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- Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School
Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School
Community Academy of Philadelphia, Charter School spans grades K-12 in the Juniata Park section of the city. The non-profit corporation has a daycare for the children of students and staff in need of daycare. CAP has a total teaching faculty of 100+ representing a student-teacher ratio of 12:1. 81% of CAP teachers have masters degrees or higher. 58% of CAP teachers have multiple certifications.
Founded in 1980 by Mr. Joseph Proietta, we are proud to be in our 44th year of dedication to our city's future and our 17th full year in our state-of-the-art, 118,000+ sq. ft. facility on a 6.5-acre campus, located at 1100 E. Erie Ave (between “J” and “K” streets). In 1997, a dedicated group of board members, politicians, and the Founder, Mr. Proietta, successfully petitioned the School District of Philadelphia, making Community Academy of Philadelphia, CS the first charter school in Philadelphia and the second charter school in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1980 by Mr. Joseph Proietta, we are proud to be in our 44th year of dedication to our city's future and our 17th full year in our state-of-the-art, 118,000+ sq. ft. facility on a 6.5-acre campus, located at 1100 E. Erie Ave (between “J” and “K” streets). In 1997, a dedicated group of board members, politicians, and the Founder, Mr. Proietta, successfully petitioned the School District of Philadelphia, making Community Academy of Philadelphia, CS the first charter school in Philadelphia and the second charter school in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Purpose
Every aspect of Community Academy of Philadelphia (CAP) is dedicated to providing a quality education while keeping in mind the special needs of our students. CAP seeks to empower the diverse young people of Philadelphia through a productive and satisfying school program. In the words of CAP’s CEO, Dr. Alberta P. O’Brien, “For over four decades, CAP has established itself as a place where students receive a full-range of support so they can take control of their futures and be successful. That’s why we are here.”
CAP is a school with a long legacy of service to Philadelphia. We not only serve families within the community, but also generations within those families. Many CAP graduates return to their Alma Mater when looking for a quality education for their children. They know their children will be supported to reach their personal best because they have experienced for themselves the way CAP lives up to its first name.
CAP’s culture is centered around the unifying idea that all students can achieve. CAP is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious, and inclusive family that holds camaraderie and cooperation as essential values. There is an expectation that students will reach high expectations within our sustainable community support system of teachers, staff, parents, and other community members. In the words of the school’s founder, Joseph H. Proietta, spoken to teachers, “You won’t see miracles everyday, but stick around, you’ll see miracles.”
CAP is a school with a long legacy of service to Philadelphia. We not only serve families within the community, but also generations within those families. Many CAP graduates return to their Alma Mater when looking for a quality education for their children. They know their children will be supported to reach their personal best because they have experienced for themselves the way CAP lives up to its first name.
CAP’s culture is centered around the unifying idea that all students can achieve. CAP is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious, and inclusive family that holds camaraderie and cooperation as essential values. There is an expectation that students will reach high expectations within our sustainable community support system of teachers, staff, parents, and other community members. In the words of the school’s founder, Joseph H. Proietta, spoken to teachers, “You won’t see miracles everyday, but stick around, you’ll see miracles.”
Vision
To engender a sense of accountability in which students assume responsibility for their own actions.
To promote a safe, calm and disciplined environment in which students can come to discover and develop their talents.
To recognize that education is a process that allows students to integrate knowledge with life experiences.
To instill an appreciation that the search for knowledge is a life-long journey.
To empower students to recognize their needs and use resources to solve problems effectively.
To foster a spirit of unity in which individuals recognize their own self-worth while respecting others.
To foster mastery of skills as the foundation for achievement in any endeavor.
To instill an ethic that hard work and self-discipline are the cornerstones of success.
To provide students with strong and positive adult role models.
To provide counseling and social services to aid students in their adjustment and/or re-adjustment to school life, address individual needs, and ultimately prepare for post-secondary life.
To produce opportunities through various activities that allow the student to become responsibly independent and effectively independent.
To encourage students to explore outside themselves and their immediate circumstances and to explore things not found in their day-to-day encounters.
To assist and depend upon the active positive cooperation of the parents (families) of the students to teach essential values required for academic and personal success.
To promote a safe, calm and disciplined environment in which students can come to discover and develop their talents.
To recognize that education is a process that allows students to integrate knowledge with life experiences.
To instill an appreciation that the search for knowledge is a life-long journey.
To empower students to recognize their needs and use resources to solve problems effectively.
To foster a spirit of unity in which individuals recognize their own self-worth while respecting others.
To foster mastery of skills as the foundation for achievement in any endeavor.
To instill an ethic that hard work and self-discipline are the cornerstones of success.
To provide students with strong and positive adult role models.
To provide counseling and social services to aid students in their adjustment and/or re-adjustment to school life, address individual needs, and ultimately prepare for post-secondary life.
To produce opportunities through various activities that allow the student to become responsibly independent and effectively independent.
To encourage students to explore outside themselves and their immediate circumstances and to explore things not found in their day-to-day encounters.
To assist and depend upon the active positive cooperation of the parents (families) of the students to teach essential values required for academic and personal success.
Mission
Our mission is to effectively serve urban youth in search of a positive school experience in a supportive environment. CAP is dedicated to the whole child and believes that education is not just acquiring facts and skills but having the emotional and stable capacity to apply them in the real world. CAP is dedicated to offering a quality education while also responding to the non-academic student issues that can have a significant impact on academic and overall emotional/social functioning.
CAP believes that attention to the whole child requires an attentive, multi-layered learning style setting. CAP encourages the arts and cultural activities as fundamental to a sound education. Our school challenges each student to explore their personal and academic potential as future adult Americans in an evolving democracy and ever-changing world. In the words of Epictetus, "Only the educated are free."
Our school holds paramount the needs of our students, and challenges the faculty and staff to be creative and nurturing. Our school values personal responsibility. We believe that a trusting, caring and mutually respectful relationship must exist between adults and young people. We affirm that a safe environment, free from violence, abuse, and intimidation is possible within a framework of adult leadership.
CAP believes that attention to the whole child requires an attentive, multi-layered learning style setting. CAP encourages the arts and cultural activities as fundamental to a sound education. Our school challenges each student to explore their personal and academic potential as future adult Americans in an evolving democracy and ever-changing world. In the words of Epictetus, "Only the educated are free."
Our school holds paramount the needs of our students, and challenges the faculty and staff to be creative and nurturing. Our school values personal responsibility. We believe that a trusting, caring and mutually respectful relationship must exist between adults and young people. We affirm that a safe environment, free from violence, abuse, and intimidation is possible within a framework of adult leadership.
Additional Culture Details
CAP was among the very first charter schools in the city and the state, leading at the forefront of the charter school movement. Our school has thrived due to innovative practices interwoven with our strong foundational core mission.
Evidence is seen in our experiential education programming. CAP’s elementary students take annual trips for each grade K-8, using Philadelphia and its surrounding area as an extended classroom. CAP’s 6th grade classes participate in a day-long urban adventure experience through Philadelphia Outward Bound. Our annual middle school promotion trip centers on confidence-building, often involving an outdoor adventure ropes course.
Experiential education is also offered to high school students via a partnership with the North Carolina Outward Bound School offering 14- and 21-day summer experiences in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, CAP’s Experiential Education Class offers a unique opportunity for high-achieving students to immerse themselves in year-long studies of a country abroad that culminates in the experience of visiting that country for a week in the spring. Students have toured the 6 ABC news set, met with Drexel medical resident students, and placed in the MESA Prosthetic Arm contest. CAP’s Volleyball and Baseball teams won their respective Penn-Jersey League championships last year.
Throughout the 2024-25 school year, CAP will proudly celebrate our 45th Anniversary of service to the children and families of Philadelphia.
Evidence is seen in our experiential education programming. CAP’s elementary students take annual trips for each grade K-8, using Philadelphia and its surrounding area as an extended classroom. CAP’s 6th grade classes participate in a day-long urban adventure experience through Philadelphia Outward Bound. Our annual middle school promotion trip centers on confidence-building, often involving an outdoor adventure ropes course.
Experiential education is also offered to high school students via a partnership with the North Carolina Outward Bound School offering 14- and 21-day summer experiences in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, CAP’s Experiential Education Class offers a unique opportunity for high-achieving students to immerse themselves in year-long studies of a country abroad that culminates in the experience of visiting that country for a week in the spring. Students have toured the 6 ABC news set, met with Drexel medical resident students, and placed in the MESA Prosthetic Arm contest. CAP’s Volleyball and Baseball teams won their respective Penn-Jersey League championships last year.
Throughout the 2024-25 school year, CAP will proudly celebrate our 45th Anniversary of service to the children and families of Philadelphia.
Values
- Respect
- Treating all CAP employees with dignity, regardless of differences in background, position, or perspective. We believe that respect in the workplace fosters a positive environment, enhancing teamwork and collaboration. Respect cultivates trust between teachers, support staff and administration, leading to increased morale and productivity. Respectful interactions promote inclusivity, reduce conflicts, and empower individuals to express ideas freely, contributing to a more dynamic and successful work culture.
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