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August 2019
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Fall 2019 Davidson Academy tour dates have been announced! See details and RSVP information below.
Both the Davidson Academy Reno and Davidson Academy Online 2020-2021 applications will be available September 16! |
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Student
to Student
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Hello! My name is Caroline Stanton and I am a second-year student at Davidson Academy Online (DAO). Throughout my years as a student I have been to private, public, magnet, and online schools, but none of those experiences compare to DAO. When I first joined Davidson I was worried. I had been to two other schools just the year before (one magnet and one public) and neither had worked. Not to mention my online school experience was very small as I had only taken a few asynchronous online classes before.
However, after orientation day, all my fears were assuaged. The live sessions were stimulating and engaging, the teachers were invested in my learning, the work was actually interesting, and my peers were amazing!
In public school, I just had to sit in class and do work that was below my level.
I finally feel like I am learning in an environment fit for me. Along with a stimulating curriculum, I’m finally surrounded by like-minded peers. Because of this, I’ve made strong friendships and connections throughout my two years. Davidson has helped be become a successful student too. I’d always had trouble taking notes, planning, and studying but DAO has let me create my own strategies for each! The school is meant for gifted kids and it shows in everything they do. Thanks to Davidson I finally feel at home at school.
~ Caroline
Stanton, Davidson Academy
Online student
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Online
Campus
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A Far-Reaching
Online Education.
Decidedly Different.
What sets
the Davidson
Academy
online
campus
apart from
other online
schools for
gifted
students?
Our mission
to provide
profoundly
gifted young
people an
advanced
educational
opportunity
matched to
their
abilities,
strengths
and
interests.
Nowhere else
will
profoundly
gifted
students
find a
school that
is
intentionally
designed for
them.
At Davidson,
Online
students
benefit
from:
- Live, synchronous sessions
- Quality peer interactions
- Small class sizes
- Responsive, caring instructors
- Guidance counseling
- College planning
- Personalized Learning Plans
- Opportunities for socialization
The 2020-2021 Davidson
Academy
Online
Application
will be
available
September
16. Open to students who live anywhere in the United States, this accredited online option builds off the one-of-a-kind, exceptional framework put in place by the Davidson Academy's Reno
campus. The result is a robust online community where students thrive.
Visit the
Qualification
Criteria and How to Apply pages to read about the application process.
If you have any questions, please email online@davidsonacademy.unr.edu.
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Meaningful,
Highly
Personalized Social InteractionsBeyond
the advanced
academics
that we
offer, the
hallmark of
Davidson
Academy
Online is
the
authentic
opportunities
for
meaningful
interactions
with
classmates
and
instructors
that happen
daily. At
Davidson
Academy
Online,
students
have rich
opportunities
for
socialization
through our
courses and
extracurriculars.
Students
Meghana and
Nate
describe how
below: |
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Meghana Dodda
I was happy and hopeful about
Davidson
Academy
Online, but another part of me was nervous, and I was full of questions. Would I be able to make friends, despite the virtual environment? I can tell you with ease that the answer is a resounding yes.
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It’s insane how easy it is to connect and relate to the people around you at DAO. When you think about it, it is pretty crazy, as the students who attend are from all over the country are from various educational backgrounds, and have a wide variety of hobbies and interests among them. Despite all these differences, DAO has pulled all of us together, and it’s nearly effortless to find something in common with every student here.
The extracurricular opportunities
also allow
us to
connect with my friends and share my passions with them. We also have school-wide events, like monthly community meetings, movie nights, and game nights that help us unite as a school.
I personally feel like I’m part of a close-knit community here at DAO, which is something I treasure. I have found a home and have enjoyed my time here immensely doing things I love most with all the smart, creative, and fun people around me. |
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Nate
Welsh
What I
have
loved
most
about my
experience
at
Davidson
Academy
Online
is the
many
close
friendships
I have
developed. |
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The teachers go out of their way to ensure that we have opportunities to work with our peers. Thanks to their efforts, the thousands of miles between us seem to evaporate, and the small class sizes ensure that each student is engaged in any group discussions and will receive extra help if needed.
My favorite part of DAO has been meeting new friends that live all across the country. I talk in group chats and host calls to talk with my friends on a daily basis. We all feel very closely connected, as there is a sense of real, genuine community in our school, even if we only see each other as pixels on a screen. My favorite DAO-related memories came from the two meetups that we have had. Over winter break, about 20 DAO families met up in San Diego to spend a few days together. The transition from being virtual friends to being real friends felt completely natural. Ever since the meetup ended, we haven’t stopped talking about when we can meet up next!
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Single-Course Enrollments
Single-course enrollments are now available through the Davidson Academy's online campus! With two English and two math courses for single-course enrollment having just begun, these enrollments have the same curriculum and workload expectations as the full-time Davidson Academy Online campus. Courses follow the academic school year calendar.
Please view the Single-Course Enrollments
page and our infographic. To learn more or apply visit How to Apply > or email online@davidsongifted.org if you have any questions. |
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Reno
Campus
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No Place
Quite Like it
- Full Time
School in
Reno, Nevada
for Middle and
High School
Students
For more than
13 years, the Davidson Academy’s free, accredited
public school
located on
the
University
of Nevada,
Reno campus
has centered
on
interpersonal
and
instructional
dynamics
creating an
atmosphere
that is
vibrant with
intellectual
energy and
dialogue. As
the school
has grown,
the Academy
has evolved
to offer an
increasing
number of
opportunities,
while still
providing a
laser-sharp
focus on the
individual
student.
Davidson
Academy
students
have the
opportunity
to
participate
in many
clubs and
extracurricular
activities
throughout
the year, as
well as
enroll in
courses at
the
University
under a dual
enrollment
agreement.
Accredited
Reno campus course listings
and
University
offerings
(recently
updated) >
If you are
interested in applying to the Academy for the
2020-2021 school year, the application will be posted
September 16.
Visit the
Qualification
Criteria and How to Apply pages to read about the application process. If you have any questions, please email
applications@davidsonacademy.unr.edu.
Fall
Tour Dates -
Recently
Announced
The Davidson
Academy
hosts fall tours
for
prospective
Reno Campus students and
their
parents. At
these tours,
prospective
students and
their
parents 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 (RSVP Required):
- Sept. 6, 2019
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Oct. 18, 2019
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Nov. 15, 2019
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Dec. 6, 2019
For more information, please email
outreach@davidsonacademy.unr.edu. |
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Web Updates
Academic Investment
At the Davidson Academy, we accept students who are academically ready for coursework at least at an advanced middle school level to join our community of gifted learners. We offer a full middle school and high school curriculum at our campus in Reno and through our online Academy, and group our students by ability rather than age. Learn more >
Updated School Profile
The updated Davidson Academy School Profile is now available on the Academy website. It provides information on the Academy's background, students, mission statement, goals, core values, eligibility criteria, curriculum, graduation requirements and more. |
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Meet Mr. Bondarchuk, Online Instructor
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What classes are you teaching at the Davidson Academy?
This term I will be teaching or co-teaching four classes: Calculus I, Calculus II, Personal Identity, and American Literature. The two calculus courses are
for our online campus. The other two are traditional in-person courses
at our Reno
campus. Personal Identity is a philosophy elective that I designed myself. It is loosely modeled on a course I taught when I was in graduate school
at Harvard, but calibrated to
our advanced students who may have no experience with philosophy classes. Finally, American Literature is a class I am co-teaching with Vickie Smith-Barrios. (It would be more accurate to say that I will be the oldest student in the class.) I am one of a relatively small handful of DA instructors who teach
at both campuses. I am excited to get a flavor for each.
What aspect of teaching Davidson Academy students are you most looking forward to?
I have only been here a short while, but it's really an incredible privilege to work with such a talented and motivated student body. I became a teacher because I am fascinated by ideas, and I want to share that fascination with others. But that can be difficult to pull off, especially if students are cynical about the point of their education. But Davidson students aren't approaching their secondary education with a cynical attitude. I think that grouping students by ability has a lot to do with that. It ensures students are always working at the outer limits of their intellectual capacities.
What unique perspectives do you bring to the Academy as you begin your first year with us?
I don't know if this makes me unique, but I reject the paradigm of two academic cultures, made up on one side by mathematics, natural and social science, and engineering, and on the other side by the humanistic disciplines. This is reflected in my course assignments and in my own educational trajectory. (I have degrees in math and philosophy.) There's a fairly straight line from my interest in mathematics to my interest in more existential questions. When I complete a mathematical proof, it feels as if I have just uncovered some deep structure of reality. If you're anything like me, this relates mathematics to the kinds of questions that animate traditional philosophical inquiry: What is the nature of the world and what is my place within the world?
The 20th century philosopher Wilfred Sellars once wrote that the point of philosophy is “to understand how things in the broadest possible sense of the term hang together in the broadest possible sense of the term.” I try to bring that kind of holistic attitude to bear on whatever I am studying or teaching, whether it's calculus or literature. I think any field of inquiry becomes properly philosophical if you keep asking "Why?" Disciplinary boundaries are, of course, necessary and important, but they can also reinforce arbitrary divisions. It's all just inquiry in the end. |
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Davidson
Academy
student
Jason Liu
(pictured,
third from
left)
is a
36th Annual
Research
Science
Institute
awardee!
Jason is one
of ten
winners
chosen from
82
participants
by an
eminent
panel of
judges at
the 36th
annual RSI
held at the
Massachusetts
Institute of
Technology
(MIT), and
will receive
a $1,000
scholarship
award. |
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Stacy
Hawthorne,
Director
of
Online
Learning
at the
Davidson
Academy
(pictured,
left),
recently
spoke at
the
MIT
LINC
Conference!
The 2019
conference
brought
together
an
international
group of
researchers
and
practitioners
to
discuss
how
learning
science,
pedagogical
approaches,
and
digital
learning
can
provide
quality
education.
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Students
at the
Davidson
Academy
have the
opportunity
to
participate
in many
activities
throughout
the
school
year.
From the
Fall
Festival
and
Winter
Dance to
Pi Day
and
Spirit
Week,
there is
always
something
fun
happening!
See
recently-updated clubs and extracurricular activities
>
Davidson Academy student Luke Noonen created
this PSA about the importance of organ donation!
Davidson Academy student and pianist Derek Chien
recently
performed
at the
TOCCATA-Tahoe
Symphony
Orchestra
and
Chorus
at the
Genoa
Lakes
Golf
Club
Ballroom. |
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“Having so few people in each class allows for interesting discussions and close cooperation that can’t be found anywhere else. Getting to hear everyone’s unique perspectives and being able to contribute without being drowned out is a wonderful experience. Everyone gets to connect strongly with classmates and see how they view the world, which can be truly eye-opening and inspirational.”
--Aman Patel, Davidson Academy graduate |
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