Federal Way Public Academy
Encyclopedia
Federal Way Public Academy (also known as FWPA) is a co-educational university-preparatory school
and charter school
for day students in grades 6-10. The school is located in Federal Way, Washington
, 24.6 miles from Seattle, Washington
. The school was founded by Dr. Ray Griffin in 1999 with the help of former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
executive director, Tom Vander Ark, the superintendent at the time of the Federal Way Public Schools. The Federal Way Public Academy has at times obtained the highest student testing scores in the Federal Way School District.
FWPA alumni have gone on to attend Ivy League
Schools such as Yale University
and Harvard. Alumni currently hold positions in the education
, science
, legal, financial services
, arts
, and medical fields.
. Originally, the school required a formal admissions process inclusive of testing and comprehensive evaluation. Students from many different districts applied and were selected to undergo the admissions process. The school opened its doors September 1999 to a founding class of 120 students in grades 7 & 8. The original school was housed in portable buildings on the campus of Illahee Middle School
. The school crest was originally designed by parent Mr. Steve Potter and includes two tigers (the school mascot
), the symbolic tree of knowledge
, and the lamp of learning immersed in crimson, the official school color.
Students were placed into classes based on admissions test results, with many students being placed into above average mathematics
classes. The first ever graduation occurred in 2001 with approximately a class of twenty. Prior to graduation, the graduating class traditionally took a week long trip with FWPA instructors. The trip was done at a lodge in the mountains where the graduating class took turns cooking meals, playing musical instruments, participating in athletic activities, and group discussion.
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
and charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
for day students in grades 6-10. The school is located in Federal Way, Washington
Federal Way, Washington
Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. Federal Way is located between Seattle and Tacoma. Its western boundary is Puget Sound. It is bordered by Des Moines on the north, Kent, unincorporated King County, and Milton on the east and Tacoma and Fife on the south...
, 24.6 miles from Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. The school was founded by Dr. Ray Griffin in 1999 with the help of former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
executive director, Tom Vander Ark, the superintendent at the time of the Federal Way Public Schools. The Federal Way Public Academy has at times obtained the highest student testing scores in the Federal Way School District.
FWPA alumni have gone on to attend Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
Schools such as Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Harvard. Alumni currently hold positions in the education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, legal, financial services
Financial services
Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies,...
, arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, and medical fields.
History
The Federal Way Public Academy was founded in 1999 by Dr. Ray Griffin, former admissions director of The Annie Wright SchoolAnnie Wright School
Annie Wright School is a preschool-12th grade independent school of about 450 students. It is a co-ed day program through grade 8, and an all-girls day and boarding school in grades 9-12. The upper school offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme...
. Originally, the school required a formal admissions process inclusive of testing and comprehensive evaluation. Students from many different districts applied and were selected to undergo the admissions process. The school opened its doors September 1999 to a founding class of 120 students in grades 7 & 8. The original school was housed in portable buildings on the campus of Illahee Middle School
Illahee Middle School
Illahee Middle School is located in Federal Way, Washington. Originally, the school's mascot was an Indian Brave, symbolizing a virtuous acronym based on the tribe's namesake; however, the mascot has since been phased-out at the discretion of the Federal Way School Board and the logo replaced with...
. The school crest was originally designed by parent Mr. Steve Potter and includes two tigers (the school mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
), the symbolic tree of knowledge
Tree of Knowledge
-Religion and mythology:* Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, a tree in the Garden of Eden, mentioned in the Book of Genesis-Publications:* The Tree of Knowledge, a novel by Pío Baroja* Drvo Znanja, a Croatian magazine...
, and the lamp of learning immersed in crimson, the official school color.
Students were placed into classes based on admissions test results, with many students being placed into above average mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
classes. The first ever graduation occurred in 2001 with approximately a class of twenty. Prior to graduation, the graduating class traditionally took a week long trip with FWPA instructors. The trip was done at a lodge in the mountains where the graduating class took turns cooking meals, playing musical instruments, participating in athletic activities, and group discussion.
Extra-curricular activities
Activities currently offered by FWPA include:- Chess
- Math Team
- Knowledge Bowl
- Journalism
- Music
- Drama (previously offered)
- Cross-Country
- Golf Team
- Fine Arts
- Venture Crew (9th and 10th grades)