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Student to
Student |
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 Dear Prospective Academy Students,
The Davidson Academy is the most extraordinarily unique school that I have ever come across. For seemingly endless years, my family and I had been trying to find a school that fit my needs for a challenging education. Then, finally, in 2007, my search was ended when I decided to enroll
in the Academy. For the first time in my life, I felt as though the school, the instructors, the curriculum, and the community all provided what I needed for a great school experience.
At The Davidson Academy, rather than having the curriculum of a traditional school, the classes that are offered and the course materials within them are all based on what the students want to learn. The instructors and faculty are there to help the students learn what they would like in a way that helps them to succeed. They are willing to even change the curriculum part way through the school year depending on the student's progress. For example, at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, none of the offered mathematics courses were the correct skill level for me. So, the Academy ended up creating a math class that was designed exactly for my skill level, even though I was the only student who needed that particular course level. This is just one of the many examples of ways that
the Academy has adjusted to make my school experience the best that I can have.
While it is extremely important, the academic aspect of The Davidson Academy is only one part of its unique structure. In my opinion, the social community at
the Academy is a very important part of the wonderful experience that it offers. The students are very friendly, outgoing, and are always open to new ideas and new students. While all of the students that attend the Academy vary in personality, everyone gets along, and it is these varying personalities that create such lively conversations. The conversations that take place both inside and outside of the classrooms are equally as exciting and varying as the students that participate in them. Also, the fact
the Academy is a relatively small school allows every student to know all of the teachers and
each other. For these reasons, the Academy is one big family, where everyone knows and understands each other.
I hope to see you next school year!
~ Katie Daw, Third Year Davidson Academy Student
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Get to Know Us |
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 With the 2009-2010 school year having recently begun, it’s a very exciting time at The Davidson Academy! Our enrollment has increased from 73 students last year to
92 this year, resulting in a more diverse student body and allowing us to offer
interesting new options.
Although we continue to grow on a yearly basis, small class size and a focus on the individual student remains a priority.
On another note, we were fortunate to not have any documented cases of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus at the Academy last school year, and we are following the
Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines to prevent the spread of the flu this year.
We hope you will consider applying for the 2010-2011 school year or attending one of our upcoming tours on Oct. 15, Nov. 12 or Dec. 10
(see below for details).
~ Colleen Harsin, Director of The Davidson Academy of Nevada
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Program
Updates |
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2010-2011 Application Available
The Davidson Academy application for the 2010-2011 school year is now available! Visit the How to Apply page to download the three Academy application PDF files.
The Davidson Academy of Nevada 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 recently updated
Test Score Criteria page of our website as these scores are mandatory for student eligibility. The first application submission deadline for the 2010-2011 school year is October 1, 2009. Applications will be accepted on a monthly basis through March 1, 2010. Please visit the
Application Review Process for detailed information in addition to the Admissions section of the
FAQs page.
Upcoming Tours
of the Academy
Have you considered The Davidson Academy as an option
for your gifted student? Taking an informational tour of the Academy provides prospective students and
their families 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 one of the following monthly
tours:
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
- Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009
RSVPs
are required for these tours. If you would like more information, please email
explore@davidsonacademy.unr.edu.
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Cool Spots on
Campus - Laxalt Mineral Engineering Building |
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 Home to the School of Mines, the Nevada Seismology Laboratory, the Newmont Rock Mechanics Lab, a supercomputer laboratory and more, there is always something exciting going on at the
Paul Laxalt Mineral Engineering Building. The Seismology Laboratory is the center for instrumental studies of earthquakes in the
Great Basin. The laboratory operates a statewide network of seismographic stations and investigates the sizes, frequencies of occurrence, and distribution of earthquakes in the region, and other problems related to seismic risk in Nevada.
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Student
Activities |
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The Community Crusaders, an Academy student club, volunteers with local nonprofit groups and have a number of fun events lined up for the 2010-2011 school year. Helping organizations such as the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, the Ronald McDonald House, Nevada EcoNet, Project Linus and the Sky Peaks Retirement Community,
the Community Crusaders offers an opportunity for the students to give back to the community while having fun at the same time!
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Meet Ms. Miller and Ms. Harrison, College
Advising Team |
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 KC Miller, The Davidson Academy’s Guidance Counselor, and Shannon Harrison, an
Academic Advisor at the Academy and a Family Consultant at the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, are members of the Academy’s College
Advising Team. They answered the following questions:
What are some of the things you do to assist students at the Academy?
Ms. Miller: Some of the things I do in assisting students at the Academy is working with them, their parents,
their Academic Advisors, teachers and curriculum team to help make sure that the students are getting the best possible education the Academy can provide. I work one-on-one with students who may be struggling in one area or another. In the
beginning, this includes working closely with new students in
Ms. Miller
helping with the transition of coming to a new and advanced school environment,
meeting new people and making friends, and sometimes living away from family and friends. We have some programs in place this year to assist in this transition process, including our Breakfast Club,
which meets once a week before school. Breakfast is provided and we work with attending students in developing what I call “success skills”. These skills are aimed at teaching our students the skills they will need to be successful in this school environment, such as study skills, organization strategies and time management just to name a few.
What College Planning services does the Academy offer?
Ms. Harrison:
At the Davidson Academy we offer a wealth of college planning services. Not only do students have academic advisors to remind them of important due dates, but they also have other supporting staff members who specifically assist with college counseling. As we all know, applying to colleges is a lot of work, and starting early will help students accomplish their goals in a timely manner. We have a Davidson Academy College Handbook full of useful information that was put together from a college guidance expert, and a specific timeline that we follow. We are lucky to converse with college consultants on a regular basis, be a member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), as well as use the college planning software Naviance.
Are there opportunities for students to attend presentations given by college recruiters?
Ms. Harrison
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Ms. Harrison: Of course! Being a member of NACAC allows us to be aware of colleges visiting Reno, as well as California and other surrounding areas. With NACAC we are also aware of college fairs coming to Reno or surrounding areas. Students will be attending the Explore your College Options with Duke, Georgetown, Harvard,
the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford later this month and a Admissions Officer from Williams College will be visiting the Academy as well. In the past, representatives from schools such as
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Swarthmore have
visited the Academy. In Reno there are also many alumni interviewers so we encourage our students to practice their interview skills
by taking advantage
of alumni interviews once their applications have been submitted.
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What do you like best about working with Academy students?
Ms. Miller:
What I like best about working with the Academy students is that they are very fun and always keeping me on my toes! I absolutely love that these students are constantly presenting challenges; there is never a dull moment at the Davidson Academy (I mean that in a good way). I enjoy working with these students because they are very diverse and exceptional in many different aspects of their lives.
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In the News |
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The Davidson Academy was the focus of a recent
edition of
Nevada NewsMakers. Academy co-founders Bob and Jan Davidson, second-year student Taylor Wilson,
and his father were interviewed about numerous topics, including the process of moving to Reno to attend the Academy. Scroll down to Sept. 2, 2009 to
watch a stream of the video, or view the video in three segments on the
Academy’s YouTube Channel.
Rachel Ellison, a 2009 graduate from The
Davidson Academy, was featured in a
recent Idaho Statesman
article about
the road she took to attend the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
this fall.
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"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."
David Ellison, Fourth Year Davidson Academy Student
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