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Student to
Student |
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 Hello Prospective Davidson Academy
Students!
My name is Sarah MacHarg. I’m 10 years old, and this is my second year at
The Davidson Academy. I had heard about the school from the local newspaper and from past classmates who had decided to attend. We never gave it serious consideration until the year I was in 5th grade. To be honest with you, the newsletter articles and school brochures freaked me out. It sounded like a school for super geniuses. I was worried that everybody would think I wasn’t smart enough. Despite my fears, I eventually ended up submitting the application, and now realize that choosing to do so was a good decision.
At The Davidson Academy, classes are not based simply on age, but on your abilities. If you are accidentally placed in a class that is way too hard or far too easy, there is a diagnostic period where they will look for these errors and place you in a class that is a better fit. Not only are you placed in classes that are perfect for you, but the classes are small. Rather than having a class of 30 kids with varying abilities, there are classes of
eight or nine kids of similar ability, creating a better learning environment.
So what about homework? Yes, you have homework, and yes, it is challenging. However, it’s not “Oh my gosh I’m gonna die!” homework. It’s doable.
Another concern that you may have is that you won’t have any friends and won’t be able to make any because it is such a small school. However, that is simply not true! I’ve made many new friends. People you wouldn’t even consider as a “possible friend” could end up being your best friend. And believe it or not, smart kids can be a lot of fun. There are also plenty of opportunities for you to do things outside the classroom with
other Academy students, ranging from Drama Club to skiing to just playing Four-Square during lunch.
 The Academy presents its students with several opportunities to expand their horizons. Last year, the C-SPAN
Civics Bus came, and we were allowed to go on it and listen to a talk from one of its representatives. Not only that, but get this
– we got to meet Vice President Joe Biden, talk to him, and
get our picture taken with him! There are also various lunch clubs and presentations, ranging from “P.A.W.S” (Passion, Animals, Wildlife, Students)
– a club for animal lovers – to having piano prodigy Marc Yu play and talk about his life and journey to where he is today.
For any student contemplating whether to apply to The Davidson Academy or not, I will give you my honest opinion. Go for it!
~ Sarah MacHarg, Second Year Davidson Academy Student
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Get to Know Us |
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 As the school year moves forward, it’s hard to believe we are already approaching the midway point of the semester! With
five of our students graduating in May, we are helping them think about their future and locate the best match in future academic and personal options. To accomplish this, we have set up weekly guidelines to assist graduating students throughout this arduous process, and have an independent college consultant working closely with them. For more information, see the
College Advising page on the Academy website.
We hope you will consider
applying for the 2011-2012 school year, or attend
one of our tours (details below)!
~ Colleen Harsin, Director of The Davidson Academy of Nevada
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Program
Updates |
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 2011-2012 Application Available
If
you think
The Davidson Academy of Nevada may be the right fit
for you, consider applying for the 2011-2012 school
year! Visit the
How to Apply page to download the application PDF
files. The Academy is specifically designed to meet the
needs of profoundly gifted middle and high school
students at the sixth grade level and beyond who score
in the 99.9th percentile on IQ or college entrance
tests, such as the SAT or ACT. Please review the
Qualification Criteria page of our website as these
scores are required for student eligibility. Please
visit the
Application Review Process for detailed information
in addition to the Admissions section of the
FAQs page.
Upcoming Tours for Prospective Students
Prospective students and their families
are invited to visit The Davidson Academy for informational monthly tours! Taking a tour provides the opportunity to hear from current students and Academy parents, familiarize yourself with faculty and staff, network with others and ask specific questions.
Visit the Academy for a tour on one of the following dates,
some of which were just recently announced:
- Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
- Friday, Dec. 10, 2010
- Friday, Jan. 21, 2011
- Friday, Feb. 18, 2011
- Friday, March 25, 2011
- Friday, April 15, 2011
RSVPs
are required. If you would like
more information, please email
explore@davidsonacademy.unr.edu.
Tuition, Room & Board Numbers Announced for New
2011-2012 Academy Residential
Program
 The Davidson Academy is moving forward with
a
Residential Program
for the 2011-2012 school year! For
those participating in the program, the cost will be $19,500
for annual tuition and
$3,500 for annual room and board fees. Residential students from out of state
will be required to pay tuition as well as room and
board fees. In-state students will only be required to
pay room and board fees. Residential students will live with local host families
during the school year so their families do not have to
relocate in order for them to attend school. To apply, a completed
Davidson Academy Application along with a
Residential Program Interest Form are due by the
Dec. 1, 2010 deadline. See The Davidson Academy
How to Apply page or email
smeredith@davidsonacademy.unr.edu for more information.
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Student Life |
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Academy Robotics
Team Partners with University Police Services for
Pedestrian Safety Awareness
On Oct. 1, 2010, members of the robotics team, Robots, Rockets, & Radio (RRR),
at The Davidson Academy began partnering with University of
Nevada, Reno Police Services to implement a year-long
Pedestrian Safety Awareness Campaign on high-traffic streets
near the University campus, which is where the Academy is
located. The project, “Speed and Pedestrian Safety
Management on North Virginia and Sierra Streets,” is funded
by an $11,825 Highway Safety grant, recently approved by the
Nevada Department of Public Safety – Office of Traffic
Safety. Reno's KTVN – Ch.2 (CBS) interviewed a
student and others at a
kickoff reception for the project –
watch the
video here! The
Reno Gazette-Journal and
Nevada News also featured the team's project.
Congratulations!
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(L-R): Jan Davidson, Academy Co-founder; Jody Cram,
Parent Advisor; Anthony Dyer, Academy student; Commander Todd Renwick, University Police;
Addison Cram and Dylan Bowman, Academy students; Bob
Davidson, Academy Co-founder. |
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(L-R): Davidson Academy Robotics Team Members Anthony Dyer,
Addison Cram and Dylan Bowman.
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Meet Ms. Garcia, Director of Curriculum and Instruction |
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What steps can prospective students and their families take when deciding if the Academy is a good fit for them?
 Aside from the obvious steps that surround deciding whether or not to move and how the overall experience will affect the entire family, there are some other steps that we would recommend. Parents of prospective students often inquire in this fashion and we have made an effort to provide all of the information that we can while still maintaining ethical and equitable admission practices. Once the test scores necessary for the application process are in place the next step would be to read through all of the information available on the public website. Information about the DA academic readiness assessment and curriculum are essential for considering goodness of fit.
Please
click here for an example of the assessment, most of which is taken directly from our curriculum.
The most effective way to get a feel for how a child might do on our readiness assessment and how he/she might respond to our curriculum is to simply step through the entire example as though it were an actual assessment. The work samples generated from this process should give an indication of how things might go if a actual assessment were taken.
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In the News |
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 Davidson
Academy student Taylor Wilson was featured in
Popular
Science's Annual Scouting Guide to the Top High School
Inventors. Taylor built a fusion reactor that detects nuclear and chemical threats works so
effectively that the Department of Homeland Security has
asked him to construct a bigger version of it.
Congratulations Taylor!
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“The teachers here are amazing. Since classes are small, all the teachers have time to deal with you personally
. . . because they can talk to you individually they can better understand what you need and how they can help you, all of which makes getting through the school year so much easier.”
Tristan Rasmussen, Third Year Davidson Academy Student
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