|
|
|
Amanda and Melissa are sisters attending The Davidson Academy of Nevada. They share their experiences below.
 Hello Prospective Students!
My name is Amanda Bak and currently I am in my sophomore year at The Davidson Academy. For the past three years that I have attended the Academy, I can honestly say that it has been an absolutely amazing experience.
When I first came to the Academy, one of my biggest concerns was making new friends. I thought that because the Academy is filled with extremely bright and talented students, it would be hard to fit in and find a group of friends. However, this was not the case. On my first day, I realized that everyone was very friendly, witty, and overall lots of fun to hang around with. Stereotypically, it may seem that the intelligence level would hinder the social environment; however, at the Academy it just makes the social conversation more interesting and fun. Everyone is very passionate and excited to learn, but they also know how to relax and enjoy the energetic environment that the Academy provides – trust me, we aren’t as nerdy and awkward as you may think we are.
Out of the many cool opportunities the Academy has to offer, my favorite thing about this school is definitely the Academy staff. The staff at the Academy is like none other. They are so dedicated and care so much about the students. To us students, we always know we can rely on the staff and have long, interesting conversations with them as well. They are always willing to help us with any problems or further our knowledge and because of this, classes are always very engaging.
The Academy staff and students are the most passionate and kind people I have ever met, and I feel really glad and lucky to be a part of this amazing community. Coming to the Academy is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made.
~ Amanda Bak, Third Year Davidson Academy Student
 Hey Prospective Students!
My name is Melissa Bak and I’m a freshman in my fourth year at The Davidson Academy. Though initially I was reluctant to attend this school, now I can’t imagine my life without the Academy. The academic opportunities that are unavailable elsewhere, the people you get to meet, the amazing staff who put forth all their effort and time, and the extracurricular activities and clubs are all part of the Academy, a place I can call my home.
In many regular public schools, you are defined by what grade and age you are but here at the Academy, age is no boundary. In the academic sense, this means you are free to take classes at your skill level whether it means you might be in a class with juniors or in a class with 8th graders, or maybe if you are feeling particularly ambitious, you can enroll in a University
of Nevada, Reno class. You can even graduate a couple years early, or use that time to take a year off to go to France. As for the social aspect of
the Academy, everyone is nice and friendly, and you’ll be surprised at how many interests you share with other people whether this may be a particular TV show, video game, sport or band. Age is again not a restriction, as you might see a senior walking around with a freshman or a sophomore walking around with a 7th grader.
Though the school is usually deemed the “nerdy/genius” school by outsiders, there is so much more to
the Academy than just academics. What I love about the
school is the variety of clubs offered. Get in a heated debate speaking 500 words per minute at Speech and Debate or make things spontaneously combust at Science Club or even knit a scarf in the Arts and Crafts Club; the opportunities are endless!
Ultimately, you have two options; you can apply to the Academy or you can apply to the Academy. Either way, you won’t regret your decision; it’s the best one I
have made yet.
~ Melissa Bak, Fourth Year Davidson Academy Student
|
|
|
|
|
 The Right Fit for You?
While the deadline to submit applications for the 2014-2015 school year has passed, it’s not too early to think about 2015-2016. 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 2015-2016 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.
|
|
|
|
|
 The
application deadline of April 30 for
the 2014 THINK Summer Institute
is fast approaching! THINK is a three-week residential summer program on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno where students can earn up to six college credits by completing two university courses. The 2014 THINK Summer Institute will run from July 12 through Aug.
2. Tuition is $3,400 and covers course credits, books and materials, room and board and the cost of planned activities. Need-based scholarships are available. To qualify, students
from across the country must be 13 to 16 years old during THINK and must meet or exceed composite SAT score of 1130 (excludes writing portion) or ACT score of 26. Homeschooled students are eligible to apply.
Apply today!
|
|
|
|
|
2014 Nevada Science OlympiadThe
Davidson Academy recently competed in the 2014 Nevada
Science Olympiad
competition in Las Vegas, finishing with spectacular
results! Below are photos from the event.
Student Accomplishments
Congratulations to the following Davidson Academy students for these recent accomplishments:
- Alex Hayes, Karthik Rohatgi and Hadley Weiss have been selected as
winners of the National Merit Scholarship! Announcement of corporate-sponsored and college-sponsored merit scholarships have yet to be made, but are expected later this spring.
-
Brad Gephart and
Alex Hayes placed first and third in the 2014
Chemistry Olympiad
Local Exam. Davidson Academy students took seven of the
top 10 positions in the local competition. The U.S. National
Chemistry Olympiad and the International Chemistry Olympiad
are multi-tiered competitions that bring together the
world’s most talented high school students to test their
knowledge and skills in chemistry.
- Dhruv Rohatgi earned a spot to compete in the
USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO)
this month. His eligibility to compete is based on his scores from the AMC 10 and the AIME exam given earlier this year. He is one of approximately 500 students nationwide to participate in this year’s USAJMO competition.
 The students representing The Davidson Academy earned second place in the state
Mathcounts competition. Here are their individual placements out of the top 70 students in the state:
-
5th: Ethan Lu (first time at State)
- 12th: Rinik Kumar
- 14th: Sarah MacHarg
- 20th: Shashank Addagarla (first
time at State)
- 23rd: Galen Kimball
- 29th: Courtney Shinagawa (first time at State)
- 31st: Gabriel Angres (first time at State)
- 38th: Yatin Chandar (first time at State)
 - A number of Academy students competed in the
Western Nevada Regional Science and Engineering Fair,
with excellent results!
- Oliver Leitner earned 1st place in the high school engineering category
and won two specialty awards! Additionally, he was selected to be an observer at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF).
- Yatin Chandar
earned 3rd place in the middle school engineering category.
- Rinik Kumar earned 3rd place in the high school physical science category.
- Jessica Fuchs and Rebecca Bennett
earned 4th place in the high school life science category.
|
|
|
|
|
 How
have you changed as a teacher since you started at the
Academy?
This spring ends my third year at The Davidson Academy. When I arrived in the fall of 2011, I thought I knew a thing or two about teaching super smart kids. Having taught many gifted students in my career (some of whom, coincidentally, I’m teaching again at the Academy!), I expected the transition to be simple. As it turns out, it was like my first year teaching all over again. With so many highly talented students in one class, I was forced to rethink some of the dogmas I had emphasized in the past. With the support of the Academy staff and understanding of so many students, my learning curve was steep! I feel very lucky to be working with such fantastic people, and I look forward to many more years.
Generally, what is your average class size?
My class sizes tend to be around eight students. This works well for group work, labs and discussions. I have had as
few as four students in the class and as many as 15.
What are a few of the more interesting or challenging projects that you have assisted Academy students with?
In addition to regular classroom teaching, I coach students in a variety of related endeavors. For example, I advise the Future Physicians club, which requires me to coordinate visits to the medical school to tour the facilities, examine cadavers, and speak with the students and staff. I’m also available to guide students as they prepare for the AP Biology test or the USA Biology Olympiads exam. Additionally, I am the science fair coordinator for the school, and I help students as they do interesting science
projects in a variety of fields in preparation for the annual regional science fair.
|
|
|
|
|
 For
the fourth 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 23 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.
Davidson Academy graduate Taylor Wilson was featured in the National Geographic
article,
"Taylor Wilson: Teen Wonder." The article describes
Taylor's educational background, his passions and
motivation, and his work with the Thiel Fellowship.
Photo courtesy of National Geographic.
Davidson Academy students Rebecca Bauer, Christopher Huh and Hadley Weiss
were featured in the
Reno Gazette-Journal for being admitted to Harvard’s Class of 2018.
Academy student Grace Hong was also featured for receiving
a Prize Book award, which is meant as a way to introduce young people to the opportunities at Harvard.
|
|
|
 “What makes the Academy unique and worthwhile for me is that I am an individual but I do not stick out like an oddity .
. . I am not forced to conform to anyone’s standards. Students here do not end up pigeonholed. We all have our groups of friends but groups are permeable and students intermingle. We are not forced into groups simply because
they are close enough to our own personality. We each have our own identity and play off each other as friends and fellow intellectuals.”
Timothy Gaetke, Fourth Year Davidson Academy Student (pictured, left)
|
|
|
