Photo by Lexi Coon.
Teacher Mary Vain discusses a lesson plan with students at TRA Prep, which had its first day of classes Aug. 9.
To help local boys find greater opportunities both in and beyond the confines of a classroom, a new school recently opened in Crestwood: The Renaissance Academy Prep School for Boys.
Located at 1220 50th St. South, TRA Prep caters to grades 5-12 and is the only private, Christian, all-boys school in Birmingham.
Jay Callins, co-founder of TRA Prep, said he and his wife Alisha initially began by running a mentoring program for inner city athletes in 2012.
Both Jay and Alisha Callins said they previously taught for Birmingham City Schools, but after becoming frustrated with the inconsistencies of BCS and seeing a disconnect between the faculty and the students, they chose to open their own school. TRA Prep held its first day of classes Aug. 9.
“We felt there was a need for this type of program that caters to young men,” Jay Callins said.
With the help of a diagnostic test to learn each student’s — or “achiever’s” — current proficiencies, Alisha Callins said the school then devises an individualized Achiever Learning Program, or ALP.
The program helps teachers, whose class sizes are never greater than 15, create lesson plans to cover varied learning styles. Alisha Callins said they also use a “carousel classroom,” which creates student-centered environments and allows teachers to work with small groups.
“The teachers here, they actually care more. They actually try to help you more,” senior Keshun Wells said. Wells said he already knows the school is helping him. “This school right here actually makes me want to go to school and learn.”
TRA Prep, which is a member of the Association of Christian Schools International, focuses on education that will lead their students beyond primary school, such as offering an apprenticeship program and focusing on early ACT and SAT preparation.
“It’s good they’re preparing us for the ACT,” sophomore William Summerville said. “They’re trying to go ahead and let us know that it’s a real world out there and stuff isn’t going to be handed to you.”
As the Hornets, TRA Prep plans to compete in the Alabama Independent School Association in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, track and field, tennis, golf, rowing and bass fishing, and Jay Callins said they will introduce their football team next fall.
Practices fall in their school hours of 7:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., during which students not only attend class but also participate in morning devotion, weekly chapel, school electives, clubs, tutoring and volunteer opportunities. They also have a monthly mandatory Saturday school in the mornings to help achievers stay on track.
While TRA Prep currently had 25 students enrolled at the start of the year, Jay Callins said they have big hopes for the future, and would like to install a new playground and on-site garden and continue to grow.
“We’re just trying to be the best all-male private school this side of heaven,” he said.
To learn more about TRA Prep and available scholarships, or to donate to the school, visit traprepbham.org.
