Upper School Student Life

Our monthly fieldtrip, events, and biennial international trip are carefully selected to evoke an appreciation and awe for God’s creation while building fellowship.

Click on the following events for more information.
SPA Leadership Camp – Jul.
Smith Prep’s leadership camp is a high adventure camp for upper school students designed to develop Christian character and leadership through team-building exercises and extreme outdoor activities. The activities can include white-water rafting, canoeing, caving (spelunking), shooting at a gun range, and more. These activities are designed to challenge students both physically and mentally. There are daily lessons taught from the scriptures, and each student will be encouraged to strengthen their faith and live consistently and according to the principles of scripture.

Located fifteen miles south of the Tennessee border and only two miles west of the Appalachian Trail, Smith Prep’s Leadership Camp is situated in the rustic mountains of North Carolina along the streaming waters of Yellow Creek. This location provides the ideal base camp environment for high adventure. The leadership camp is held in July, the summer before the new academic school year.

Back-to-School Retreat - Sept.
Smith Preparatory Academy upper school students are invited to join us for our annual Back-to-School Retreat. In alignment with Smith Preparatory Academy’s vision, the Back-to-School Retreat is designed to help students reflect on the school’s core values of communal, personal, spiritual, and academic formation. Students will engage in activities that encourage them to live out their role as Virtuous Scholars, advancing God’s kingdom through both academic diligence and spiritual growth. The students will participate in team-building activities, games, shared meals, and meaningful discussions. Through engaging sessions, prayer, and fellowship, our students are challenged to grow in character. Students will develop deeper friendships that will support them throughout the school year.

The Back-to-School Retreat is more than just an event—it’s a formational experience that sets the tone for the year ahead. Deer Haven Retreat Center in Paisley is a peaceful, wooded environment. This retreat is a time for students to step away from the busyness of life and focus on those things that are true, good, and beautiful. We encourage all upper school students to attend and invest in this time of learning, laughter, and renewal as we prepare for a year of growth together.

Homecoming Dance – Nov.
The Homecoming Dance is the capstone of Spirit Week and follows House Game Day for the upper school student body. This highly anticipated event is a time to celebrate school spirit, enjoy great music, and enjoy a relaxing evening with friends, faculty, and staff. Attending Homecoming is a great way for students to deepen friendships, celebrate our school, and create lasting traditions that make Smith Prep’s upper school experience even more special. This event encourages students to connect with one another, celebrate their House affiliations, and enjoy a night of music, dancing, and community.

As we honor our shared values of truth, goodness, and beauty, the Homecoming Dance serves as a way to deepen friendships, promote school unity, and reflect the spirit that makes Smith Prep unique. Students will come together in the spirit of fun and fellowship, strengthening the bonds that shape our school community. This event provides an opportunity to experience school traditions, express House pride, and make lasting memories in a fun and celebratory setting.

Students can look forward to dancing to great music in a lively, welcoming atmosphere. This is a semi-formal dance with fun and tasteful music, making it an honorable environment. There are photo opportunities to capture special moments. There are finger foods and refreshments to keep the energy going. This is a memorable evening of fun, fellowship, and school spirit.

Evening of Theology – Oct./Nov.
Evening of Theology is an important annual upper school event designed to encourage students and families to think deeply about God, his providence, and our responsibilities to love God and to love our neighbor. This event is meant to be informative but also encouraging. We use this time to help create unity and maturity as we discuss pertinent and controversial ideas, beliefs, and practices of the Christian church. This is one of our most important events and has become essential in shaping our school’s culture and cultivating virtuous scholarship.

Each year, we focus on a different theological topic, inviting faculty, pastors, and theologians from various traditions to contribute insights and lead discussions. This event is an opportunity for our community to engage with diverse viewpoints in a respectful and enriching environment, deepening both intellectual understanding and our shared faith. The evening will consist of dinner with dessert. It is a formal event, so business dress is expected (coat and tie). We want all our upper school students and families to attend. An Evening of Theology is extremely important to our school’s culture and an opportunity that Smith Prep offers our students and families to develop relationships that go beyond mere pleasure and utility. We desire to see friendships of virtue emerge over food and theology.

Students can look forward to dancing to great music in a lively, welcoming atmosphere. This is a semi-formal dance with fun and tasteful music, making it an honorable environment. There are photo opportunities to capture special moments. There are finger foods and refreshments to keep the energy going. This is a memorable evening of fun, fellowship, and school spirit.

But House Game Day isn’t just for the upper school. There are games and activities for students of all ages, including face painting, bouncy houses, and games for prizes! These games include relay races, tug-of-war, sack races, and more. There is delicious food for the whole family to enjoy and our annual bake sale fundraiser to support school initiatives. The day accumulates in the legendary Squirrel Wars, a competition that adult parents and staff are invited to play against the upper school. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to connect, for students to build friendships, and for our entire school to celebrate the joy of competition and fellowship.

Coast-to-Coast - Jan.
Every spring, Smith Prep hosts its annual Coast-to-Coast upper school event. Coast-to-Coast is one of Smith Prep’s most exciting traditions—an all-day adventure filled with breathtaking sights and thrilling activities as we travel from the Atlantic to the Gulf. The day begins with an early-morning trip to Florida’s east coast, where students gather on the beach to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean—a beautiful reminder of God’s majesty. We end the day by traveling to Florida’s west coast to watch the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico—completing the full coast-to-coast experience in a single day.

After sunrise, we head to the historic Old Sugar Mill at DeLeon Springs for an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, where students cook their own pancakes on griddles at their tables. Following breakfast, students can swim in the crystal-clear spring waters of Deleon Springs. On the way to the West Coast, students participate in an exciting group activity such as laser tag, a high ropes course, an escape room, or another adventure. This trip is another opportunity to bond as a school, embrace adventure, and stand in awe of God’s creation.

Biennial Nation/International Trips – Feb./Mar.

Every other year, Smith Preparatory Academy offers upper school students and their families an incredible opportunity to experience history, art, and culture firsthand through our biennial international trips. Rotating between Italy, continental Europe (usually France, Germany, and Switzerland), and England & Scotland, these journeys immerse students in the very places where great historical events unfolded, masterful works of art were created, and world-changing ideas took root. Walking through the Roman Forum, standing beneath the vaulted ceilings of Gothic cathedrals, or exploring the battlefields of history provides an unparalleled depth of understanding that no textbook can fully capture.

As Saint Augustine wisely observed, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” At Smith Prep, we believe that travel is an essential part of education—it deepens students’ appreciation for God’s providence throughout history, broadens their perspectives, and cultivates a sense of wonder. Engaging with different cultures helps students develop wisdom, humility, and a global awareness that shapes them into thoughtful, virtuous scholars. These trips are not vacations; they are pilgrimages of learning, where students walk in the footsteps of the great thinkers, artists, and saints who have shaped Western civilization.

Faith In the Public Square – Feb./Mar.
Faith in the Public Square is an essential Smith Preparatory Academy event designed to equip upper school students and families to confidently apply their Christian faith in the marketplace of ideas, commerce, and public life. This gathering encourages deep thinking and meaningful discussion but with a specific focus on how faith shapes our engagement with culture, business, politics, and society at large. This event helps students and families navigate and influence the public square with wisdom, virtue, and conviction.

This evening is both informative and inspiring, featuring discussions on the role of Christianity in public life, ethical decision-making, and how believers can be a faithful presence in various professional and social spheres. The evening will include dinner and dessert, and as a formal event, business dress (coat and tie) is expected. We encourage all upper school students and families to attend this thought-provoking and formative evening as we seek to cultivate wise, virtuous, and engaged Christian leaders who will faithfully live out their calling in the world.

Banquet and Ball – May
The Smith Prep Banquet & Ball is the pinnacle event of the school year, a night of refinement, honor, and celebration. This formal affair requires young men to wear black suits or tuxedos and women to don elegant ball gowns, creating an atmosphere of grace and sophistication. The evening begins with fine dining, where students and faculty engage in meaningful conversation while practicing the etiquette and decorum they have learned in preparation for this special night. The event also features presentations from House Officers, an address from the Headmaster, and a reflection on the year’s achievements, highlighting the growth, scholarship, and camaraderie of the upper school student body. The students, faculty, and staff then spend the remainder of the evening engaging in English Country Dancing, which is led by a caller and includes switching dance partners frequently throughout each dance.

The etiquette students practice includes entering the banquet hall by participating in a receiving line where gentlemen escort ladies through the line, greeting each staff member by name. Every lady is brought into the hall in this fashion, and gentlemen continue escorting them in until all students have entered and are seated. This is a communal effort and practice of decorum, and does not require any advance pairing up of students.

The highlight of the evening is the presentation of the Headmaster’s Cup, awarded to the House that has demonstrated excellence in competition, service, and academics throughout the year. This night is not only a time of celebration but also an opportunity for students to cultivate poise, respect, and appreciation for tradition. Before attending, all students participate in etiquette and formal dance classes provided by Smith Prep, ensuring they enter the evening with confidence and grace. The Banquet & Ball is a cherished tradition, a time to honor the scholarship, character, and community that we seek to cultivate at Smith Preparatory Academy.

Smith Preparatory Academy School-wide Events

Events and Field Trips are not included in tuition. While we desire every student and family to be involved in Smith Prep’s communal life, we understand that life can be busy. We have our church communities, and we have lives outside of school. It may not be possible to attend all the opportunities afforded by Smith Preparatory Academy. However, we believe that these activities are important to the culture of Smith Preparatory Academy, and we have designed them with intention.