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Student to Student |
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Hi Prospective Students!
I’m Rebecca Bauer, and this is my fourth year at The Davidson Academy. I’m 15
and enjoying all that this wonderful school has to offer. Originally, I was a bit unsure about the school, but once I got to
the Academy, I realized what an incredible place it is, and how lucky I am to be able to attend!
One of the things I like best about The Davidson Academy is that there
is no limit to what you can learn. Many students go beyond the classes that
the Academy offers, and the school makes it easy to transition into
University classes after you
have taken the most difficult ones offered at the Academy. The school’s location, on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno, means that going back and forth between University and Academy classes can be done quickly. This has enabled me to take courses that aren’t offered in high school, such as Calculus III and Differential Equations. Though I was initially a bit worried that
the University classes would be extremely hard, I soon realized that my
Academy classes had more than prepared me for them. Even when school isn’t in session, access to University classes means that
Academy students can continue to take interesting courses. For example, last summer, I took a beginning psychology class, and the year before, I took a French class to start learning the language. This year, I’m planning to take Introduction to Proofs: Logic, Sets and Functions, which will lead up to Analysis in the fall. The large selections of courses offered both at the
Academy and at the University mean that I can take a wide variety of classes, from Neurophilosophy and Advanced Rhetoric at the
Academy, to Physics for Scientists and Engineers at the
University. Being able to take courses in many different subjects is helping me get a better idea of what I want to study later on.
In addition to being great preparation for college, Davidson Academy classes are very interesting and fun; in fact, they’ve been the best classes I’ve ever taken. One great thing about Academy classes is their small size, which means that teachers can help each student. In addition, the curriculum is flexible, and teachers can change their classes depending on what students would like to learn. The teachers here 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.
 Similarly, the other Academy students are some of the most interesting and exciting people I’ve ever met. They’re always coming up with new projects and plans, and discussions are never dull! Students with similar interests form clubs, and it’s great to meet up with others who are as passionate about a subject as you are!
Overall, while I was initially a bit nervous about going to the
Academy, attending the school has been an amazing experience, both socially and academically.
~ Rebecca Bauer, Fourth Year Davidson Academy Student
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Program Updates |
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Application Deadline for 2012-2013 School Year Approaching
 If you think The Davidson Academy of Nevada may be the right fit
for you, the application deadline of April 1 for the 2012-2013
school year is fast approaching! Visit the
How to Apply
page to download the application PDF files.
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
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
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:
- March 30, 2012
- April 27, 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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THINK Summer
Institute |
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Considering summer program options for your gifted students?
The deadline to apply for the
2012 THINK Summer Institute
has been extended to April 1! THINK is a three-week
residential summer program on the campus of the University
of Nevada, Reno, which is also the home of The Davidson
Academy. Students can earn six college credits through completion of two university courses. This summer, THINK will run from July 14 through Aug. 4.
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Student
Activities |
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Davidson Young Scholars Ambassadors
Davidson Academy students Karthik Rohatgi and Giselle Serate have been accepted into the
Young
Scholars Ambassador Program! The Ambassador Program is designed to provide
Davidson Young Scholars with the training and skills to develop, implement and manage their very own community service projects. The following are a summary of their projects:
Karthik: "Farm Fresh For Kids" – The mission of
Farm Fresh for Kids is to help economically
challenged, nutritionally at-risk children (and families)
incorporate more fresh produce into their diets while
simultaneously promoting and supporting small scale local
farmers. Through partnerships with local health clinics and
local producers such as the Great Basin Food Co-op, Karthik
(right) will provide coupons to low-income families which will be
redeemable for fresh fruits and vegetables.
 Giselle: "The Write Site" –
The Write Site connects students who need extra help in writing with qualified tutors. The site will also include an online magazine intended to encourage student submissions (encouraging them to practice writing) and will hold creative writing “marathons.” Giselle will utilize her expertise in writing and experience with self-publishing her first book to make the Write Site a great resource for young people under the age of 14 everywhere.
Community Crusaders Club
The Community
Crusaders are a group of Davidson Academy students interested in giving back to
the local community by volunteering. They recently offered
their services at the Reno Ronald McDonald House
(pictured below).
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Meet Mr.
Marshall, Academy Mathematics Instructor |
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 What subjects do you teach at the Academy?
I teach Pre-Algebra, Algebra I and Algebra II Sullivan. I’m also the facilitator for the upper-level S.T.E.M. class.
What do you think is the most powerful real-world application for mathematics?
I think the most powerful application of mathematics is problem
solving. The ability to think critically about
situations and apply previous knowledge to find a
solution is absolutely critical in any career
pursuit. We may not solve systems of equations using
matrices on a daily basis, but having the right
tools, and the ability to use them, can really make a
difference.
How do you make studying math both interesting and fun?
I am a fairly
high-energy instructor. I hope that my love for math
shows in the way I present material to my class. I
also try and stay away from problems that are too
easy and that focus on rote memorization, and
instead provide problems that require some thought
to solve. I believe that problems that require more
than memorization to solve are much more
interesting. I would rather have my students work on
eight problems that require some thought compared to 50
problems that can be done by memorizing a few facts.
In what ways to you foster communication and build a positive environment in your classroom?
My students work in groups to solve math
problems. They learn to work together and value the
opinions and methods of other students, even if they
are different than their own. Many times in
mathematics, there can be several ways to solve and
explain a problem. I always encourage my students to
find new ways to solve problems and even more
importantly, be able to explain how they reached
their solution. Since starting here I have seen many
new ways of solving problems that my students have
come up with that would probably go unnoticed in
other environments. I believe that this encourages
creativity and self-confidence for students because
they are comfortable with trying something new and
approaching a problem in a method that they come up
with on their own. That doesn’t mean that I don’t
teach my students; I still teach the class new
methods and how to solve problems, I am just very
open to them being able to find new ways using the
tools that they have.
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In the News |
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Academy Student Speaks at TED 2012
Conference
Taylor Wilson spoke at the TED 2012 conference in Long Beach earlier this month
about how nuclear fusion is the fuel of the future and how children may just change the world.
TED is a nonprofit that
started as a conference bringing together people from the
three worlds of technology, entertainment and design.
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 Help
Academy Students with
Recycling Petition
Davidson Academy student Ikya Kandula was recently interviewed in the
KTVN
video,
Student Wants to Turn Local Apartments Green.
She and other Academy students were also featured in the
KOLO video,
Students Want To Bring Recycling To Reno Apartments,
and the Reno
News & Review article,
Greenest little city. The Academy's GECKO Club (Green Earth Community Knowledge Organization) is initiating a petition drive to encourage the Reno City Council to require recycling bins in all the major apartment complexes in Reno. To help these students help our community, please
sign the petition. Thank you!
Academy Student Named Semifinalist for Nevada
Geographic Bee
Haydn Bradstreet will compete in the
2012 Nevada
National Geographic Bee March 30 in Las Vegas. The state winner will receive $100 and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Nevada in the national finals
in May at the National Geographic Society headquarters.
Source:
Reno Gazette-Journal
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“I’m well into my fourth year at the Academy, and the other students have been nothing but friendly. I’ve met many amazing people, and the atmosphere is so much better than any school I’ve been to before. The teachers are kind and understanding as well, and many are just as fun to be around as the students.”
Jason Van Havel, Fourth Year Davidson Academy Student
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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.
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Institute has more than 2,400 "Likes" on
Facebook
and 1,700 followers on
Twitter.
Are you one of them? The Davidson Institute also has a number of
YouTube
videos!
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