Early on, we decided to start the school year in a fully virtual space with a promise to reevaluate options after Quarter I. Recently we announced that we will continue virtual teaching and learning into the second quarter.

Virtual teaching and learning require commitment, compassion, creativity, and innovation. Our Crew's passion and dedication to ensure our scholars are engaged each and every day is evidenced through their flexibility and adaptability demonstrated since the start of the school year. I am proud to lead a Crew who embraced the challenges of virtual teaching and learning, ensuring that our families were appropriately supported. In this issue of the e-newsletter, you will learn about some of the exceptional work by our Crew with highly experiential subjects such as zoology, art, and music.

Regular wellness check-ins are completed with each scholar to assess their social and emotional needs. Teachers connect with students twice weekly through 2-way communication, where the teacher provides actionable feedback about the scholar's progress, which requires the student to act and reflect on the feedback provided. Our school leaders have been hosting parent meetings, where new processes, important dates, and available resources are shared.

Stay connected with us via Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to receive weekly updates on the work that we are doing to ensure student success.

Athletic Director Andre Criswell and members of his team have developed a fun and engaging athletics program that will be delivered on Instagram and incorporate technology in the form of E-Sports.

The idea for the program developed when Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, announced the suspension of competitive sports before the start of this school year. The goals of this innovative virtual athletics program are helping students maintain their physical well-being, while exposing them to the world of E-Sports and the gaming industry.

Our educators have gone above and beyond - pivoting in their teaching methods and learning new ways of engaging our students in a fully virtual classroom. For experiential courses like music and art, our teachers have designed creative and innovative ways to deliver the learning experience. Click below to see how scholars have expressed themselves in new ways this year.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Tierra Colvin was a member of the graduating class at University Prep Academy in 2016. She went on to graduate from Wiley College and is preparing to further her education with a Masters in Community Development.

She told us, "University prep genuinely cares about the success of their students and they did everything in their ability to ensure I was prepared for college and the real world!"

The Deans of Culture are the backbone of our schools. They are the leaders who help to support and maintain each school's unique U Prep school culture. We are highlighting each one of them, and giving you the opportunity to get to know them a little better with an inside look at their educational journey and what inspires them to be the leaders that they are today. Click below to learn more about them.