To receive future Davidson Academy Prospective Student eNewsletters, sign up here.

   Student to Student

 
Dear Prospective Students,

This is the third time I’ve written this, because I honestly cannot think of words that do justice to how I feel about Davidson. This is my fifth and final year at the Academy, and I can easily say that attending has been the defining experience of my life so far. I still remember walking in on my first day in eighth grade, feeling lost in the unfamiliar setting and not entirely sure what to expect. I had no idea that exactly four years later I would walk through the same doors, excited to be back but also dreading the fact that I wouldn’t be returning next year. And I had no idea how much Davidson would change me.

Davidson is a great school with great educational opportunities, but honestly that’s not why I love it so much. It’s the people that make this school what it is. You’ve heard about how we’re a close-knit community before, and I could use all those same words, but you still wouldn’t understand what it really means. So instead I’m going to tell you a story.

Every year the Wednesday before Thanksgiving break we have a lunch potluck. All the students bring in food to share, the tables are decorated with centerpieces, and we essentially have a giant family dinner (but for lunch). This year my friends and I decided to come up with a complex fake family tree and then go around the table and say what we’re thankful for, completely in character. This had just been a random idea to pass the time, but it ended up being one of the most hilarious things I’ve ever witnessed. By the end, each character had a complex back story and Harry and Breanna (also known as Harold and Margret) were getting a divorce because of the summer of ’67. It was one of those spontaneous things that can only happen with people who are completely familiar with each other, and I never dreamed that I’d find people like that at Davidson. We have become like a family, and that’s the biggest thing Davidson has given me. I’ve found people that I love more than anything, and this has honestly changed who I am. Not everyone who comes here experiences the same thing, but for me Davidson was the perfect thing at the perfect time. It might not be for you, but if you do decide to come… well, we could always use a bigger family.

~ Katherine Oakley, Fifth Year Davidson Academy Student


 

   Get to Know Us

 

It is difficult to believe that the fall semester is nearly complete and winter break is almost here. As always, it has been a busy and productive semester, and rewarding to see how much the students grow and mature in just a few months. After the winter break, we look forward to hitting the ground running for the spring semester and all of its activities, culminating with graduation in May. Please consider attending an upcoming tour and applying for the 2015-2016 school year. Best wishes for the holiday season!

~ Colleen Harsin, Director of the Davidson Academy

 

   Davidson Academy Program Updates

2014-2015 Application Available

The Davidson Academy of Nevada application for the 2015-2016 school year is now available! Access the online application by visiting the How to Apply page. The Davidson Academy is a place where you can find a better fit for your social and academic needs!

Upcoming Tours for Prospective Students

 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:
  • Jan. 30, 2015
  • Feb. 27, 2015
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.




   Student Activities

Thanksgiving Potluck

Heralded as the best event of the year, Academy students and staff indulged at the annual potluck held the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Events included a centerpiece competition, a hand-turkey and crafts station, thank-you cards for the staff, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving viewing and a turkey bowl football game. More than 150 meals were donated to the local homeless shelter from the leftovers!

Harry Potter Hype Week

To increase school spirit and build community, Harry Potter Hype Week events took place the week before the winter dance, aptly themed the Yule Ball. Prefects were selected, students chose to belong to one of the four Hogwarts houses, and participated in events including hallway decorating and costume day. Unfortunately, Muggle Quidditch was rescheduled due to weather.

The Yule Ball

A great time was had by all Davidson Academy witches and wizards at the Yule Ball. Hosted by Student Council, attendees danced the night away and enjoyed treats such as golden snitch cake pops, cauldron cake pudding, chocolate wands, Felix Felicis lucky potion and butter beer.


 

   JamPro Music Factory

JamPro Music Factory and the Davidson Academy

JamPro Music Factory has teamed up with the Davidson Academy to provide students with an individualized, high-tech, modern music education. A team of experienced music professionals work with students on theory and performance at both the Academy and JamPro's technologically advanced facility located on Prototype Drive in Reno's South Meadows.

JamPro not only provides individualized lesson plans for each student and their instrument, but also access to their practice and lesson rooms, recording studios and an iMac computer lab with the latest in composing, DJing and music education software. These features allow Academy students to gain a full perspective of the music industry, while studying music theory and performance.

 

   Curriculum Close-Up by Erin Vienneau, Instructor

 
One of the units in the Academy's Composition and Analysis course focuses on activism and leadership. We read a number of non-fiction and fiction pieces, write a lot, play some leadership games, and throughout this, the students work on an activism project of their choice. Using a structured guide to help them figure out what they want to do and how they want to do it, students may work on raising awareness of an issue, or they may volunteer time making a difference in a way that is meaningful to them, or they may raise money for their causes . . . some students combine all of these options. A few examples of these projects include: collecting books for children in homeless shelters; writing letters to government officials on topics such as nuclear waste disposal; raising money for the Red Cross to support victims of violence in the Middle East; educating the public about the symptoms of sepsis; and collecting and properly disposing of waste that could leak mercury if dumped in landfills. The Davidsons are strong believers in “giving back” to the community, and having the chance to foster this philosophy in our students is one of the best parts of my job!

 

   In the News

Davidson Student Making a Difference

Davidson Academy senior, Lindsey Zeising, completed her Gold Award Project by raising a guide dog, named Kenny, to draw attention to the issue of blindness and educate people in her community about service animals. The Gold Award is the highest rank in Girl Scouts and has many requirements that need to be fulfilled. The Gold Award project is a chance for high school girls to find an issue in the community, research it, and create a plan to educate inspire the community to take action.



“The teachers here [at the Academy] are a great resource, and are always willing to help students outside of class, whether on class work or on other projects. My teachers have been the most exciting and passionate ones I’ve ever had, and all the staff have put an amazing amount of work into creating challenging, fun and flexible courses that have really helped me learn. ”

Rebecca Bauer, Davidson Academy Graduate, 2014 (pictured, left)



 


If you have been forwarded this Davidson Academy Prospective Student eNewsletter,
and wish to receive future newsletters, sign-up here.

The Davidson Institute for Talent Development
Supporting our nation's brightest young minds.
9665 Gateway Drive, Suite B, Reno, Nevada 89521
Phone: 775-852-3483 Fax: 775-852-2184
Email: administrator@davidsongifted.org     Web: www.DavidsonGifted.org      www.DavidsonAcademy.UNR.edu
Request a Brochure online.

      For more prospective student information, visit the Davidson Academy Tours page.

    The Davidson Academy eNewsletter Archive.


  DITD FaceBook   DITD Twitter   DITD YouTube
    "Like" the Davidson Institute on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
The Davidson Academy also has a number of YouTube videos!