Staff report

SALISBURY — Starting next fall, the Salisbury Academy Upper School for grades 9-12 will be located in downtown Salisbury. The school is now accepting applications for ninth and 10th grade students for 2023-24. Consideration will also be given to 11th grade students by individual request.

The location of the new school has not been announced yet, but it will be separate from the current campus.

“Salisbury Academy’s 30-year history is one of innovation and of not being afraid to break the mold to design learning environments that tap into each student’s fullest potential,” said Traci Williams, board chair for Salisbury Academy, in a news release.

Expansion to grades 9-12 is a key component to Salisbury Academy’s Opening Doors capital campaign for programming expansion, partnership,and financial sustainability. The campaign launched with a $1.25 million matching gift from the Wallace Family Foundation and has reached just under $2 million of its $3 million goal.

Meredith Williams will serve as Salisbury Academy’s Upper School Head. A Morehead Scholar at UNC Chapel Hill who went on to earn a master’s in education from Wake Forest University, Williams has studied educational impacts and leadership in Thailand, San Francisco, and across Tanzania and Zambia. She worked in the N.C. Public School System for the past 16 years and served as principal at North Rowan High School from 2016 to 2022.

Williams teaches in the School of Education at Catawba College as assistant professor of education for instructional design.

“What most excites me about this opportunity for our community is the unique design of the four-year, Upper School journey,” said Williams. “Each student will experience their learning through exploration and self-discovery with the support of a diverse community of peers, resources, and mentors.”

Several key features of the learning model include a progression through a four-year compass course that weaves students’ learning into their personal growth, a variety of interest and service clubs and other extra-curricular activities, internships and on-site learning in the community, and career pathway and college prep support.

Another distinct feature of the Salisbury Academy Upper School is the focus of partnerships within the community, said Beverly Fowler, head of school.

“We are deeply committed to partnering with local educational institutions and downtown businesses as part of our Upper School program,” said Fowler.

As one outstanding example of this, Fowler said that Salisbury Academy’s partnership with Catawba College will provide Upper School students with opportunities to take Catawba courses, earn transferrable course credits and expand their boundaries with access to the Catawba campus and enhancement classes.

“This collaboration offers a unique opportunity to provide an educational experience that is custom designed for the needs and interests of each individual student,” said Dr. Constance Rogers Lowery, Catawba’s provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. “Catawba College is excited to contribute to the personal formation and vocational exploration of these students.”

“This next, dynamic step for Salisbury Academy builds on our well-established pursuit of excellence in education,” said Board Chair Traci Williams. “The Salisbury Academy Upper School will open impactful opportunities for our community, and, on behalf of the Board, we are thrilled that we can see this vision come to life in the fall of 2023.”

For additional information on the Salisbury Academy Upper School and the Opening Doors campaign visit salisburyacademy.org/admission/saupperschool.cfm and salisburyacademy.org/support-sa/openingdoors.cfm.