Windermere preparatory school
Encyclopedia
Windermere Preparatory School is a private
, coeducational PK-12 college preparatory school in Windermere, Florida
, established in 2000. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Florida Council of Independent Schools, and International Baccalaureate World School.
Windermere Prep was also one of the first private schools in Orange County, Florida
to be fully wireless, requiring most students to bring their own laptops to school.
It is currently under the ownership of Meritas, LLC, a worldwide family of college preparatory private schools. With the purchase of the school by Meritas, the school has undergone great expansion ranging from a state of the art gymnasium to a brand new baseball field. A new high school building was built during the summer of 2009, with specialized Mac labs and a brand new band room, along with many brand new classrooms. New independent buildings include a Starbucks
style café, fully equipped locker rooms, and a weight room.
Windermere’s reputation was forever tarnished by faculty member Michael Finnegan as he harassed hotel guests at a Chicago hotel in 2007.
Dr. Finnegan was with a group from Windermere and allowed the students to socialize in the hotel hallways at unreasonable hours in the evening. When hotel guests complained about noise from the students, the guests were confronted at the elevator the following day by Dr. Finnegan and his students in a “gang - like“ manner.
Dr. Michael Finnegan demanded that if the hotel guests had a problem with his kids, the guests could move to another part of the hotel.
The hotel guests felt that since Dr. Finnegan was responsible as a chaperone, the guests should not have to move to another area just because the Windermere students were scheduling un-reasonable social time in the hotel hallways at 2:00 a.m. in the morning.
When the hotel guests arrived at the lobby to complain about the encounter with the teacher,
Dr. Finnegan showed up yelling at the guests with childish behavior, unbecoming of a faculty member of such a prestigious school.
Dr. Finnegan’s inability to see reason and compassion for guests of the hotel showed that he had a false sense of self entitlement.
More damaging was the poor example he presented to the students.
The hotel guests contacted the Chicago area police and an arrest warrant was being drafted against Dr. Finnegan for harassment. It was never served because the group left quickly the next day.
Dr. Michael Finnegan’s arrogance greatly tarnished Windermere and made headlines with many Chicago area media outlets.
's Legislative Division 16. The school's athletic teams are called the Lakers, and the school colors are red, white, and blue.
The school sponsors the following sports:
Fall
Winter
Spring
In 2007, a player on the boys golf team won the FHSAA Regionals, and went on to finish 31st at the FSHAA State Finals. The Windermere Prep Blue basketball team came in second place and the Red Team came in 1st place in each of their leagues.
. In 2006, Team 1649, aka Team EMS (Engineers Mentoring Students), won the FIRST
Florida Regional. It also won the FIRST Florida Regional in 2009, and went on to finish as semifinalists in the international FIRST championships, ranking 18th worldwide. Along with regional champion awards, the team has been recognized with other awards such as the Rookie All Star Award, Innovation in Control Award, Judge's Award, and most recently the 2011 Florida Reginal Creativity Award.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, coeducational PK-12 college preparatory school in Windermere, Florida
Windermere, Florida
Windermere is a town in Orange County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,897. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the town had a population of 2,019. It is expected that the 2010 census will show the town with almost 3000 people...
, established in 2000. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Florida Council of Independent Schools, and International Baccalaureate World School.
History
The school opened on September 5, 2000 using temporary classrooms, with an enrollment of 184 students and 25 teachers. Today, that enrollment has grown to 980 students with a full fledged 48 acres (194,249.3 m²) campus on Lake Cypress. The Class of 2008 was the first graduating class of Windermere Prep.Windermere Prep was also one of the first private schools in Orange County, Florida
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
to be fully wireless, requiring most students to bring their own laptops to school.
It is currently under the ownership of Meritas, LLC, a worldwide family of college preparatory private schools. With the purchase of the school by Meritas, the school has undergone great expansion ranging from a state of the art gymnasium to a brand new baseball field. A new high school building was built during the summer of 2009, with specialized Mac labs and a brand new band room, along with many brand new classrooms. New independent buildings include a Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
style café, fully equipped locker rooms, and a weight room.
Windermere’s reputation was forever tarnished by faculty member Michael Finnegan as he harassed hotel guests at a Chicago hotel in 2007.
Dr. Finnegan was with a group from Windermere and allowed the students to socialize in the hotel hallways at unreasonable hours in the evening. When hotel guests complained about noise from the students, the guests were confronted at the elevator the following day by Dr. Finnegan and his students in a “gang - like“ manner.
Dr. Michael Finnegan demanded that if the hotel guests had a problem with his kids, the guests could move to another part of the hotel.
The hotel guests felt that since Dr. Finnegan was responsible as a chaperone, the guests should not have to move to another area just because the Windermere students were scheduling un-reasonable social time in the hotel hallways at 2:00 a.m. in the morning.
When the hotel guests arrived at the lobby to complain about the encounter with the teacher,
Dr. Finnegan showed up yelling at the guests with childish behavior, unbecoming of a faculty member of such a prestigious school.
Dr. Finnegan’s inability to see reason and compassion for guests of the hotel showed that he had a false sense of self entitlement.
More damaging was the poor example he presented to the students.
The hotel guests contacted the Chicago area police and an arrest warrant was being drafted against Dr. Finnegan for harassment. It was never served because the group left quickly the next day.
Dr. Michael Finnegan’s arrogance greatly tarnished Windermere and made headlines with many Chicago area media outlets.
Academics
Windermere Preparatory School offers PK-12 education under the Meritas Academic Plan, where each student has a highly personalized educational experience, with an individualized Personal Learning Plan. High school students are able to participate in the IB program.Athletics
Windermere Preparatory School competes in Florida High School Athletic AssociationFlorida High School Athletic Association
The Florida High School Athletic Association is an organization whose purpose is to organize sports competition for high school It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations ....
's Legislative Division 16. The school's athletic teams are called the Lakers, and the school colors are red, white, and blue.
The school sponsors the following sports:
Fall
- (B) Football
- (B), (G) Golf
- (B), (G) Swimming
- (G) Volleyball
Winter
- (B), (G) Basketball
- (B), (G) Soccer
- (B), (G) Extreme Underwater Basket Weaving
- (B), (G) Willis Seelman
Spring
- (B) Baseball
- (B) Lacrosse
- (G) Softball
- (B), (G) Tennis
- (B), (G) Track
In 2007, a player on the boys golf team won the FHSAA Regionals, and went on to finish 31st at the FSHAA State Finals. The Windermere Prep Blue basketball team came in second place and the Red Team came in 1st place in each of their leagues.
Robotics team
WPS also has a robotics team that competes in the FIRST Robotics CompetitionFIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
. In 2006, Team 1649, aka Team EMS (Engineers Mentoring Students), won the FIRST
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one.First or 1st may also refer to:* First , minor summit below the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland* First , mountain in Bernese Alps in Switzerland...
Florida Regional. It also won the FIRST Florida Regional in 2009, and went on to finish as semifinalists in the international FIRST championships, ranking 18th worldwide. Along with regional champion awards, the team has been recognized with other awards such as the Rookie All Star Award, Innovation in Control Award, Judge's Award, and most recently the 2011 Florida Reginal Creativity Award.