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   Student to Student
 
By now, you’ve probably read about “stellar academics” and “intellectual peers” and all the rest of that. While The Davidson Academy does offer these things I hope to share something else with you.

My name is Timothy Gaetke and I am a junior at The Davidson Academy of Nevada. This is my third year. What makes the Academy unique and worthwhile for me is that I am an individual but I do not stick out like an oddity. In saying that I am an individual I mean many things. First, I am not forced to conform to anyone’s standards. Students here do not end up pigeon holed. We all have our groups of friends but groups are permeable and students intermingle. We are not forced into groups simply because it’s close enough to our own personality. We each have our own identity and play off each others as friends and fellow intellectuals.

Another way the Academy has promoted me to be an individual is in my pursuit of projects. My freshman year, I participated in our region’s science fair. I created an invention with the guidance of our chemistry teacher, Mrs. Walenta, and with the advice of a couple of veterans of the science fair. This year I have coached a class of middle schoolers for the Future City competition. With one teacher for support and the approval of administration, another student and I taught the Future City class here and passed on our own experience in the competition. In an ordinary situation, we never would have been granted the necessary freedom to effectively teach the class.

In other situations, I’m an oddity. I’m out of the ordinary. Here at the Academy, extraordinary is everyday. I suppose you know it is a school for nerds when the drama performer can keep up on a discussion of theoretical physics and there’s a 10 year old in the Calculus class. But more important than that is that each of those people is just that, a person. Here, I have become friends with skiers, a swimmer and innumerable others, computer geeks, literature addicts, biology lovers and mathematicians. Here, we learn to round ourselves out and to round others out. We are a community of students pursuing knowledge.

And really. In how many schools can you be on a first name basis with the school’s director?

~ Timothy Gaetke, Third Year Davidson Academy Student


 
   Program Updates
 
Davidson AcademyThe Right Fit for You?
While the deadline to submit applications for the 2013-2014 school year has passed, it’s not too early to think about 2014-2015. If you are looking for an environment to better fit your social and academic needs, The Davidson Academy of Nevada may be the place for you!

If you are interested in applying to The Davidson Academy for the 2014-2015 school year, the application will be posted this summer. Please review the Qualification Criteria and How to Apply pages of our website for more information. The Academy is specifically designed to meet the needs of profoundly gifted middle and high school students who score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ or college entrance tests, such as the SAT or ACT. On the Application Review Process page, you will find detailed information about the on-site assessment.

   Student Activities
  
Academy Graduate Speaks at TED 2013 Conference
A 2012 graduate of the Academy, Taylor Wilson recently spoke at the TED conference in Long Beach for the second consecutive year. Taylor discussed the potential of Small Modular Fission Reactors and how they can provide carbon-free electricity for homes and businesses, helping to combat climate change and bring power to the developing world. TED is a nonprofit that started as a conference bringing together people from the three worlds of technology, entertainment and design. Source: TED.com. Photo courtesy of TED.com

Academy Students Participate in Traffic and Safety Forum
The University of Nevada, Reno recently held the second annual Traffic and Safety Forum, which included a discussion on a partnership between members of The Davidson Academy's Pedestrian Safety Team and The University Police Department to improve pedestrian safety around campus. The motto of the Pedestrian Safety Team, headed by the Academy Robots, Rockets, & Radio (RRR) club, is “Look Up, Unplug, Stay Safe.” Source: KTVN

    Davidson Academy   Davidson Academy  

Stossel in the Classroom
Davidson Academy student Rinik Kumar was recognized for placing as a semi-finalist in the “No They Can’t” nationwide essay writing contest provided by the educational website, Stossel in the Classroom. The essay called for students to reference current events as they argued the following prompt: What addresses society’s concerns more effectively – free market mechanisms or government intervention? Rinik’s essay was recognized as being in the top 5 percent among the more than 4,000 total essays submitted. Congratulations!

Nevada Prize Exam
A number of Academy students recently participated in the Nevada Prize Exam, which is given to approximately 750 to 1,000 students in the state. The following students were awarded: Elliot Glazer (pictured right) finished in first place in the state and earning a $500 prize; Richard Zheng finished in second place and earning a $250 prize; and Lillian Chien, Sarah MacHarg, Elli Tian, Dennis Wei and Ben Vulich each earned a ‘merit’ award of $50 for their high scores.

Western Nevada Regional Science and Engineering Fair
The following Academy students recently earned top awards at the 46rd Annual Western Nevada Regional Science and Engineering Fair on the University if Nevada, Reno campus:
  • Scott Wade finished in first place in the middle school division of engineering for his project on the "Effects of Thrust, Drag and Weight on the Flight of a Model Rocket." Scott also received the “Reach for the Stars” Award from the Reno Air Race Foundation (RARF), as well as special recognition from the United States Navy – Office of the Naval Research.
  • Hannah Huh finished in second place in the middle school division of life science for her project, "A Comparative Study of New Formulations vs. a Standard Pesticide in Manduca Sexta."
  • Rinik Kumar finished in fourth place in the middle school division of physical science for his project, "Ionizing Radiation in a Peltier Cloud Chamber."
The Science Fair is always an exciting experience for all participants and serves as an inspiration to the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Accolades
Congratulations to the following Academy students for their recent accomplishments:
  • Alex Hayes (2nd place), Brad Gephart (3rd place) and Nathan Bergrin (4th place) were winners in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad regional competition.
  • Eric Liu passed the open exam portion of the USA Biology Olympiad competition! Only two students in the Nevada achieved this distinction.
  • Alana Crognale finished in first place at the Reno Rotary Club Annual Youth Instrumental Music Contest and received a Superior with Distinction rating at the Nevada Music Teachers Association piano festival.
 
   Meet Ms. Harrison, Academy Instructor
 
What subjects do you teach?
I currently teach Human Development, Theories of Psychology and College Planning. In Human Development, we take an in-depth look at childhood development from conception to death and how we all develop throughout this process. In Psychology, we continue on the developmental continuum according to Freud, Adler, Jung, Gestalt and many others. Since applying to college can be as time consuming as adding your most difficult class to your already busy schedule, we provide the students with an opportunity to learn more about the process and apply to college during class time. We take a look at Naviance, college fit, essays, the difference between being a compelling applicant versus a competitive applicant and much more. I am also the co-advisor of our dynamite DECA team.

Please give an example of some of the real-world skills students can take with them from your classes.
My goal is for my students to learn more about themselves and how their actions affect those around them. By teaching them mindfulness, students can learn more about themselves, why they do the things they do and how to be mindful of others. These skills will apply across all social and academic settings.


What do you like best about working with Academy students?
What is there not to like? I love to see the light bulb go off when working with these students. I think many students haven’t had the opportunity to take courses about mental health and I love that I have the opportunity to expose our students to this field. Our students have so much to offer, and their outstanding critical thinking skills and outside the box perspectives really make my courses better. It is a fun and rewarding experience to teach Davidson Academy students.

   In the News
 
For the third consecutive year, The Davidson Academy has been ranked as one of the nation's "Top-performing schools with elite students" by the Washington Post's Jay Mathews. The 22 alphabetically-listed schools were excluded from the main Washington Post High School Challenge list of the best high schools in America because, despite their exceptional quality, their admission rules and standardized test scores indicate they have few or no average students.

Huffington Post
Davidson Academy student Grace Hong and her mother, Connie, were featured in the Huffington Post video segment, "Raising a Genius." Grace describes her educational background and her experiences at the Academy. Noted gifted expert Aimee Yermish is also interviewed.

Reno Gazette-Journal
Davidson Academy student Karthik Rohatgi was featured in the Reno Gazette-Journal article, "Teen gives back through Farm Fresh For Kids." The article describes how Karthik created an organization to help economically challenged, nutritionally at-risk families incorporate more fresh produce into their diets while simultaneously promoting and supporting small scale local farmers. Through partnerships with local health clinics and local producers such as the Great Basin Food Co-op, Karthik provides coupons redeemable for fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income families.


 


Davidson Academy“The Academy isn’t like any other school, gifted or not. Sure, the academics are really great and the school gives students a well-rounded education, but what’s unique about the Academy? The Academy really sticks to its idea of tailoring each student’s education to meet his or her interests and needs.”

Ikya Kandula, Fourth Year Davidson Academy Student (pictured, left)

 


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