Home of the Owls
Built on a foundation of patriotism and RAISE leadership values, Valor Preparatory Academy combines academic excellence and character development to create an exceptional educational experience where students can grow as leaders in the classroom and in their community. Students from kindergarten through 12th grade can thrive in a moral and wholesome environment complete with excelling academics, sports, fine arts, extracurriculars, and specialty programs including entrepreneurship and financial literacy for high school students.
Valor Preparatory Academy Welcome Event
School leaders and staff were thrilled to welcome Valor Preparatory Academy families to the area's newest tuition-free public charter school. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting and celebrating with the families we will serve for the 23-24 school year!
Parents' Corner
Preview upcoming school events, fundraisers, and important dates by visiting our school calendar. Our school works hard to keep this information up-to-date.
Learn more about the potential opportunities to teach at Valor Preparatory Academy
Valor Preparatory Academy's curriculum is designed to train students how to think and learn, not what to think and learn. Preview our K-12 curriculum and apply for enrollment online.
Valor Preparatory Academy aims to provide all students with a well-rounded education, nurturing the academic, social, and emotional needs of each child. Our Leadership & R.A.I.S.E. Values support our mission and aides us in the effort to create a well-rounded environment.
School Leaders
Cam Downing, Director K-6
Ms. Carolyn (Cam) Downing has joined Valor Preparatory Academy as its elementary director. With more than twenty years of instructional and leadership experience in education, Ms. Downing has an extensive background in educational leadership, curriculum development, and instruction.Ms. Downing earned a Master of Educational Leadership from Queens University of Charlotte and her Master of Education, Curriculum, and Instruction from the University of Phoenix. She also earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.In her free time, Ms. Downing enjoys listening to true crime podcasts, watching scary movies, reading books, and spending time with her rescue dogs and cat. She also owns a hand-poured soy candle company with her best friend.
Joan Roman, Director 7-12
Joan Roman, M.Ed., is the 7-12 Director, previously the SE. Director of Grants and Compliance for Charter One’s system of charter schools in North and South Carolina. She was the Founding Principal of three North Carolina charter schools and blazed the trail for CSUSA and Charter One within the state of North Carolina. She has in-depth experience in fostering instructional practices that drive individual student achievement in reading, math and science. Her research on struggling readers, intensive small-group instruction, and the utilization of modeling metacognitive strategies led to the high performance of the charter schools she opened.
Mrs. Roman attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design. She went on to receive her Master of Education from Greensboro College and then, through the North Carolina Principal Fellows program, she earned her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In addition to her leadership roles, Mrs. Roman taught elementary school and middle grades math and served as a math coach.
She has four children and six grandchildren. She enjoys time with her family on the lake, in the mountains, or at the beach. She is an avid reader and dabbles in the arts.
Life at Valor Preparatory Academy
Take part in our virtual school tour
Valor Preparatory Academy’s classrooms are built to nurture the growth and development of the whole child. Explore our brand new, state-of-the-art campus and curriculum online to see why so many families choose classical education.