Student Life
A vital aspect of student life at Regent Preparatory School includes being involved! The student activities at Regent are an important part of a student's school experience. Many students participate in extracurricular activities, from athletics and fine arts to special interest clubs and academic teams. The school is deliberate about what activities to include so that the students are not spread too thin and that they are participating in something that is edifying and related to the school’s mission. There is structure to much of this ‘student life,’ but there is a wonderful spontaneity within the student body that adds to the joy of being a part of the Regent family. They enjoy a high school retreat prior to the start of school, periodic worship nights, “5th quarter” get togethers after football games, etc… Student life at Regent provides a variety of opportunities to plug in and be involved.
The school has a Junior Beta Club (7th-9th) which serves the needs of the school in various ways including Chapel Child Care help, Open House set up and clean up, and beautification projects. Senior Beta Club (10th-12th) requires each member to select, plan, and execute a service project of their own out in the community and to serve on projects planned by fellow members. Beta Club is a national organization and Regent students have an opportunity to attend a convention each year to compete against other schools across the state in a wide variety of academic and talent areas.
Each StuCo member is expected to serve on multiple event/activity committees, often in different capacities. Because all StuCo events and activities are student-led, members are expected to help with, attend, and serve at all high school events. A parent typically monitors each event to insure the students cover all of their responsibilities. The council is made up of seven elected officers and also includes 3-4 Class Reps from each grade who are elected by their respective classmates. StuCo hosts a variety of events and activities for the high school throughout the year, including a Back-to-School party, Homecoming Week and Spirit Week, the school feasts, and various other events. Regent is a member of the Oklahoma Association of Student Councils (OASC), District 7 and takes part in district meetings and the annual Student Council State Convention each November.
Students organize cheers at games, select theme dress for games, and provide overall student support. The school’s philosophy in athletics includes character development of the athletes and the school’s opportunity to witness for Christ in the midst of competition. To those ends, the R-Crew supports the athletes and seeks to be positive in its encouragement during games. Students sign up to be a part of R-Crew each fall at the high school retreat.
In Josef Pieper’s short book In Tune with the World he quotes Nietzsche to the effect that, “the trick is not to arrange a festival, but to find people who can enjoy it.” Nietzsche’s foresight into the banality and flatness of work-a-day modern existence rings true in our time. But things were not always so. Historic Christianity also gives a central role to the feast as an expression of gratitude for and joy in God’s work of salvation. Therefore, we hope for our students and for ourselves to be people who can enjoy a festival. Our Fall tradition of having a Thanksgiving meal together goes back to the very first years of the School of Rhetoric and was established by the first graduating class. More recently we have added a Spring celebration of the Resurrection. These meals are important to us because they point us to a joy that is at the center of our faith: Christians are people who feast. We are a people who celebrate. As the very idea of celebration and spiritual merriment falters around us, our school feasts are a step in the direction of cultivating in our students the practice of celebration.
Each year students from all over the country meet in small groups to prepare for a winter regional and then possible state competitions. Competitors are referred to as “mathletes” and enjoy the experience of intense team and individual competition. Regent begins preparing students in August and the students work problems through the month of January. The top four Regent mathletes are selected by way of school competitions. These four get to compete at the regional level and hope to make the state competition. Regent has been very successful in these competitions. The goal of the MathCounts program is to ultimately inspire our youth to pursue and grow in the math and sciences. It has been a tremendously successful program. Students who participate in MathCounts have always been well prepared for tests such as the ACT and SAT.
Students are guided by a faculty member as they select and prepare for each chapel service. This group of students occasionally plans an evening worship service during the school year. It has led to informal student-led worship gatherings throughout the school year and summer as well.