On Monday Caylee Kirby from Channel 11 came to campus to interview Principal Kechan Johnson about our school.
When it comes to being a student athlete, “kids want to compete athletically, and they want to compete academically, we’re tying those two right together,” Johnson said.
We are pleased to announce Kechan Johnson will be the Principal at Western Toledo Preparatory Academy!
Mr. Johnson is a previous professional athlete, experienced educator, and founder of the C2K Toledo Thunder AAU Girls & Boys Basketball club and college prep program.
Mr. Johnson, a Toledo native, became a student athlete in 7th Grade and was awarded his first scholarship as a sophomore to Central Catholic High School. He credits his teachers, coaches, and school counselors for always pushing him to the next level, and for this reason, knew he wanted to return to Education after playing professional basketball.
Mr. Johnson joined ACCEL Schools in 2018 and has worked at two public charter schools as Dean of Students, paraprofessional, and coach. While at Toledo Preparatory Academy, he coached the Middle School Boys Basketball Team to win the Ohio Community Athletic Conference (OCAC) championship in 2020. Prior to ACCEL Schools, Mr. Johnson worked for other schools in the Toledo area including the Toledo Autism Academy and Central Academy.
Mr. Johnson was a student athlete on scholarship throughout college and holds an Associate’s degree from Florida Community College at Jacksonville and a Bachelor’s degree in PE and Health Education from the University of Missouri at St. Louis.
After college he played professional basketball overseas for nine years including in Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, and Japan. He retired from playing professionally in 2006 to return to Toledo and coach his daughter’s 3rd Grade basketball team which eventually became the start of C2K Toledo Thunder. The club and college prep program began with one team but quickly grew to multiple teams serving Boys as well as Girls. Today, over 60 graduates from the program are now playing college basketball.
Mr. Johnson lives in Toledo with his wife, a public school principal. Together they love kids, church, and sports—and cheering for their children who are both college athletes.
We coach sports like we teach academics—with college in mind! Students will have the opportunity to participate in sports beginning in Kindergarten. Team practices and conditioning will be part of PE and specialty classes each afternoon. Most games will also be scheduled during the school day, keeping evenings free for quality family time.
In Grades K-5 we offer an Intramural Sports program that includes year-around sports such as Basketball, Cheer & Dance to all grade levels as opportunities for individual growth, physical development, and team building. Our Soccer Program is offered each Spring and begins with skills camps & overall conditioning for Grades K-3 and progresses to team sport for Grades 4 and up. In the Fall we offer Cross Country & Volleyball for Grades 4 and up.
In Middle School we offer a Competitive Sports program that includes year-around sports such as Basketball, Cheer & Dance. Cross Country & Volleyball are offered in the Fall, and Soccer in the Spring.
Throughout the school year and summer we additionally offer Skills Camps for various sports.
At Western Toledo Prep, we implement the ACCEL Instructional Model (AIM) which starts with an Ohio Standards-based curriculum taught by properly certified and licensed teachers. We frequently assess students (on a bi-weekly schedule) to know if a student is working ahead, falling behind, or right on track when it comes to mastering the learning standards for their grade level.
We review the data from these regular assessments and tailor instruction to each student’s needs. While many schools formally assess students at the end of the quarter, we believe that assessing students in shorter cycles gives our teachers early and regular insight into student progress.
Our teachers utilize a variety of learning activities and tools each day to individualize instruction in each subject area. Students receive whole class instruction, small group instruction, and one-on-one instruction. Our teachers additionally utilize Education Technology and other adaptive curricular tools to maximize learning in each school day.
Our school is accredited by Cognia™ for meeting the highest standards of education in ongoing, third-party review.
We offer free breakfast and lunch to students through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), a federally-assisted meal program that provides nutritionally balanced, USDA-compliant meals to students each school day.
