Norfolk Academy (NA) is an independent co-educational day school in Norfolk, Virginia. Chartered in 1728, it is the oldest private school in Virginia and the eighth oldest school in the United States. In 1966, Norfolk Academy merged with Country Day School for Girls in Virginia Beach, Virginia to create the current co-educational school. It serves students in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and Suffolk.
In sports, NA competes in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools (TCIS) as well as in the Virginia Preparatory League (males) and the League of Independent Schools (females).
Video Norfolk Academy
History
The original Norfolk Academy building was designed by architect Thomas Ustick Walter, who subsequently fourth designed the dome of the U.S. Capitol. The Greek-revival building, featured on the school's current seal (at right), was modeled after the Temple of Thesus in Athens. Subsequently, the building would serve as a military hospital during the American Civil War, a Red Cross building in World War I and from 1920-1970 as the City of Norfolk's Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and from 1973 as the City of Norfolk's Chamber of Commerce.
Originally accessible via downtown Norfolk's Bank Street, the building now sits at the intersection of East Charlotte Street and St. Paul's Boulevard. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
The building is now Virginia's leading family theatre, The Hurrah Players
Maps Norfolk Academy
Academics and Student Life
The Academy attempts to maintain high standards, both academic and ethical, for students and faculty. Norfolk Academy students are also known for their matriculation to top colleges and universities.
Students are required to research, compose, and deliver to the student body and faculty an original persuasive speech as a graduation requirement. Public Speaking skills are integrated into the curriculum from the 1st grade on.
Norfolk Academy's German program was recognized in 2007 as the number one German program in the country among high schools. The College Board recognition for the school and German program has been earned, as the Report notes, through the performance of students on the AP German Language Exam. The ongoing exchange with the Copernicus Gymnasium, Löningen (Germany) has been in place since 1973. This exchange is the longest-running high school student exchange program between the two countries.
The school offers a significant array of international educational experiences, and is a member of the School Year Abroad program and the World Leading Schools Association. Formal school partnerships and exchange programs include: Copernicus Gymnasium in Loningen, Germany (since 1973); St. Dominique in Paris, France; Colego Europeo de Matdrid, St. George's in Buenos Aires; and Beijing No. 101 in China.
Norfolk Academy's Honor Code requires everyone in the school community to pledge not to lie, cheat, or steal. At the end of each graded assignment, students write the statement "I pledge that I have acted honorably in the completion of this assignment" and then sign their name. Honor infractions in for seventh through twelfth grades are handled by the Middle and Upper Schools' respective honor councils, which consist of elected students and is supervised by faculty.
Athletics
Norfolk Academy's athletic program features 74 interscholastic competition for grades 7 - 12. 95 percent of Middle School students and at least 85 percent of Upper School students play one sport or more. Almost one-quarter of students in grades 9-12 play three sports. Teams compete in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools, the League of Independent Schools, and the Virginia Prep League. Recently a new stadium with a multi-purpose turf field and wider track and a new turf field hockey and girls' lacrosse field were added. Other features include an Athletic Pavilion complex with fitness center containing cardio-vascular and weight-training equipment and a multi-use field house that has over 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2), the Burroughs and Conrad gymnasiums, the newly-renovated Vaughan Aquatic Center, the Metro Information Services Tennis Complex, the Watson Baseball Field, the Rixey Lacrosse Field, and nine additional playing fields.
Summer
In the summer, Norfolk Academy hosts Breakthrough at Norfolk Academy, an affiliate of Breakthrough Collaborative, as well as summer camps for lower and middle school students.
Notable alumni
- 1852: Crawford Howell Toy, first non-Unitarian to teach at Harvard Divinity School; Hebrew scholar and linguist at Harvard
- 1853: Walter H. Taylor, State Senator in the Senate of Virginia, Lieutenant Colonel, author, and banker
- 1865: Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford, co-founder, Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity (???) (one of the oldest and largest college fraternities in the United States); Norfolk politician
- 1899: Hardy Cross, Structural Engineer, developed the moment distribution method for structural calculation in large buildings
- 1903: Captain Alfred Hart Miles, writer/lyricist of the official United States Naval Academy Fight Song, Anchors Aweigh
- 1907: Dave Robertson, professional baseball player for the Giants, Cubs, and Pirates (left Norfolk Academy shortly before graduating)
- 1911: Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps of the United States of America serving under President Harry S. Truman and the first ever Commandant of the United States Marine Corps to be on the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- 1913: Richard Marshall, Chief of Staff of United States Army Forces in the Pacific Theater of Operations, major US army general, and Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute
- 1962: Hunter R. Rawlings III, 10th president of Cornell University; former chair, Association of American Universities; former president, University of Iowa; classics scholar
- 1970: Linda Lorimer, Vice President of Yale University, former Chairman of the Board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, youngest Associate Provost in the history of Yale University
- 1975: Mitch Caplan, former CEO of E-Trade Financial Corporation
- 1976: Peter Wisoff, physicist and former NASA astronaut
- 1979: Marc Moss, screenwriter
- 1988: Marc Short, White House Director of Legsislative Affairs
- 1990: Nicole Abiouness, Winemaker
- 1990: Perry Moore, screenwriter, author, director executive producer of films such as The Chronicles of Narnia series
- 1992: Griff Aldrich, head basketball coach, Longwood University
- 1992: Glenn Nye, former U.S. Congressman of Virginia's Second District
- 1993: Rebecca Cardon, Actress
- 1996: Angela Hucles, 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, soccer
- 2000: Eric Martin, Professional and International Lacrosse player
- 2010: D.J. Covington, Professional basketball player
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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