Enrolling Now for Fall of 2024
Enrolling Now for Fall of 2024
We at Gaffney Athletic Preparatory Academy provide Sports Enthusiasts and their families with an individualized Christian value-based academic curriculum with a Biblically World View.
Gaffney Athletic Preparatory Academy (GAPA) one of the nation’s first Technology, Engineer, Athletic, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS) Christian academy with an emphasis on sports careers. GAPA’s T.E.A.M.S concept is a sport-centric core curriculum which offers a unique academic plan that focuses on educating young minds while helping them explore a wide array of career opportunities in the sports industry. GAPA’s Sports Enthusiasts (students) have a collegiate preparatory research-based curriculums, with flexible schedules, web-based courses, and dedicated tutoring sessions. Sports Enthusiasts are instructed by full-time highly qualified Classroom Coaches (teachers). Our program will feature small class (team) settings, EDI approach through the standard of the Abeka Curriculum, the Blended Classroom academic approach, and Restorative Practices focusing on sports examples in the classroom.
Implementation of the Christian value model with the Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) approach Classroom Coaches will use the backward design to develop progressive lessons aligned with state standards that incorporate athletic real-world situations. These lessons' design will include learning objectives, activating prior knowledge, concept development, skill development, lesson importance, guided practice, lesson closure, and independent practice. Classroom Coaches will incorporate lesson delivery strategies that include various strategies to check for understanding to verify Sports Enthusiasts are learning the content, explaining by telling, modeling using think-aloud to reveal strategic thinking, and demonstrating to clarify the content and support all learning styles.
GAPA is committed to creating an environment that inspires learning. Our curriculum will ensure that Tennessee State Standards are learned with depth and breadth. We will also challenge our scholars by adopting rigorous national standards. Our approach to standards mastery will be a unique blend of research-based strategies used by high-performing schools throughout our nation and sports-themed units, and course offerings using Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design (UbD) process.
GAPA is a non-profit, non-denominational International Christian Academy which serves Sports Enthusiasts of ALL Faith, Ethnicity, Races, and Nationalities in grades 8th – 12th and the Postgrad Academy
The innovative design of the T.E.A.M.S learning model provides Sports Enthusiasts with a playbook on how Technology, Engineering, Athletics, Mathematics, and Science are used in the World of Sports.
The T.E.A.M.S model gives Sports Enthusiasts a strategic and winning pathway by using the principles of Athletics within the concepts of STEM. Creative Thinking, Project-Based, and Blended learning systems are the leading trainers within the coaching approach of the T.E.A.M.S learning model.
This type of Teamwork plays beyond the side lines by developing a design-process to assist in introducing Sports Enthusiasts to a starting lineup of the vast careers in the World of Athletics. Each Sports Enthusiasts that attends GAPA, will be coached with a series of strategies and sequences that will empower them to design their own unique playbook for their future College, Careers, and Life.
The Christian Studies Department lays a foundation for GAPA's Sports Enthusiasts that they will build on throughout their lower and upper school experience. Sports Enthusiasts will become familiar with the concepts of God, creation, fall, exodus, covenant, theocracy, kingship, prophesy, Messiah, redemption, salvation, and more.
By studying history through the recorded truth of the Bible and other prominent scholarly sources, coupled with accounts and stories from over 2000 years of faith testimonies, this course stakes the claim that the Christ of the Bible is also the Son of God, the redeemer of the world, and the only means to eternal life with mankind’s creator.
The Technology Department focuses on the study of Technology in sports for Sports Enthusiasts who wish to pursue careers in technology and sports fields.
Course content introduces Sports Enthusiasts to the principles of technology.
The English Department focuses on literary analysis and critical thinking, formal writing, grammar, mechanics, and vocabulary building. The overarching goal of the English Department is to develop Sports Enthusiasts into stronger readers and writers.
Sports Enthusiasts will read, analyze, and write about a variety of texts across cultures, time periods, and genres.
The Science Department strives to provide a current foundation in the elements of a scientific method, theory, applicability, and laboratory practice that will encourage the Sports Enthusiast to acquire an in-depth appreciation of science.
We explore the key role of science in human endeavor and practice a problem-solving, hands-on approach that allows GAPA’s Sports Enthusiasts to observe, analyze, and apply solutions to everyday life.
The mission of the Mathematics Department is to prepare our unique population of Sports Enthusiasts for success in college mathematics and future real-world applications of mathematics.
The focus of the Math Department is to develop, strengthen, and expand skills that encourage conceptual, abstract, and critical thinking in mathematics.
The Social Studies department offers core history subjects for grades 9 - 12. Some of the major learning skills that Sports Enthusiasts will encounter in their coursework are critical thinking, primary/secondary source analysis, problem solving, writing skills development, cause-and-effect relationships, synthesizing information, mapping skills, technology integration, researching, and oral/written projects.
Sports Enthusiasts will relate the concepts and material presented to the world we live in and target examples in everyday life.
The Engineering Department focuses on the study of Engineering in sports for Sports Enthusiasts interested in the various disciplines of engineering.
Course content is arranged around courses that provide Sports Enthusiasts with the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and understanding of sports engineering. Sports Enthusiasts then apply these skills to solve real-world problems.
The Foreign Language Department emphasizes the teaching of language, literature, and culture of the subject area. Classroom coaches are dedicated to increasing Sports Enthusiasts’ oral and written fluency to enable them to interact with native speakers and to continue language learning beyond the classroom. Sports Enthusiasts are engaged through a wide variety of instructional resources and critical thinking activities that develop their ability to thrive in multicultural settings.
The Foreign Language classroom coaches adhere to the National standards for lesson planning and assessments.
The Athletics and Sports Studies Department of focus of study is designed to provide Sports Enthusiasts with knowledge and skills necessary for overall fitness and wellness. It helps non athletes and athletes to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle and prepares them for a lifetime of physical fitness.
The Sports University Department is composed of full and part-time art classroom coaches and a rotating sports career elective series. This department is divided into five main areas of study:
These Electives expand its offerings and exposure to several different Sports Careers Electives courses throughout the year that assist in practice:
GAPA will partner with regional colleges to provide instruction for Sports Enthusiasts. Sports Enthusiasts will be enrolled at GAPA and regional colleges. The Courses will be aligned with their current career path. Upon graduation, Sports Enthusiasts will have earned dual credit from GAPA and college credits to go towards their undergraduate degree program
GAPA wants Sports Enthusiasts to be the best they can be, which is why we also participate in the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. With nearly a dozen AP courses available, our Sports Enthusiasts can feel challenged on and off the field.
At GAPA, we raised standards and aligned graduation requirements higher to best prepare sports enthusiasts for college, careers, and life. Following the implementation of GAPA’s high school Sports Enthusiasts must complete 26 credits to graduate, we want to prepare them to go the extra yard.
The instruction received from highly qualified Classroom Coaches (teachers), effective research-based instructional strategies, and a higher expectation level of graduation credits, which are aligned with the Tennessee State Board of Education performance standards will ensure Sports Enthusiasts are career and college ready. Upon completion of graduation plan, Sports Enthusiasts’ transcripts will include cumulative grade point average, courses completed or attempted with earned credits, ACT, SAT, and CIVICS testing results as applicable.
Performance indicators needed for core subjects.
SEPOD - Senior Exit Project and Oral Defense
GAPA requires all seniors to complete a Senior Exit Project in their senior English class. Guidance and monitoring of this project will be conducted by the English classroom coach. All senior exit projects must be successfully completed by the Sports Enthusiast and approved by their senior English classroom coach. SEPOD fulfills the GAPA requirement of a Senior Project.
The Tennessee Department of Education has raised standards and aligned graduation requirements to best prepare Sports Enthusiasts for college and the workforce.
Following the implementation of the Tennessee Diploma Project, high school students must complete 22 credits to graduate. They also will be tested in core subject areas with End of Course exams, part of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program.
Tennessee State Board of Education (SBE) High School Policy 2.103(1) (e).