All Roads Lead to College: A Look Inside Preparatory Education
Serving students K-8th grade, GEO Prep Mid-City takes a focused approach to education by prioritizing college preparedness. Principal Christina Kelly states they “start from the beginning by setting an expectation” to attend college. She highlights that college prep can start as early as kindergarten, “First, we tell students, we want them to matriculate from Kindergarten to eighth grade. Then, we do several activities with the high school.” By affiliating younger students with older students, GEO Prep can cultivate a forward-thinking mentality that points to their mission that “all roads lead to college.”
Starting in kindergarten, GEO Prep students are required to use one of their two free field trip days a year to visit a college campus. The school believes early exposure and expectation are the most significant ways to ensure a student will pursue higher education. The GEO Prep college tours expand beyond Baton Rouge, allowing students to visit schools in Hammond, New Orleans, and Lafayette. Although the young students at GEO Prep Mid-City are not yet ready to make college decisions, Kelly says it is important for them to see what a campus looks like, such as the classrooms and dormitories.
The GEO Prep campuses prepare students academically by allowing them to rise beyond their current grade level. Kelly states, “We have students who perform above their level, and we let them go to the next grade level for certain content areas.” This includes offering high school classes to the middle school students and dual-enrollment opportunities for the high school students. Many GEO-Prep Academy high school students are on track to graduate with an associate’s degree from Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC).
Since Kelly became principal in 2016, she has prioritized the revitalization and growth of Geo Prep Mid City. Kelly shares, it is rewarding to see students and teachers “growing and glowing,” a statement her students and staff hear often. She adds, “Even if students don’t score on [a certain] level, they are still growing and making progress.” Thanks to this vision, GEO Prep Mid-City has won the Top Gains Award and the Louisiana Comeback Campus Award. In just six years, the school increased its letter rating just two points shy of a “B” with a SPS score of 72.8.
GEO Prep Mid-City is one of four GEO Prep schools in the Greater Baton Rouge area. They are active in the community through sports, clubs, and public events. On January 9th, GEO Prep will host their annual Literacy Night from 5:30 to 6:00 pm. At the end of January, they will host an Awards Night to recognize students who score “mastery or advanced” in the school’s Honors Program.
To learn more about GEO Prep Mid-City including their upcoming events, visit their website.