After what appeared to be a tumultuous year filled with back-to-back controversies, Chattanooga Preparatory School begins the school year with a forward-looking vision under new leadership.
Freshly named Chief Executive Officer Troy Kemp returns to the area and joins the school’s board with a mission to mold young boys of Hamilton County today into the next generation of men tomorrow. With an extensive background in education, Kemp explains, “the goal is (not only) to prepare for college, but to make sure they have options for college or other things.”
Throughout the conversation, one can sense the undeniable passion Kemp has to serve the students and their families. He spoke about creating an environment where the boys are exposed to experiences they never knew existed, while being offered opportunities they never thought could be theirs.
“Boys need to see you in all roles. They need to see it to be it. But when it comes to boys becoming men, they have to see men who are whole and balanced, they can’t just see your sword and your shield and think that every man’s gotta be a soldier,” Kemp says. “Man’s gotta be able to stand back and be able to listen and have empathy and things of that nature. “
But of course, before man is able to get up and withstand the wind that blows in every direction, there are a few challenges that must be overcome.
In the 2024-25 school year, Chatt Prep weathered its own storms, including the possible revocation of its charter, the verification of staff credentials, and the auditing of student transcripts.
“Everybody’s got a story, and everybody has a perspective. And there’s some truth in everything they say,” … Kemp reflects. “Sometimes there’s a necessary evil in some of the challenge that you have because it gives an opportunity to build something that is 100 percent versus 98 percent.”
When asked about how Kemp plans to rebuild trust and strengthen the school community following those trials, he says that it begins with accountability.
“Bottom line is you want to be accountable… Spend time with the people, listen to the people and understand their perspective…But then the other thing is to be reliable and to make sure that we are compliant.”
Pushing ahead, Kemp and the rest of his team are committed to progressing with transparency, a safe learning environment, and innovative academic initiatives.
For Kemp, his goal as a leader for Chatt Prep is “not just to make these kids, help these kids become great men of high character who care for people and serve without being asked. But it’s also to make sure our staff stand as tall as they’ve ever been.”
And at the heart of it all lies his vision: "The vision for CHAT Prep is to make sure we have enough lanes to identify the genius but also measure what we treasure.” – Chatt Prep CEO, Troy Kemp.