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Student to
Student |
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 Hi Prospective Students,
My name is Dennis Wei, and I am going into my senior year at The Davidson Academy.
During the six years that I have attended this school, I have been able to achieve many things that I previously was never able to
do. This is all thanks to the helpful community and endless resources the Academy provides.
One of the most distinctive things about the Academy is the number of resources it provides for students who want to pursue a certain subject. I have always been interested in math, but prior to attending this school, I felt restricted. In my first year at the Academy, I was able to join the math team and compete in competitions that I had never known about before. Moreover, all of my math classes turned from being boring lectures about simple division to interactive lessons with problems that I might have to think about for days. Even as I moved past the Academy’s curriculum, I was able to take
University of Nevada, Reno classes. Thanks to the Academy, I have been able to have a unique learning experience that no other school can provide.
The community at the Academy is also very unique. Not only are there exceptional teachers to help you get past any hurdle, but there are also highly intelligent peers everywhere. What is most important here, however, is
the diverse and interesting student body. If I want to talk about computer-simulated
robot battles, there is a person for that. If I want to talk
about existential philosophy, there is a person for that. If
I want to talk about the movie that came out last weekend, there is a person for that. The community is well-versed in just about anything, but we all share the same love for learning.
If you want to reach your full intellectual potential, then I greatly urge you to consider the Academy. It has become a distinctive part of my life, and though I am leaving soon, I will always feel at home at the Academy.
~ Dennis Wei, Sixth Year Davidson Academy Student
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Program Updates |
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2014-2015 Application Available
If you think
The Davidson Academy of Nevada may be the right fit for you, consider applying for the 2014-2015 school year. Visit the How to Apply page to
access the new online application system. If you are looking for an environment to better fit your social and academic needs, The Davidson Academy may be the place for you!
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.
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: 
- Oct. 18, 2013
- Nov. 15, 2013
- Dec. 13, 2013
- Jan. 31, 2014
- Feb. 14, 2014
- March 14, 2014
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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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.
19, 2013. 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. The goal of BESTS is to discover students who need further educational challenge to fully realize their academic talent. To register,
click
here. The initial deadline to register is Oct. 1, with a late fee applied after this date.
The final deadline is Oct. 4.
Also, The Davidson Academy will be hosting a
public tour the day before the Explore Test, on Friday, Oct.
18.
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Student
Activities |
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 National Merit Scholarship
Fourteen Davidson Academy students were named 2014
National Merit Scholarship Program
Semi-Finalists: Rebecca Bauer,
Lillian Chien,
Timothy Gaetke,
Kevin Gibbs,
Alexander Hayes,
Christopher Huh,
Jacob Lokshin,
Karthik Rohatgi,
Austin Shinagawa,
Rebecca Thompson,
Jason Van Havel,
Ben Vulich,
Dennis Wei and Hadley Weiss.
International Linguistics Olympiad
 Davidson Academy graduate Alex Wade
participated in the International Linguistics Olympiad in Manchester, England this past July,
earning the top score in the Individual contest for the Gold medal. His U.S. team of four also took the Top Team Combined Individual Score trophy as well as the Gold in the Team Competition. He plans not to compete this year, but will serve as Assistant Coach to the Chinese team, as he is spending the year in Beijing studying Chinese.
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Meet Ms.
Coleman, Academy Instructor |
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 What do you do at
The Davidson Academy?
As the State Information Manager, my main duties include state testing, reporting and accountability. In the 2013-2014 school year, I am teaching Fitness, Yearbook, and an online course in Career Planning and Exploration. I am also advising the Newspaper and Student Council.
Are there any new projects you are currently working on?
This is the first year the Academy will be offering the Career Planning and Exploration course. I am looking forward to working with students through a structured process of aligning themselves with future career goals and opportunities. With early planning efforts, knowledge and application of effective tools and resources,
and the desire to invest time and effort in themselves and their future, students can take advantage of many opportunities to explore a number of career interests before they graduate from high school. Our hope is to not only expose students to career options via the course, but to provide realistic perspectives about today’s workforce by locating volunteering, job shadowing, interning, and/or mentoring opportunities in the community.
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Academics |
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 One of the most unique aspects regarding academics at The Davidson Academy is the development of a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) for each student. Each student – along with their parent(s), the Academy Guidance Counselor and the curriculum team – create this PLP, designed to deepen and strengthen his or her learning experience. The PLP is an adaptable document that is used to guide students through a rigorous core curriculum and help them make elective decisions based upon their interests and commensurate to their levels of ability, achievement and motivation. Please see our
Personalized Learning Plan page for more information.
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In the News |
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 Davidson
Academy student Karthik Rohatgi was featured in the Reno
Gazette-Journal article,
Kids today: Making Northern Nevada better. Karthik created an organization to help economically challenged, nutritionally at-risk 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 provides coupons redeemable for fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income families.
Photo courtesy of Reno Gazette-Journal.
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 “At The Davidson Academy
. . . I’ve found friends who understand
me and share my interests, teachers who
appreciate my and the other Academy
students’ passion for knowledge and who
are always willing to help, and a
personalized and dynamic learning
environment that matches no other that I
have ever experienced. The Academy
community is now something that I am
proud to be a part of, and something
that I think is absolutely worth the
experience.”
Elli Tian, Davidson Academy Graduate (pictured, left)
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