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College of the Ozarks board okays creation of college prep lab school

It could be open by next fall.

October 26, 2011|edited news release

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- The College of the Ozarks Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved the proposal for a college preparatory secondary lab school that will be named School of the Ozarks. 

“The approval of the new School of the Ozarks brings another opportunity to offer to area youth the advantages of a quality, Christian education,” said Dean of Character Education Sue Head.  “The School will focus on faith, flag, and the future by interweaving a rigorous classical education, Biblical worldview, character education, patriotism, and service learning in a small class setting.”

The board’s vote followed a feasibility study on opening a college preparatory lab school on campus.  The feasibility study included information gathered from site visits to several model high schools, an online survey that the college conducted in September, and a review of the college’s facilities.

The online survey got responses from 330 families in an area from Branson to Springfield to St. Louis.  When asked to identify the aspects they felt were important to their child’s education, 93 percent of respondents indicated “academics,” 79 percent indicated a “Christian education,” 80 percent indicated “character education,” and 55 percent indicated “patriotic emphasis and education.” 

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The feasibility study also included statistics from the Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics annual survey of 40,000 high school students on values, as well as findings of the College Board (a non-profit organization based in New York that conducts educational research), that the average reading and writing scores of the class of 2011 were the lowest ever recorded.

“This is only the beginning for School of the Ozarks,” said Head.  “The college is proud to take a leadership role in creating a model for secondary education nationwide.”

Head will continue the lab school project by building the framework for the curriculum, determining logistics for facility use, and launching an immediate national search for a headmaster.   

The proposed launch date for the new School of the Ozarks could be as early as fall 2012, contingent upon the hiring of a headmaster.  The college is accepting applications for the headmaster position.

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