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Student to
Student |
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 Dear Prospective Davidson Academy Students,
My name is David Ellison, and I have been a student at The Davidson Academy since the inaugural year in 2006. My family and I, including my sister who recently graduated from the Academy, moved to Reno from Boise, Idaho. It was a tough decision to make, but the move was well worth it because this school has given me many opportunities that just cannot be found in a high school outside of the Academy.
Two years before my family moved, my sister joined
the Davidson Young Scholars program, and attended a
"gathering" of these people in San Diego, California. The next year I became a Young Scholar as well, and both of us went to the next gathering in Boston, Massachusetts. It was through the
Young Scholars program that my family heard about the Academy, and what prompted us to
visit and ultimately move to Reno.
Before moving to Reno, I was in a “highly gifted” program at a public school. That program worked well, but having
now attended the Academy for three years, it pales in comparison to the more intensive curriculum here. One of the other great parts about the Academy is the atmosphere, the people, and all the social opportunities presented by going to school with intellectual peers who think on the same level and at the same speed as I do. Class discussions are actually discussions, instead of a teacher talking to a classroom full of bored students. Conversations in the  hallway span a huge range of topics both academic and social; one conversation’s worth of topics can range from zombies to philosophy to the ecological impact of compact fluorescent light bulbs. The students actually want to learn, as well, and the instructors are friendly, and work with students personally.
With the Academy, you can take classes at the University of Nevada, Reno, in subjects like Japanese, Computer Science, and Psychology, to name a few.
These classes are tougher than normal high school classes but allow Academy students access to the full range of courses at the University.
I hope to see you at The Davidson Academy in the years to come!
David Ellison, Third Year Davidson Academy
Student
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Founders' Message on YouTube |
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Hear the
story of how Young Scholar parents
helped influence the creation of the The Davidson Academy of Nevada, a free, public school for profoundly gifted middle and high school students located on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
Bob and Jan Davidson discuss how the
Academy provides an appropriately
challenging education" for these
students.
Click here
to view this YouTube video.
Click here to view the founders' message on The Davidson
Academy website.
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Davidson Young
Scholars - How Can We Help You? |
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 If you are unable to move to Reno for your student to attend The Davidson Academy, or if your student is not quite ready for the Academy, please consider joining the free, national
Davidson Young Scholars program. Through the Young Scholars program students and their families receive support in several areas. Parents collaborate with a skilled team of Family Consultants who provide individualized services based on each family’s unique needs. Consulting services include:
- Educational Advocacy and Planning - Help for parents and teachers to find an appropriate educational fit for the Young Scholar.
- Talent and Interest Development - Assistance with locating summer programs, local and distance learning options, enrichment
opportunities and other educational needs.
- Child and Adolescent Development - Access to relevant resources and nationally recognized experts.
- Annual Summit - Young Scholars and their parents are invited to attend a special yearly event that hosts a variety of speakers, discussions and special activities.
- Informal Regional Gatherings - Parents frequently plan local get-togethers with other Young Scholar families in their area.
- Online Community - Access to private Young Scholar parent and student
networks through discussion forums, chat rooms, electronic mailing lists and website.
Applications for this flagship program are due the 14th of each month.
Apply today!
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Advising at
the Academy |
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 In addition to the support of the faculty and staff, Davidson Academy students receive valuable assistance and encouragement from the Davidson Institute’s Family Consultant Team. Through advisement, Family Consultants help students succeed by providing one-on-one attention focused on their achievement.
Family Consultant, Monica Joyner,
summarized the following frequently
asked questions:
How do you move back and forth between your roles as a Family Consultant with the Young Scholars Program and as an academic advisor with the Academy?
The roles of academic advisor and Family Consultant are complimentary to each other. Both roles work on making the educational fit with the child be the best it can be. However, in working as a Family Consultant, we primarily work with the parents, where as the academic advisor works directly with the student. Thus, the first hand experience with the students is powerful and insightful on so many levels for our roles as academic advisors and Family Consultants.
Can you describe the support network in place to help all Academy students succeed?
Advising is designed to meet the varying needs of all Davidson Academy students in multiple areas. The primary goal of advising is to provide all students with guided autonomy throughout their academic careers at The Davidson Academy. To achieve this goal, we meet with the students either weekly or bi-weekly depending upon the student’s preference. During the advising time, we talk about any and all topics that may be coming up for the student.
Some of these may include: learning strategies, organization, time-management techniques, self-monitoring strategies, personal goals, priorities, stress management and social skills.
How do advisors help Academy students identify opportunities to explore their interests and passions?
When working with students on
a weekly basis and building rapport, we start to understand where their interests lie. During these weekly meetings we may start to identify ways to help enrich certain interests in and out of the classroom. Some of these have included mentorships and internships with outside professionals at
the University of Nevada, Reno and other local organizations.
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In the News |
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 Academy students Cody Nolan
and Andy Wei were featured in
a Reno Gazette-Journal
article highlighting them
all as winners of College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarships. Both students will attend the University of Nevada, Reno.
Another Gazette-Journal
article
spotlighted Robert C. Byrd Honors
Scholars for the 2008-09 school year, Melanie Malinas (left) and
Rachel Ellison (right).
Melanie will attend Oberlin College and
Rachel will attend the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
The Davidson Academy was referenced in an Education Week article,
Profoundly Gifted Find Challenging Programs, which explains that there is no single model of programs for the exceptionally gifted.
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"I really enjoy having time to talk about school, life, and everything. It really makes me feel like I have someone I can share things with who can give me good opinions."
~ Marissa Clopton, Davidson Academy student, on advising
at the Academy
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