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Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pftstastudent (talk | contribs) at 17:19, 23 July 2016 (→Electives: Added content). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy is a comprehensive college preparatory magnet school.[1] In August 2004, the school opened with 7th and 8th grades and has grown to include 6th through 12th grades in recent years.

PFTSTA is located in Avondale, Louisiana. Named after Patrick F. Taylor, this Sci-tech school currently has grades 6-12. The students are on a block schedule, four separate 90 minute (an hour and a half) courses a day that changes the following semester. The school campus is now located in a new facility on the Westbank in Avondale by the Alario Center, and each student is issued a school laptop on which to do classwork, projects, and homework. The school's current principal is Jaime Zapico.

History

The school was started in 2002 as a half day specialty school called Jefferson Parish School for Science and Technology (JPSST). Students attending public schools in the parish would enroll in JPSST - they would attend their home-based school half a day and JPSST half a day - they were transported between their home-based school and JPSST by bus daily to attend either the morning or afternoon session (morning transportation there or afternoon transportation home were arranged or provided by students' parents). Starting off with only two grades (7th and 8th), the school soon became a full day magnet school by the 2005–2006 school year and was renamed Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy (PFTSTA), after Patrick F. Taylor, an oil business tycoon famous for creating the TOPS program (which helps pays college tuition for students who attain a minimum GPA and ACT score). Patrick Taylor's widow, Ms. Taylor, continues to play a close role in the development of the school. At the time, the school included 6th - 9th grade and was located in the Jefferson Parish Public School System special services building, occupying the entire second floor of the building. On August 29, 2005, only a few weeks into the school year, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, causing evacuations and New Orleans school closures. Students were able to keep in touch with their teachers and one another via internet using the discussion forums set up on the school's eBoard. The rest of the 2005–2006 school year continued with a smaller amount of students, but still successfully.

For the 2006–2007 school year, PFTSTA moved to its own building in Jefferson, Louisiana, only a few blocks away from the Parish School Headquarters building. The school moved into what was previously Deckbar Elementary. The larger complex included three classroom buildings, a cafeteria building, and a smaller building used as a computer lab. The oldest building was built in the 1920s. With each new year, the school was getting progressively bigger as each new grade was added. At this point, PFTSTA grades 8 - 10 and about 115 students. A 6th grade was added in 2007.

The 2008–2009 school year was the first year in which Patrick Taylor had a full school. PFTSTA's 220 students prepared to say goodbye to its first graduating class. The commencment ceremony took place at the Alario Center, on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish.

In 2011, PFTSTA's name was changed to Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Regional Academy (PFTSTRA) to further clarify the role the school plays in Southeastern Louisiana; however, the new name is not widely used in informal speech. That same year, the federal government awarded Taylor Academy the Blue Ribbon Award for Scholastic achievement, one of the highest honors a public school can receive.

Several traditions have been started at Patrick Taylor Academy which are celebrated by the students and faculty. These include Founder's Day, a celebration of Mr. Taylor and the work he did to proliferate education in Louisiana. Ms. Taylor attends the event, and students put on performances, eat food, and sing the alma mater together.

Work and grades

Patrick Taylor is a Jefferson Parish specialty school; the students have to apply to the school and exhibit certain behavior and grades in order to be accepted. Test scores from the March previous to application are to be viewed as well as their final report cards from last year, the year before, and the year the student is in, in order to be accepted into PFTSTA.

Clubs and electives

Patrick Taylor has a diverse group of clubs and electives. Two electives are picked for grades eighth and up. Clubs are extracurricular and have meetings during lunch or after school. If you want to be challenged in school, you can always apply to go. It is not guaranteed that you will be accepted.

Electives

  • Fine Arts Survey - The history of art from prehistoric times to modern art.
  • Computer Science - How computers work.
  • Web Mastery - Become a master of HTML.
  • Journalism - Interview and write articles for the year book, newsletter and other publications.
  • Pre-engineering - Science of Technology / Design and Modeling.
  • IED - Introduction to Engineering Design (CAD with Inventor).
  • Spanish - A study of the Spanish language.

There are many other electives added as the years go by.

Clubs

Awards

2006–2007

Patrick F. Taylor and its students have received several rewards.

  • The 2006–2007 Jefferson Parish Student of the Year attends Taylor.
  • A member of the Parents Association Committee was voted 2007 Volunteer of the Year.
  • In the Jr Beta club, the quiz bowl team is going to state. Also for Jr Beta, Impromptu Speaking, Public Speaking, the Spelling Bee, and math teams are going to state.
  • In Academic Games, Patrick Taylor won 1st place Equations individual and team. In On-Sets, won 1st place individual and 3rd place team. In propaganda, a Taylor student scored first place. The LinguiSHTIKs team scored 2nd place. Four Taylor students were invited to go to Nationals in West Virginia. At Taylor, most students play Equations because it is fun and challenging.
  • In the Regional Social Studies Fair, Patrick Taylor students received the following rewards. 1st and 2nd place will move on to state.
    • Middle School:
      • 1st Place - History Group
      • 2ndPlace - Geography Group
      • 3rd Place - Geography Individual
      • 1st Place - Sociology Group
      • 3rd Place - Sociology Individual
      • 2nd Place - Political Science Individual
      • 2nd Place - Economics Individual
      • 2nd Place - Anthropology Individual
    • High School:
      • 2nd Place - Political Science Group
      • 3rd Place - Political Science Individual
      • 1st Place - Sociology Group
      • 1st Place - Economics Group
      • 1st Place - History Individual
  • The school was spotlighted by WWL-TV in its "Making the Grade" program;starring Horatio Glass. This was sponsored by Drew Brees.
  • A teacher won the 2006–2007 Teacher of the Year
  • The principal won LA Technology Educator of the Year 2006.
  • A student was chosen for the Tulane University Science Scholars Program.
  • The LEAP Engineering Club won Rookie of the Year Award.
  • The Library received a check from LTC&ITT-Tech of almost $4,000.

2007–2008

In Academic Games for the year 2007-2008, Patrick F. Taylor won many awards for their efforts. Middle Division includes 6th-8th grades, Junior Division includes 9th-10th grades, and Senior Division includes 11th-12th grades.

Propaganda:

  • 1st place - Junior Division Team
  • 3rd place - Junior Division Individual

LinguiSHTIK:

  • 2nd place - Middle Division Team
  • 2nd place - Middle Division Individual
  • 1st place - Junior Division Team
  • 2nd place - Junior Division Individual
  • 3rd place - Junior Division Individual
  • 3rd place - Senior Division Team

Equations:

  • 3rd place - Junior Division Team

On-Sets:

  • 3rd place – Middle Division Team
  • 2nd place – Junior Division Team

For the year 2007-2008, five Taylor students made it to nationals for Academic Games in Kissimmee, Florida, where they will "battle" it out with other students that are coming there too from other states in the U.S. Next year, those who make it to Nationals will all be going to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Taylor Receives Laura Bush Foundation Grant: The Taylor school library has been selected to receive a grant of $7,500.

This year, Taylor won a contest for an author to come visit the school. Tiffany Trent (author of Hallowmere) came. Every student received a free copy of the first book, The Serpent's Coils.

2010

  • Recently, Taylor has been the Blue Ribbon for excellence of education.

New Building

Patrick F. Taylor Science Technology has finally moved into its new building (2013). This building is a state of the art facility that is two stories.

References

  1. ^ "Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy". pftsta.com/. Retrieved 2015-10-31.

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