters to a wide variety of student needs by allowing a range of enrollment opportunities. A student may choose to enroll in only one or two classes or may elect to take a full academic load. Much like courses listed in a college catalog, each course description contains information about the course, prerequisites, and parental involvement required for that class. Tuition is paid on a per course, per semester basis.

The classical method of education is a three-stage approach to instruction with the goal of producing graduates who have mastered the art of learning so that they may skillfully acquire and apply knowledge, reason critically and articulate persuasively.

Referred to as the Trivium (Latin for "three ways"), this approach consists of the grammar, logic and rhetoric stages, each building on its predecessor Basic factual content and rules - the "grammar" - of any given subject must first be mastered; then an understanding of how to apply the facts - the "logic" - must be discerned; and finally, the ability to synthesize the foregoing into an articulate argument - the "rhetoric" - must be developed. The Biblical equivalent to this progression is found in the admonition to pursue knowledge, understanding and wisdom.

Classical education organizes learning around the maturing capacity of the child's mind. The curricular emphasis during the grammar school years is on learning basic facts and figures during the time when children love to memorize (and when they are best at doing so). The subsequent emphasis during the middle school years on logic and analysis trains students to think critically and deeply about academic subjects. This emphasis corresponds with the middle-school student's bent toward exploration, questioning, and a desire for deeper understanding. Finally, the emphasis during high school shifts toward honing rhetorical skills, including writing. This shift prepares students to write college-level theses, utilizing their grasp of proper grammar as well as their ability to think logically and critically. The structure of the Trivium recognizes that there is an ideal time and place for each part of learning: memorization, argumentation, and self-expression.

At Heritage Prep we affirm that parents are a child's first and best teachers. Parents are the single most influential factor in a child's educational performance, as well as in the emotional, social, and spiritual development of that child. Therefore, Heritage Prep seeks to assist parents in their God-given task to train their children in mind, body, and spirit (Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6:4). By providing time, flexibility, and academic expertise, we hope to develop a partnership that enables parents to adequately fulfill the Lord's commands for the education and training of children for His glory. Heritage Prep will provide a support structure for parents through a Character Development program as well as through seminars for parents to deepen their own understanding of academic subjects, classical texts, and the way in which faith shapes their worldview.

At Heritage Prep, our goal is to challenge but not exasperate our students. While we maintain rigorous academic standards for our students, we resist a learning environment hampered by excessive competition or pointless drudgery. We will foster wonder and delight in the academic process through hands-on learning, real-life experiences, field trips, and special academic events that bring joy to learning. A classical education should not be rigid or dull, but full of life! We want our children to not only learn, but to love learning.

Heritage Prep is not presently equipped to provide special assistance to students with learning disabilities, which would require help beyond what you are able to give at home or through other means.