We Have the Best Students in the Most Diverse Sense of the Word ‘Best.’”
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D U R H A M A C Things to A 83 D Know About E Durham M Admissions Office Y 3501 Ridge Road Academy Durham, NC 27705 Telephone: (919) 493–5787 Fax: (919) 489–4893 www.da.org 1 FIRST OFF DURHAM A CAD EMY is more than an independent school. It is a long continuum (over 75 years) of lives well lived—students who have gone forward to become leaders in their fields. DA’s mission statement is profoundly simple— to provide each student an education that will enable him or her to live a moral, happy and productive life. From this basic goal, DA continues to extend its impact. Today it is an active, intricate community of many facets, not easily captured in narrative form. Sure, we can tell you that DA is a non-sectarian, coeducational day school with some 1,125 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. It is organized into four divisions, each with its own director. ÝGj]k[`ggdÛpre-kindergarten and kindergarten ÝCgo]jÛJ[`ggdÛgrades 1–4 ÝDa\\d]ÛJ[`ggdÛgrades 5–8 ÝLhh]jÛJ[`ggdÛgrades 9–12 But that is hardly the whole picture. In this introduction, we offer up the voices of our students, parents, teachers, administrators and alumni to tell our story. And we’ve added more than a few salient facts. We invite you to jump in on any page and explore DA from these multiple points of view. Consider how your family might fit into our tapestry of learning. We look forward to your questions. For more details, please visit www.da.org. DISCOVERY & AUTONOMY 2 DA was founded in 1933 by a mother and father who wanted their son to have a classic liberal arts education. As educational ideas have dramatically expanded and evolved so has DA, but the school continues 3 to emphasize character, Curiosity, inquiry academics, service, the and discovery: these are arts and athletics. the tools sharpened at DA for a lifetime 4 of learning. “When we first moved here, the DA that was described to me was really different from the school I now know. This place is way more eclectic and diverse than anybody told us. It’s a much more interesting place than people know. Yes, it’s a tough school academically, but it’s also a place that’s preparing kids to be great people.” — JEFF JONES Lower School Parent 5 DA has more than 400 computers 6 for student use, 15 science labs, three large performing arts buildings, Here, discipline is nine athletic fields, six tennis courts, three gymnasiums and three libraries a virtue, not a housing nearly 60,000 volumes. punishment. At DA, we define discipline as practice, commitment 7 and consistency. DA is spread across three campuses totaling 75 acres. The Upper School and the Preschool /Lower School are adjacent to each other on Ridge Road. The Middle School is about two miles away on Academy Road. 8 “From fifth grade 9 on, our kids have been making decisions “I was amazed at about their interests how confident and academic the fourth graders pursuits.” were. They were so — VERLE REGNERUS comfortable in Upper School Math Teacher & Registrar their environment.” — TOM BARRY Fourth Grade Teacher 10 The focus on public speaking starts very early. By fourth grade, students design their own assemblies and take responsibility for presenting to the whole Lower School. 11 “DA spends as much time orienting the parents as they do the students. Integrating new parents is as important as helping new kids. After the date of admission in the spring, you get a mentor family who helps you get ready for your first school year. They don’t wait until the summer to get you involved.” — ANNE LLOYD ’82 Middle and Upper School Parent DIVERSITY APPLIED 12 “We have the best students in the most diverse sense of the word ‘best.’” — TIM DALHGREN Eighth Grade History Teacher 13 “Using tactics some consider unconventional, even radical, 1 Durham Academy has 4 become a leader in the recruitment of In Lower School, black, Latino and students travel the globe Asian students in a state in their classrooms. First where independent graders focus on the diversity of African cultures. schools remain Second graders explore overwhelmingly white.” Greek mythology and — RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER Native American traditions. Third graders study Mexico. Fourth graders examine China. 15 “My son’s class is like the United Nations. Diversity is not an overt topic, it is simply a natural part of the classroom, learning about differences in cultures and communities. Diversity is so much more than skin color or different languages, it is also about backgrounds. At DA they invite parents and others into the classroom to share their stories and their different paths in life.” — KEMI NONEZ Lower School Parent 16 DA is generous with financial aid, placing a high value on socio-economic diversity among its students. 17 “Consider the gene pool! Durham isn’t big enough to have a school this good but we do, partly because of the resources around us— Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University. Our parents are extraordinary people.” — ED COSTELLO Headmaster DIFFERENT ASSESSMENTS 19 1 8 There is no 22 teaching to the test, “Sometimes when a kid goes yet more “The core thing we care about is what happens in the to a new school they feel like they than half of classroom—the life of the mind. We want our graduates our students score must change who they are to fit to be flexible, adaptable and cognizant humans.” in. I found that here, people can above the 90th percentile — ED COSTELLO be themselves.” Headmaster on national — MAGGIE standardized tests. 23 Ninth Grade Student “My child has some difficulties with reading, and I have been amazed at the number of meetings of teachers to make sure that my 20 24 child is happy, “DA is unabashedly 1 “My family relocated to the Triangle, well adjusted and a college prep school, 2 and we wondered which adding to the but many middle school would be right for “At DA you don’t succeed our child. Middle schoolers community. The different kinds focus is on of kids come here because you learn how to work are such a unique species. At the private the system. Here you succeed schools we’ve known, middle the whole person, and excel. This school tends to be the weakest link. Not is not a cookie cutter because you learn how to learn.” not just the so at DA. Tey seem to have a special needs.” education.” — LEE HARK sense of what students this age need.” Upper School Director — LAURA VIRKLER ’91 — KATHY MCPHERSON — LEE WOLLMAN Lower School Parent Parent of Two DA Graduates Middle and Upper School Parent DEFT APPROACHES 25 “Paper-and-pencil work is not who we are. We teach traditional skills in non-traditional ways.” — SHEPPY VANN 26 Preschool Director and Kindergarten Teacher “Everything is so well integrated at DA. I was impressed with the way Preschool kids learned cooking 27 as a way In Lower School science class, students into science.” do not use textbooks. Instead they — VICKI PINELES experiment at the bench. Second graders Lower School Parent experience forensics through “The Case of the Missing Teddy Bear.” Third graders learn about simple machinery by taking apart ordinary household machines—radios, computers, blenders. They later use the parts to build critters for art class. DARING ARTS 28 30 We emphasize project-based The Lower School offers the Orff method learning in Middle School. of learning music. It begins with the idea that music should be learned In sixth grade, students work in the same way language is learned— toward Medieval Day by by listening and imitating. Composer creating independent projects, Carl Orff believed that rhythm is the most preparing costumes important part of music; children must feel and participating in games. and move to music before they Eighth graders create zines, are asked to read it on the page. We value vox pops and keynote methods that bridge disciplines. presentations to process a deeper understanding of the themes and ideas within the novel Life of Pi. 29 Writing well across all subjects is a major focus at DA. To 1 strengthen their 3 skills, both fifth and sixth graders Fourth graders create a play have two each spring, and every student has consecutive a speaking part. (That’s more periods of than 70 performers with no fewer language arts. than five lines each.) 32 34 In fifth and sixth grades, “Our arts program students have classes in all of the fine and performing arts and then choose a focus— is about breadth band, chorus, movement, visual art or drama. and depth. All of 33 the arts have an important In Lower School place here, and it’s not just art classes, students examine the works of Marc Chagall, about the most Georgia O’Keeffe and El Greco and gifted. All kids experience then try their hand at each artist’s distinctive style. the arts at DA.” — MICHAEL MEYER Upper School Music Teacher DEVELOPING APPETITES 35 “Upper School kids at DA are excited about what they are studying. My students come to track practice talking about 36 politics or nuclear physics or a “I’ve been involved with math problem they six different high schools in had that day. my life, and I’ve never I have to quiet them seen a school with such an down just to intellectual culture do their running.” as opposed to an academic culture.