Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders: APA Students Selected for Spirit of America Youth Leadership Program
March 2024 - Dan Bazan, Communications & Marketing Director
American Preparatory Academy proudly announces that students from Draper 3 and West Valley 3 campuses have been chosen to participate in the prestigious Spirit of America Youth Leadership program in April. This
transformative four-day residential experience will take place at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, offering an immersive journey into the fundamental principles of freedom.
Students Selected to Attend:
- West Valley 3 Students:
- Lexi Callister
- Yannine Yanez
- Elise Christenson
- APA Draper 3 Students:
- Diana Brito
- Keegan Lowe
- Ana Amaro
- Logan Bazan
- Sophia Aphisa Bhandari
- Ruchirra Chinta
- Braeden Dye
About Spirit of America Youth Leadership: Spirit of America Youth Leadership is a program designed to engage high school students in grades 10-12 from across the nation with the foundational principles of freedom. Through a series of inspiring and educational activities, including mock congressional debates, free enterprise challenges, and historical site visits, students will develop their leadership skills while exploring the profound impact of American history on their lives.
What Students Can Expect: Participants will embark on a journey of discovery and growth, fostering deep connections with peers from diverse backgrounds and honing their leadership abilities. From the Freedom Summit to the Medal of Honor Character Development session, students will gain invaluable insights into the responsibilities of citizenship and the enduring significance of America's founding ideals.
Mission of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge: Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is dedicated to preserving American patriotism and promoting civic duty through education and inspiration. Since its inception in 1949, the Foundation has been a beacon of hope, guiding future generations to embrace the values of liberty, equality, and civic engagement.
As our APA students embark on this remarkable journey, we extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for a transformative experience. Their participation in the Spirit of America Youth Leadership program exemplifies our school's commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals who are poised to make a positive impact on their communities and beyond.
Click here to learn more about Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and the Spirit of America Youth Leadership program.
Freedoms Foundation hosted a national essay contest, an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of, and commitment to, the founding Ideals of America. Out of thousands of essays received nationwide, 11 winners were selected, and two were from our American Prep Draper 3 campus!
The fact that Sam and Taylor were chosen as two of only 11 national winners is a testament to their exceptional abilities and the remarkable education they have received at American Prep Draper 3. Their success speaks volumes about the school's commitment to nurturing a love for our nation's founding documents, American ideals, and academic excellence.
Freedoms Foundation is an organization whose mission is to educate students and teachers about the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship, inspiring them to preserve and advance freedoms.
Another exciting milestone was achieved this year by the Utah Chapter of the Foundation - it sent more students to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, than ever before and this year they sent more students than any other chapter in the country! In all, Utah sent 74 students to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, this spring to participate in civic education.
Please join us in congratulating Sam and Taylor as well as the Utah Chapter of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
Click here to learn more about the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
February 2023 - Dan Bazan - Communications Director
Heroes/National Awards Luncheon
The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge honored their 2023 National Award Winners and Heroes with a celebration luncheon at the Grand Ballroom at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake on February 21st. Catherine Findlay received the Medal of Honor award on behalf of American Preparatory Academy! And seven APA students were honored by the Freedoms Foundation for exemplary civic achievement and received scholarships to attend the summer conference in Pennsylvania.
Catherine Findlay, American Prep's Character Development Director, receives the Medal of Honor from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge on behalf of APA for all the work she has done here to promote freedom.
The American Preparatory Education Foundation joins the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge in providing scholarships to our students, ensuring all have the funds needed to participate. We appreciate our school’s foundation for supporting these deserving students!
Please join us in celebrating the 2023 scholarship recipients!
Click here to see a video about this amazing experience. Encourage your students to apply next year.
Our entire American Prep community wishes to thank the Utah Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Blanch Linton, Awards Chairman, and Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes for attending and supporting this program through the Freedoms Foundation Utah Chapter.
Congratulations to all recipients of Freedoms Foundation Utah Chapter's 2023 National Award Winners!
July 2021 - American Prep receives the Purple Star Designation
This year, American Preparatory Academy was honored with the Purple Star designation from the Utah State Board of Education. This award was presented to APA to recognize our support for military families and help students transition to our school.
Catherine Findlay, Character Development Director, and Dan Bazan, Communications Director, were present to
accept this award on behalf of American Preparatory Academy.
American Prep has expressed support for military families since its inception in 2003. We do this by educating our students through events that honor service members and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.
Earlier this year, our Governing Board passed a resolution publicizing its support for military students and families. This resolution further cemented our commitment to those who sacrifice so much to protect the freedoms we hold so dear.
Our staff understands the challenges our active-duty military families and students experience. This is one of the reasons we strive to make transitions as smooth as possible by offering resources online and campus Points of Contact to act as a liaison for families coming to APA.
If you have questions about how you can support military families at your campus, please reach out to one of our POC's below.
Points of Contact for our Military Families:
- Points of Contact at your American Prep campus:
- Elementary: Mandi Brown (mbrown@apamail.org) or the campus administrative director
- Secondary:
- Draper 3 – Jennifer Stratton (jstratton@apamail.org)
- West Valley 2 – Leslie Parke (lparke@apamail.org)
- Salem – Lisa Denning (ldenning@apamail.org)
- Leslie Flynn, Hill Air Force Base School Liaison, 801-775-5960
Each year, we have the opportunity to submit nominations for Best of State, Utah. This is our chance to share stories about incredible staff, students, and programs at our school. Best of State provides an avenue for us to recognize those who are going above and beyond contributing time, effort, and vision in our schools and our communities.
This year, we are privileged to honor the Sistema Utah program and our Sistema Directors, Connie McCullough and Trina Christensen, as winners of the 2020 Best of State Award.
About Sistema Utah
Sistema Utah is a FREE after-school music program that is offered 3 hours per day, 15 hours each week. We offer a variety of instrument choices: violin, viola, cello, piano, guitar, flute, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, trombone and bucket band. We have two locations serving nearly 350 students in our Title I schools. Every student participates in daily classes - group instrument, general music, choir and homework help.
El Sistema began 43 years ago in a parking garage in Caracas, Venezuela, by Dr. Jose Abreu. Sistema Utah is now the largest El Sistema program in Utah and a core part of the after-school program at American Preparatory Academy. Founded in October 2013, this non-profit organization’s mission is to change the world through music one student at a time.
Sistema Utah is led by Connie McCullough and Trina Christensen, with support from Carolyn Sharette and Catherine Findlay as officers of the Sistema Utah Foundation.
Arts & Entertainment > Performing Arts
- Community Music Program - Sistema Utah
- Musical Instruments - Sistema Utah
Education
- Arts in Education - Sistema Utah
- Early Childhood Music Education - Trina Christensen
- Management and Employee Training- Trina Christensen
Click Here to see all 2020 Best of State Utah winners.
Inspiring news about an American Prep Alum
We received a special message to share with our staff from the father of a former Draper APA alum, Elliott Detjen. Elliott won this year's Best of State, Student K-12.
This is from Jim, his dad, "Our five-year Alumni of APA Draper has been admitted to Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. He won the 2020 Best of State award for Students K-12 and was a Sterling Scholar, finalist. Elliott is also a finalist for both the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship and Foot Locker Scholar Athlete awards. We'll hear back soon... both awards are out of more than 50,000 applicants. None of Elliott's success could have been accomplished without the amazing staff and faculty of APA in his life."
Big THANKS to each of you that submitted nominations, tracked down videos, photos, testimonials, and letters of recommendation. Your support is truly appreciated.
If you would like to submit a Best of State nomination for 2021, please submit here or contact Dan Bazan.