TSAS was started by four public high school teachers who sat around a kitchen table discussing what a school would look like if they were to run it. In 2001, they got their chance and TSAS began its first school year in an office building filled with hand-me-down furniture and creative “duct-tape” solutions. Having grown over the years from one then to two floors of an office building, the unsustainable cost of supporting the commercial property forced us to address issues of economy and growth.
In 2012, TSAS made a significant move to partner with the TPS district and lease one of its empty elementary school buildings. Three hundred thousand dollars was raised for the renovations of sciences labs, the jazz band room, the photography dark room, and offices. The renovation work was tragically cut short by a construction accident that caused a fire that destroyed the entire school building and all of its contents just 14 days into the school year. Demonstrating its grit and resolve, the school reopened the day after the fire in another empty elementary building made available through the local school district. Throughout this tragedy, however, TSAS never wavered from its core principles of rigorous academic classes in a relational community.
In 2016, TSAS made one final move to the Roosevelt building. This move was made because the additional space allows the school to not only install many of the amenities lost in the fire, but to serve middle school students, expanding our legacy of quality schools to younger students. TSAS began its first 7-12 grade year on August 16, 2017. TSAS will welcome its first 6th grade class in the Fall of 2020.