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Student to
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 Hello Prospective Student!
I’m Elli Tian, and I’m a rising senior now in my fifth year at
The Davidson Academy. I have to admit, when I first came to the school, I never expected to love it as much as I do now. In fact, I never expected that I would like it at all! Like many other students, I originally had doubts about how well I would fit in. Since the Academy was my third school in three years at the time, I knew that I would have to make new friends all over again, which I wasn’t looking forward to at all. This time, though, the situation seemed different because I had absolutely no idea what the kids at the Academy would be like. Some of my friends at my old school had joked around with me about going to a “nerd school”, and though I tried to laugh along, I secretly had doubts up until my very first day. What if the other kids don’t like me? What if they laugh at me because I prefer reading inside to playing games outside during my free time, or because I do math for fun?
To my relief, my parents and the Academy staff quickly noticed that I was struggling. I was given some of the placement tests that I had missed during my study halls. Suddenly, I was in classes that I had never taken before, were sufficiently challenging, and that I actually enjoyed. I soon figured out that a simple email or talk with the right teacher could help me with any problems that I had. Of course, there were the usual guidelines of prerequisites, age requirements, and scheduling issues that I had to follow, but overall, I was able to take almost every class that I wanted to and was capable of taking. Once I started settling into my classes, I also started to become more comfortable around the people at the Academy. I made new friends quickly—to my relief, I found that those qualities and passions for which I had been singled out for at my old school were no out of the ordinary at the Academy—and discovered that the staff was more accepting than I ever could have hoped for. My first year passed by in the blink of an eye, and though I could still faintly feel the sting of switching schools then, I knew for certain that I wanted nothing more than to come back for another year.
 After a few more years at The Davidson Academy, the school has become like a second home to me. I’ve been able to access many opportunities, including the chance to participate in national-level math competitions and to take classes at the University of Nevada, Reno, that I wouldn’t have been able to if I had stayed at my previous school. Most of all, though, I’ve finally found a place where I fit in. I’ve found friends who understand me and share my interests, teachers who appreciate my and the other Academy students’ passion for knowledge and who are always willing to help, and a personalized and dynamic learning environment that matches no other that I have ever experienced. The Academy community is now something that I am proud to be a part of, and something that I think is absolutely worth the experience. If you’re having doubts about the Academy, then at least come and give it a try. I guarantee you that it has something to offer for every student out there.
~ Elli Tian, Fifth Year Davidson Academy Student
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Program Updates |
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 2013-2014 Application Available
The Davidson Academy of Nevada application for the 2013-2014 school year is now available! Visit the
How to Apply page to download the application PDF files. If you are looking for an environment to better fit your social and academic needs, The Davidson Academy may be the place for you!
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. Please review the recently updated
Qualification Criteria page of our website as these scores are mandatory for student eligibility. On the
Application Review Process
page, you will find detailed information about the
on-site assessment.
Upcoming Tours for Prospective Students - New Dates Announced!
Each month during the school year, The Davidson Academy hosts a tour for prospective students and their parents. At these tours, visitors meet current Academy students, parents, faculty and staff, and ask specific questions about the school.
 Upcoming school tours will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the following
Fridays:
- Sept. 28, 2012
- Oct. 19, 2012
- Nov. 30, 2012
- Dec. 14, 2012
For details, including directions to The Davidson Academy and RSVP information, please visit the
Tours page. If you would like more information, please contact us at
outreach@davidsonacademy.unr.edu.
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EXPLORE Test to be offered at Academy in October |
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 In conjunction with the University of Iowa’s Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS), The Davidson Academy will serve as a test site for the two-hour
EXPLORE® test on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. The EXPLORE® test, developed by ACT for 8th graders, is an effective above-level test for younger students (grades 4-6), and provides the opportunity to demonstrate their advanced abilities. An EXPLORE® test score can be used in the context of eligibility criteria for the
Davidson Young Scholars program as well as
The Davidson Academy. The goal of BESTS is to discover students who need further educational challenge to fully realize their academic talent. To register, visit
here.
Also, The Davidson Academy will be hosting a
public tour the day before the Explore Test, on Friday, Oct.
19.
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Student
Activities |
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 Academy Graduate and Teacher Honored in Washington,
D.C.
As
mentioned in the July issue,
2012 Academy graduate Claire Evans (pictured, right) was recently honored in
Washington, D.C. as a 2012
U.S. Presidential Scholar, the nation’s
highest honor for graduating seniors. Claire
was one of 141 students to
spend a week in Washington, D.C. for the
U.S. Presidential Scholars’ National
Recognition Week, and traveled with Academy
teacher Alanna Simmons (left), a recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.
"I
watched Claire Evans, a student of mine for two years,
receive a medallion which was placed around her neck by Arne
Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education," says Alanna. I hooted and hollered as any proud teacher would do. I watched this young woman laugh and bond with other high achieving peers - some had created altruistic ventures such as a nonprofit in Africa, others were distinguished artists and most were going to Ivy League colleges - and saw a yellow brick road of success and happiness snaking away from these ambitious youths.”
 Academy
Graduate Shines at 2012 International Linguistics Olympiad
Academy student Alex Wade (pictured, second from right) recently competed at the
2012 International Linguistics Olympiad
in Slovenia, finishing with impressive results! Alex
received a gold metal for the second highest overall
score in the individual contest, as well as numerous honors
for "best solutions." Photo courtesy of
IOLing from North America
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In the News |
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 Academy Graduate Featured
on CNBC's "20 Under 20"
Taylor Wilson, a 2012 Academy graduate, was recently
featured on CNBC’s new documentary “20 Under 20,” which chronicles the selection process and methodology behind this year’s Thiel Fellows. These are individuals at or below the age of 20 who
receive $100,000 to spend two years pursuing their dreams in technology and science
rather than attending college. Watch a video
about Taylor
here.
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 “Without the experiences I have had at The Davidson Academy, I would not be as prepared or motivated to pursue academic challenges. The school rewards hard work and encourages students to put their abilities to the test.”
Abe Reynolds, Davidson Academy Graduate (pictured, left)
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