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Oh, hello, I didn’t see you there.1 I am Liam MacLean, graduating Davidson Academy senior and Sensei of Handsome. As I prepare myself to move on from the Academy, I can’t help but fondly reminisce on my memories of high school.2 I joined the
Academy out of a desire to leave my own public school system, which was, to say the least, utterly and totally lacking.3 I found myself at first overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people of an equal (and often greater4) intelligence than myself. Thus, my first semester I struggled mightily, as I had yet to adapt to this “small-fish-in-a-big-pond” feeling. But the Academy’s staff was wonderful and helped me through this relatively rough time, and I was back on my feet in my second semester, ready for anything.
In fact if there is one thing that I love about the Academy, it is the staff. And that isn’t just because they are the ones who this particular snippet has to get proofread by to get to you. I have truthfully never had a teacher that I did not like at the Academy. From Spanish to Chinese to Calc I-II to History to Advanced Rhetoric to teachers I haven’t even had, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of my teachers. Literally every single one. I have liked every single teacher I have had. Seriously. Come to this school. The teachers are amazing. They are relatable (I occasionally just wander around talking to teachers that have a prep period during times when I don’t have anything to work on),
knowledgeable (I have learned so much), and good at teaching in an interesting way (No boring classes, almost no “lecture bombs,” students are almost always involved).
Beyond that, the school is very flexible. The fact that it is on the University
of Nevada, Reno campus allows students to basically take any class they want.5 Personally, I wanted to pursue Journalism, so I took Journalism 107 and 108 classes the first semester of my senior year, allowing me to pursue my interests and begin my intended career trajectory early. But it also allowed me to branch out. I was able to take an Astronomy class as well, which has also always been an interest of mine.
Honestly, the Academy has very much shaped who I am, in a positive way. It allowed me to pursue my interests in Journalism and Astronomy, and allowed me to really explore what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The staff is so amazing. I mean look at all of the times that I said it up there. I will say it more down here: Amazing. I just want to emphasize that the staff here is literally the best. Now in my senior year I can basically give the Academy 50
percent credit for who I am today, and where I am going.
- Can we please have my picture be me stroking a cat in a high back leather chair, sitting behind a desk?
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Said in a fancy British person accent.
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Some teachers were good, but the system as a whole was a failure. Why is my English teacher teaching me History? They are like 90
percent unrelated!
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As difficult as that might be to imagine...
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Including things like NUTR 326 Principles of Food Science and Art 102 Drawing II.
~ Liam MacLean, Fifth Year Davidson Academy Student
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2014-2015 Application AvailableIf you think The Davidson Academy of Nevada may be the right fit for you, the application deadline of
next Tuesday, April 1 for the 2014-2015 school year is fast approaching! Visit the
How to Apply
page to access the new online application system. 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.
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 2014 Nevada Science Olympiad
The Davidson Academy recently competed in the 2014 Nevada
Science Olympiad competition in Las Vegas,
finishing with spectacular results! The Division B Team,
comprised of middle school students, finished in 2nd place
in the state. This is the first year the Academy has had a Division B team, and the members did very well, including gold medals in the Solar System, Metric Mastery, Disease Detectives, Wheeled Vehicle, and Helicopter events. The Division C Team,
comprised of high school students, finished in 3nd place in
the state, bringing home gold in MagLev, Circuit Lab, Material Science, Entomology, and Forensics events. American Mathematics Contest (AMC) A number of Davidson Academy
students participated in the
American Mathematics Contest (AMC).
Congratulations to Dennis Wei for winning the AMC 12B and Dhruv
Rohatgi for winning the AMC 10B! Also, the following
students qualified for the
American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME),
which constitutes the top 2.5 percent in the nation: Dhruv (Young Student Certificate of Achievement, Certificate of distinction),
Ethan Lu (Young Student Certificate of Achievement, Certificate of distinction)
and Justin Stevens (Certificate of distinction).
Davidson Academy Speech and Debate Team The Davidson Academy Speech and Debate team
recently performed exceptionally at the Elko Speech and Debate tournament!
Academy students Forrest Karo and Anthony Dyer finished in second place in public forum. Anthony also won first place in speaker points for his debate event and won third place in domestic extemporaneous speech. Will Combs
reached the finals in the same event. Addie Oh and Amanda Bak
finished in third place in policy debate. The Academy team
finished in second place in impromptu speaking, second place in policy debate, and third place in Lincoln Douglas debate. They won first place in the small school division for the second year in a
row, outranking schools that have had Speech and Debate
programs for many years.
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 What do you do as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction?
My job is coming up with creative ways to bring out the very best in both instructors and students. This includes things like helping teachers find effective ways to challenge their students and making sure that students have access to intellectually stimulating coursework. I also like getting to know each student so that I can contribute to their personalized learning plans
(PLP) and use their ideas to shape the curriculum.
How are students matched with the coursework they take at the Academy?
Broadly speaking, we place students according to their ability in each particular subject area. We do not have specific grade
levels, but we offer coursework at both the middle and high school level. Our first priority is to provide a well rounded and rigorous secondary education. This means thinking about what the well-educated person should know and the kind of learning that will benefit them in the future. The personalized learning plans always begin from these guiding principles, but allow us to focus more closely upon each particular student so that their educational experiences will make sense for who they are as individuals. We also strive to provide electives that will reflect our students’ interests and passions. In fact, the way we think about electives is directly related to information the students have shared with us.
You have also taught English Literature and Philosophy classes. What
is your favorite subject to teach?
The best thing about teaching is watching students discover the sublime power of their own minds, regardless of the discipline. To me, philosophy and literature are both very exciting subjects to teach. If I had to pick one, it would be philosophy because nothing beats listening to bright kids take on the problems and questions of the ages. They bring fresh perspective and new fire to the oldest, most fundamental conundrums of the human experience. Philosophy is also a subject that has traditionally been reserved for college-aged students who are thought “ready” to tackle all the abstract reasoning it involves. I have to admit that I get a real boost from hearing my 11-
to 16-year-old students demonstrate how faulty this assumption really is. Also, when I hear a couple of my students arguing over Plato or Jung at lunchtime, it absolutely makes my day!
What are your thoughts on summer reading?
In a nutshell I would say, “seek pleasure and avoid pain.” During the school year it is a fine and honorable thing to work hard, but life is more than toil. Besides, some of the best corners of your mind live near the imagination, which takes its prime nourishment from joy and self discovery. With this in mind, filling the summer book bag is very simple. Toss in two kinds of books
- a little something old and a little something new. By “old” I mean authors and genres that you already know you like, and by “new” I just mean anything that you haven’t tried that sounds interesting. To discover new fodder, talk with people who read since most avid readers like to share their discoveries. You can also browse through recommended
reading lists and look for interesting catch phrases like “magical realism” or “historical fiction,” and use them to narrow your searches. Another very simple way to explore your options (once you have looked at the various genre labels) is to hang out in the library. Take your time and really burrow in so you browse through a lot of different books. Librarians can also be very helpful
- if you take the time to describe what you value in a book, most good librarians can point you in the right direction. These are some of the ways that I stumbled upon some of my very best reading experiences and those books are still cherished friends of mine.
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The
Davidson Academy was feature in this
KTVN News piece about how Academy students are
helping others through the Make-A-Wish foundation.
Davidson Academy student Karthik featured in
this Sagebrush article for his non-profit organization, Farm Fresh For Kids.
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 “The Academy is a school for people who love to learn; it gives them the tools to do so and lets them announce their passions freely to the world
. . . We are proud of who we are and we can study what we love. If you have a dream, I encourage you to apply. Follow your dreams, wherever they may take you. If you love to learn, then this might just be the place for you!”
Lillian Chien, Sixth Year Davidson Academy Student (pictured, left)
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