Prospect Ridge Academy
Prospect Ridge Academy (PRA) is a K-12 charter school in the Adams 12 School District in Broomfield, Colorado, United States. It was founded as a K-6 school, then added a grade each year. It has now become a full K-12 school, with the high school being built three years ahead of schedule due to popular demand. The inaugural class graduated in May 2018.
| Prospect Ridge Academy | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
80023 | |
| Coordinates | 39°59′39″N 105°01′3.6″W |
| Information | |
| Type | Charter school |
| Motto | Creating Academic, Social, and Ethical Leaders |
| Established | 2011 |
| School district | Adams 12 |
| Principal | Adam DiGiacomo (high school) Steve Thygesen (middle school) |
| Grades | K–12 |
| Average class size | 22 |
| Hours in school day | 7 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Black and yellow |
| Sports | Football, basketball, golf, cross-country, soccer, baseball, spirit, track & field, tennis, volleyball, mountain biking |
| Nickname | PRA |
| Team name | Miners |
| Website | http://www.prospectridgeacademy.org/ |
Elementary/Middle School
The school was founded as a K-6 school, after being approved by the Adams 12 board in 2011, as well as by a unanimous decision from the Broomfield committee.[1] The school purchased land in North Park, a neighborhood development in Broomfield, and began construction on the K-8 building, while the school operated in an office space in Thornton for six months. The school grew to fill the building in the 2013-2014 school year.
The elementary/middle school building is approximately 45,000 sq/ft, complete with a school library and gymnasium. The total cost of building the facility was around $8 million.
Middle School athletics
Prospect Ridge is one of the few remaining Adams 12 schools to offer middle school sports, as most others have eliminated sports due to budget cuts. It offers basketball, volleyball, soccer, cross-country, and golf.
High school
By the 2013-2014 school year, the demand for the high school building was so high that construction was begun in the 2014-2015 school year so that the inaugural K-8 class would also be the first to graduate. The building cost $14 million to build and included a full gymnasium and most of the classrooms. An addition to the building was completed prior to the 2017-2018 school year which included four more classrooms, two teacher work-spaces, and more robust athletic facilities including a weight room and locker rooms. Further work was completed prior to the 2018-2019 school year adding a second gymnasium as well as a regulation football field with track. Future expansion plans include the construction of an auditorium.
Athletics
In the high school's first year, since the only class was the freshman class, the only sports teams were freshman teams. However, sports participation was as high for freshman teams as the surrounding high schools of its size. The high school now in its 6th year, offers football, boys soccer, cross country, boys golf, boys tennis, cheerleading, volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, track and field, girls soccer, and girls tennis. All of the sports now all have a varsity level with some having JV and freshman levels.
Prospect Ridge Academy Sports excluding boys tennis (4A) and football (1A), all participate in the 3A division of the Colorado High School Activities Association, in the Metro League, which includes Jefferson Academy, Peak to Peak Charter School, Kent Denver School, Colorado Academy, Faith Christian Academy, SkyView Academy, Manual High School, Stargate School, and Bishop Machebeuf High School.
Athletic Achievements
Cheerleading: 2019 state champions.
Theater/drama
The school drama club was founded in 2014 by Mrs. Krista Hwang and put on Mrs. Nelson is Missing! as a spring play.[2]
The school's theater company, The Fellowship of the Stage, was founded in 2019 by Mrs. Krista Hwang, Mr. Steve Cutillo, and Dr. Feinstein-Johnson along with the students of PRA's High School Theater Company.
All shows have been performed on the cafeteria stage. There are plans for an auditorium to be built on the school campus in the next five years. The shows that the drama club have performed are as follows:
- Rodgers and Hammerstein's, Cinderella Jr - Directed by Mrs. Krista Hwang 2014 - 2015 school year
- Rodgers and Hammerstein's, The Sound of Music Jr - Directed by Mrs. Krista Hwang and Mr. Steve Cutillo 2015 - 2016 school year
- David Lindsay-Abaire's, Shrek Jr - Directed by Mrs. Krista Hwang, Mr. Steve Cutillo, and Dr. Kelly Feinstein-Johnson 2016 - 2017 school year
- Lynn Ahren's, Once On This Island - Directed by Mrs. Krista Hwang, Mr. Steve Cutillo, and Dr. Kelly Feinstein-Johnson 2017 - 2018 school year
- Disney's, Mary Poppins - Directed by Mrs. Krista Hwang, Mr. Steve Cutillo, and Dr. Kelly Feinstein-Johnson 2018 - 2019 school year
References
- "New Prospect Ridge Academy Charter School Opens in Broomfield | ENR: Engineering News Record | McGraw-Hill Construction". mountainstates.construction.com. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- "Broomfield charter school students' actions lead to new opportunities for acting". Retrieved 2015-10-05.