HIGHERACHIEVEMENT

PROGRAMGENERAL INFORMATION

Dates

Administration

Fordham Preparatory SchoolEast Fordham Road

Bronx, NY 10458(718) 367-7500

www.fordhamprep.org

Opening Ceremonies:Monday, June 29, 2015 Graduation Exercises:Thursday, July 30, 2015 HAP is in session Monday through Friday from Opening Ceremonies to Graduation Exercises. School will be closed on July 3rd for the July 4th Holiday.

President:Christopher Devron, SJ Principal:Robert Gomprecht ‘65 Assistant Principal for Academicsand Student Life, HAP Director:Theresa Napoli HAP Assistant Director:David Gelpi, Ph.D. HAP Associate Director:Mella O’Halloran

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HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAMGENERAL INFORMATION

History Academics Afternoon ActivitiesThe Higher Achievement Program was founded in 1964 at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, New Jersey. In the years since its inception at St. Peter’s, HAP has spread to a number of Jesuit High Schools throughout the Northeastern section of the United States. The 2015 Summer Session will mark the 39th anniversary that HAP has been in session at Fordham Prep! This unique five week program combines academics, ath-letics and creative enrichment activities while teaching that learning can be fun and exciting.

Every morning that HAP is in session, students take the following courses designed to improve their perfor-mance on the TACHS (Test for Admission to Catholic High Schools) exam: English, Study Skills, Math, Reading and Writing. The reading curriculum includes reviewing the elements of fiction and reading several short stories. For the most part, the stories are read aloud and then discussed. At the end of each story the boys are tested on the content and vocabulary. The math curriculum focuses on the major topics found in many 8th and 9th grade math courses, as well as reviews topics covered in most 7th grade programs. The goal is to help students review and prepare for 8th grade math and the high school entrance exam. These math topics in-clude adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, posi-tive and negative integers, fractions and decimals, solving algebraic equations, working with inequalities, graphing, simple geometry, percent problems, ratio and propor-tion, and the techniques of solving word problems. The students will be tested throughout the course on material presented and will be given an evaluation from the teacher at the end of the program. The curriculum offered by the HAP English Department strives to present students with a firm foundation in basic language arts and study skills. The Language Arts pro-gram focuses on grammar, proper usage, and spelling. All of these skills are integrated so as to provide students with the tools they will need for academic success in high school. Student performance is assessed by means of a series of worksheets, quizzes, and comprehensive exams tailored to treat a variety of topics covered in the TACHS exam, ranging from basic rules of spelling to agreement of subject and predicate The writing workshop curriculum is designed to focus on the key elements of quality writing. Writing tasks will be assigned in class, discussed as a group, and worked on individually. Students will be coached on the shape and coherence of the tasks, awareness of purpose and audi-ence, effective use of words, sentence structure, and sen-tence variety. Tasks may include journaling, strategies for a short story review, the descriptive paragraph, the per-sonal narrative, poetry, the persuasive paragraph, the in-formational paragraph, and biographical writing

During the afternoon session, HAP students participate in a variety of athletic and cultural activities, including: • Basketball • Dodgeball • (Two-hand touch) Football • Softball • Soccer • Track and Field • Sports Clinics (Baseball, Lacrosse, Rugby) • Board Games • Music Enrichment Presentations • Studio Art Workshops • Science Exploration & Enrichment • Service Project The balance of academics in the morning and sports and culture in the afternoon is conducive to an educational environment that strives to foster the Jesuit ideal of Cura Personalis, a Latin term meaning “care for the person,” as well as Fordham Preps three tenets of Faith, Scholar-ship, and Service.

As an integral part of a vibrant Jesuit community, the Higher Achievement Program’s various afternoon activi-ties all foster the student’s character development, includ-ing personal integrity, sportsmanship, and the wellness of mind and body.

By the time of graduation, HAP students will not only be intellectually and physically prepared for the challenges that lay ahead in eighth grade and beyond, but they will also be well on their way to being “men for others.”