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Student to
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 Hello Prospective Students,
My name is Hannah Wierson, and I graduated from The Davidson Academy a little less than a month ago. I’m one of those
36 kids who’ve been attending the Academy since its opening in 2006, and I can say with a straight face that it’s been one of the best experiences of my life.
I moved to Reno from Las Vegas. Not really a big move, compared to some of my peers, but it still meant a fairly major relocation, especially considering that I have two younger siblings. While in Vegas, I had been attending one of the many local public elementary schools. I kept a book with me at all times, never paid attention in class, didn’t talk to the other students, and still got one hundred percent on everything. Even though I was in the school’s GATE (Gifted And Talented Education) program, all that really meant was that I missed an hour of class a week and got to do Sudoku puzzles. It was fun, but still not particularly interesting. The best thing about it was the people - my fellow GATE-ers and I were comrades in boredom, taking up books and brainteasers to fend off the monotony of elementary school. But alas, ‘twas a fruitless attempt. Mental exaltation remained a dim light in the distance, and I got to thinking that it wasn’t worth the fight to reach it.
The guidance counselor gave me some information on The Davidson Academy in passing. Reading through
it, the good fight suddenly didn’t seem that worthless anymore, and my parents were willing to go with it. I got a letter informing me that I had been accepted - and at the time, acceptance didn’t seem like a big deal. I didn’t have to take day-long assessments, I took an IQ test and did a brief phone interview. We were willing to trust the Davidsons to handle my education, even though this had never really been done before, and that seemed to be enough. At age eleven, I said goodbye to my few friends and said hello to the Biggest Little City in the World.
It was amazing. It was like I was going to Hogwarts, because I was learning something new everyday. Historical events that had been glazed over in one or two sentences at my old school were suddenly extremely significant, and we were given more to work with than “In fourteen hundred ninety-two...” Math was challenging. The school was so small my only option was Algebra, and I vividly remember wondering what on Earth letters were doing in these equations. We were moving beyond the ever-so-dull three/five paragraph essay in English, and learning how to stretch the rules of writing without breaking them. But even more amazing was the environment.
Suddenly I was surrounded by people who actually understood me. Nobody minded geeking out about Harry Potter, or sharing our
favorite mathematical formulas. Being able to name the original 151 Pokémon was cool. I could talk to anyone and not worry about them thinking  I was the bad kind of weird, and that led to me starting to talk to people. Rather than staying huddled up in the back of the class with my nose in a book and walking through the hallways with my eyes to the ground, I made friends, close friends,
friends who are going to be difficult to part with when I go to the University of Rochester this autumn.
If you were to ask why, specifically, you ought to come to The Davidson Academy, I wouldn’t be able to explain why. All I can really do is tell my story, and tell what it’s done for me. There’s no simple reason, and trying to sum up my experience in less than a novel is difficult enough. I just hope that you can see how much the Academy has bettered my life, and from that you’ll understand why you should attend.
~ Hannah Wierson, 2011 Davidson Academy Graduate
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Get to Know Us |
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 The Davidson Academy of Nevada was granted provisional accreditation starting with the 2008-2009 school year by the Northwest Accreditation Commission (formerly, the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools). We are very pleased to announce that the initial self-study period concluded in May 2011, at which point the school was accredited as a Special Purpose School.
With applications for the 2012-2013 Davidson Academy
school year to be posted in July, we hope you
consider investigating the Academy as an option! For
a first hand view of the Academy, you can always visit
during one of our fall tours on Sept. 23, Oct.
21, Nov.18, or Dec. 16.
Also, The Davidson Academy school profile has just
been posted to the Academy website. It provides information on
the Academy's background, students, mission statement, goals, core values, eligibility criteria, curriculum, graduation requirements and more.
View the PDF here.
~ Colleen Harsin, Director of The Davidson Academy of Nevada
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Program
Updates |
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Upcoming Tours for Prospective Students - New Dates
Announced!
 Hear from current students and Academy parents, familiarize yourself with faculty and staff, network with others and ask specific questions at one of our
upcoming school tours. Everyone is invited to attend one of the following tour dates below
and RSVPs
are required. If you would like more information, please
contact us at
outreach@davidsonacademy.unr.edu.
- Friday, Sept. 23, 2011
- Friday, Oct. 21, 2011
- Friday, Nov. 18, 2011
- Friday, Dec. 16, 2011
 Planning
Ahead for the 2012-2013 School Year
While the deadline to submit applications for the 2011-2012 school year has passed, it’s not too early to think about 2012-2013. If you are looking for an environment to better fit your social and academic needs,
The Davidson Academy may be the place for you!
If you are interested in applying to
The Davidson Academy of Nevada for the 2012-2013 school year,
the application will be posted in July 2011. 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.
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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. 22, 2011.
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.
Parents or teachers of students who are very talented in
mathematics can use the EXPLORE scores as part of
IDEAL
Solutions for Math Acceleration, which is a web-based
system for making decision about math acceleration. The goal
of BESTS is to discover students who need further
educational challenge to fully realize their academic
talent. To register, visit
here
and click on “Register” under the EXPLORE menu on the left
side of the screen. The cost is $58 per student.
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Student Life |
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 PAWS (Passion, Animals, Wildlife, Students) Club
With events like a semi-annual bake sale and a “Putt for a Mutt” putting green booth at school carnivals, members of the DA PAWS club have raised nearly $700 last
school year! Recently, members have donated 60 percent of earnings to the Nevada Humane Society and 40
percent to the World Wildlife Foundation. In addition to the group’s hard work in raising money for these organizations, members have volunteered their time at a local alpaca farm and visited pets at the Nevada Humane Society (where they are pictured).
Extracurricular Activities
Students often take part in academic competitions, such as
MATHCOUNTS, spelling bees, geography bees and the Knowledge Bowl.
Outside of school, Academy students participate in martial arts, figure
skating, gymnastics, swimming, soccer, baseball and Irish dancing. They also perform with local music
ensembles and participate in clubs and community sports
opportunities. Students
who wish to participate in high school
athletics can try out for Reno-area high
school teams.
View the Regional Opportunities page
for information on academics, arts and
culture, outdoor interests, and more in the Reno area.
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“At the Academy, you can push your mind to the limit, find a friend similar to you, and have fun all at the same time. All of these have happened to me and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”
Karthik Rohatgi, Second Year Davidson Academy Student
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