https://bjhs.madisoncity.k12.al.us/?PageName='TeacherPage'&StaffID=145223
A former NASA scientist working on his Ph.D., Jeremy Raper is the brains behind the Bob Jones High School Engineering Academy. Raper created a three-part series of engineering classes culminating in a senior internship in which students work for an Alabama-based business -- effectively prepping them for college and career.
Under his leadership, engineering has become the most popular elective at Bob Jones. Raper’s advanced-level lessons are engaging and include a heavy emphasis on group projects. Encouraging students to help each other through the learning process, Raper’s assessment process marries theory with application. An innovative teacher aligned with the new EDUCATE Alabama standards, Raper formed robotics and rocketry teams and led students in designing a robot to participate in ground-breaking ceremonies for a new school site.
Raper’s school consistently outperforms other schools in the state in proficiency. His students graduate in the top 10 percent of their class and won an engineering contest--a feat previously only accomplished by college teams.
In the leadership realm, Raper coaches other teachers and helps colleagues with project-based assessments. He is also working to establish instructional programs for his locale’s new sister high school, which he is helping to design. A key player in fostering professional development, Raper has participated in state-level staff committees and developed partnerships with the community to strengthen the engineering program. Raper is a member of the Building Leadership Team, along with many other regional, district and state staff committees.
