Salisbury Academy began its 21st school year Wednesday with the highest enrollment in more than a decade. One hundred ninety-two students entered the hallways of the independent school to begin the day with morning meetings and share stories of summer activities.
“We added new families to every grade level at Salisbury Academy this year,” said new Head of School Beverly Fowler. “The positive feedback these new families have expressed regarding our philosophy of education, outstanding faculty, and learning environment has made for an exciting summer at our school.”
Fowler and Middle School Director Heather Coulter stood outside in the carpool line, greeting the 2014-2015 student body.
Fowler then joined the eighth grade and junior kindergarten class for popsicles on the playground. The idea for this activity came out of the school’s leadership exploratory taken by this year’s eighth-grade students last spring.
“The students wanted to give back by welcoming the junior kindergarten class as they begin their education journey with us for the next 10 years,” said Fowler. The partnership will continue throughout the year as the two groups join together for community service, reading buddies, and other school activities.
“This is one example of the reason I love the junior kindergarten through eighth-grade school model,” she added. “Our older students are given the opportunity to be leaders and use those skills to build community within our school. This provides them with the confidence to lead at the next level, and it provides our younger students with the warm, nurturing environment they need for a positive school experience.”
To kick off the year, students learned about new schedules, changes to the curriculum and new technology.
Salisbury Academy added World Language Labs, Latin and coding and robotics programming to the curriculum this year.
The school’s new World Language Labs program will offer Spanish, French, Mandarin and Latin to lower school students, providing the opportunity to explore and discover languages in an engaging and interactive, environment, while introducing them to new cultures. This addition to the curriculum is in line with Salisbury Academy’s strategic goal of increasing global awareness to prepare students for an ever-changing world.
Salisbury Academy added Latin to its offerings this year with the addition of teacher Kim Smith, who will teach the language to fifth- and sixth-grade students. Coulter explained that the study of Latin provides students with a strong foundation that aids them in mastering the English language, building a vast vocabulary base, increasing their appreciation for skilled writing, learning other foreign languages, and developing curiosity when approaching new ideas.
The school also added an exploratory class that will include coding and robotics programming. The course, which will also be taught by Smith, will focus on engineering and critical thinking. “Coding and robotics provides a context for inquiry and discovery, leading students to become active problem solvers and to engage in their own learning,” Fowler said. “Students need the opportunity to have time to explore these fields and solve these types of open-ended problems in individual and collaborative settings. These critical practices for learning and discovery have applications across all curriculum areas.”
Regular schedules for first through eighth grades begin today. Regular schedules for junior kindergarten and kindergarten begin Monday.
Back to School Nights: junior kindergarten and kindergarten, 6-8 p.m. Aug. 26 (parents only); Grades 1-4: 6-8 p.m. Aug. 28 (parents only); grades 5-8, 6-8 p.m. Sept. 16 (parents and students).