St. David's School (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Coordinates: 35°49′23.49″N 78°39′01.32″W / 35.8231917°N 78.6503667°W / 35.8231917; -78.6503667

St. David's School is a private independent Episcopal preparatory school in Raleigh, North Carolina that states its mission as "preparing young men and women for college and life, by providing challenging opportunities to excel in the vital areas of faith, virtue, and knowledge." ^[1] The school includes elementary, middle, and high school.

St. David's School (Raleigh, North Carolina)

History

Founded as Hale High School, the school graduated its first class in 1973. In the fall of 1990, St. Timothy's Middle School, grades 6-8, was added to the existing White Oak Road campus. By the end of the school year, the Board of Trustees voted to combine Hale High School and St. Timothy's Middle School, resulting in the emergence of St. Timothy's-Hale School.

In November 2002, the Board voted to add grades K-4 for the fall of 2003. In the spring of 2003, the school was renamed St. David's School and was expanded to include all grades, K-12, on the same campus. Its mission was clearly articulated at that point as one which merged a reputation as a rigorous college preparatory school with a biblical worldview, thus leading to its "Faith, Virtue, Knowledge" motto. By the 2007-2008 school year, enrollment at St. David's stood at about 540 students. The 2008-2013 school years brought additional sections in lower school which brought the student body to today's enrollment of 630. ^[2]

In 2012, a large expansion project was completed, including a new gym with weight room and locker rooms, a student commons area, additional offices and classrooms, a theater, fine art facilities, a modern dining hall, and more. In 2013, a 32-acre satellite field complex was added to enhance the athletic facilities. In 2015, a major renovation of the Dining Hall enabled high-quality, reasonably-priced dining services to be introduced. 2015 also saw the groundbreaking on a major expansion to the lower school.

St. David's School (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Academics

The Lower School Curriculum looks towards the mission of St. David's School and provides opportunities for students to excel within the structure of a school environment for students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade. Teachers are dedicated to experiential learning, and our use of technology both augments and facilitates greater student involvement and comprehension in the learning process. Field trips include varied places such as the ocean, state historical sites, and the state's capital building, and professional shadowing enriches the curriculum. "International Night," a yearly event put on by the Lower School, helps students gain a greater awareness and understanding of the world and cultures around them. Parent and grandparent involvement is encouraged, with such events such as Lower School Kite Day, Veterans Day, and Grandparents Day. Weekly Chapel services and thoughtful curricular biblical integration help institute the Christian faith as the rock for personal and intellectual development. ^[3]

The Middle School curriculum has been carefully designed with the adolescent and pre-adolescent in mind. From fifth through eighth grade, students embark on a journey of learning that is augmented by electives, athletics and fine arts. Community is built around advisory groups, a small group of students assigned to one teacher. Studies have indicated that students are more successful when at least one adult in the school community knows them well, and St. David's caters to that idea of inclusivity, giving students multiple ways to get to know their instructors and coaches. ^[4] In the sixth grade, students are required to complete a Life-Long Learning course, which teaches each student knowing things related to real life, such as dealing with social media, health and wellness, writing for life, and grammar/vocabulary practice. In keeping with our faith tradition, students take a year long Bible course in the seventh grade, which provides historical and social backgrounds to the Old and New Testament. In seventh and eighth grades, students are allowed to choose two academic electives to support their learning. Choices in the past have included the History of the Vietnam War, the 60s, and Short Story Writing. iPads are integrated in the classroom, and all students grades five through twelve bring an iPad to school for educational use. Core subjects in the curriculum include English, History, Math, Foreign Language (Including Spanish, French, Latin, and Greek) and Science. ^[5]

The Upper School program provides an excellent variety of academic opportunities. All students are required to take four years of English, Math, and Science, and three years of History, as well as a unique course known as the Senior Seminar. In this course, a variety of public figures, including former governors of North Carolina, congressmen, CEOs, attorneys, Nobel Prize laureates, and more have visited the seminar and interacted with the students on the topic of "the shape of the moral life." The Chaplaincy Speaker Series has also hosted numerous national and international voices in Christianity who have spoken on topics ranging from Christian Apologetics to the New Atheism. Dynamic courses such as Media Production, Stage Combat, and Design Thinking allow students to expand their horizons and develop creatively. In these courses, students have access to tools like 3D printers, live video and audio production facilities, and professional software. In the senior year, students are encouraged to choose and complete an Independent Study, where they are paired with a faculty member for one on one research and presentation development. Independent Study presentations take place at the conclusion of each semester. St. David's offers an impressive nineteen possible Advanced Placement courses and many honors courses in every discipline, and encourages students to challenge themselves by taking the most rigorous curriculum they are capable of completing. Many students graduate having taken at least three AP courses; the majority take many more. AP courses available not always commonplace in area high schools include Physics B and C, Music Theory (offered every other year, generally), Spanish, Latin, Composition, Art History, European History, and Chemistry. ^[6][7]

As a capstone to their educational experience, the St. David's Senior class takes a trip that follows in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul through Greece and Turkey. Students typically begin in Athens, Greece, visit Mars Hill, travel to Ephesus, and also take in the island of Patmos where St. John had his Revelation while in exile. With this and many other travel opportunities, St. David's offers the world as an extension of the classroom. ^[8]

College Placement

With an annual college acceptance rate of 100%, St. David's students are offered admission to selective colleges and universities including Brown, Harvard, Princeton, NYU, UCLA, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Gordon, University of Southern California, Wheaton, Davidson, Duke, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC State, Wake Forest, U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, Boston College, Villanova, and more. The school's website states that the role of college counseling is to help students translate their unique abilities and interests into post-secondary education goals, and ultimately, satisfying careers. It is the intent of the college office to provide students with the tools, resources, and individual support necessary to discover the colleges that best fit their skills and aspirations. Numerous opportunities for academic excellence, such as the WRAL Brain Game, National Honor Society, Congressional Page placements, and internships exist inside and outside the classroom, which helps add to the student body's overall competitive college placement. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Fine Arts

St. David's commitment to the fine arts emanates from an understanding of the important role of the arts in human history. At St. David’s the fine arts are fully curricular, with required coursework in the arts in both the middle and upper school programs. Through visual arts, music (band, jazz band, string ensemble, a cappella groups, and choir), drama, and media production, students are encouraged to express themselves freely, thoughtfully, confidently, artistically, and joyfully through the arts during their school years. Extra-curricular activities include two drama productions each year and a show choir, among other opportunities. St. David's band and choral students travel annually to competitions and international tours. Graduating students from St. David's have gone on to study at the nation's finest fine arts institutions, including the Savannah College of Art and Design, the Rhode Island School of Design, Berkelee School of Music, and Vanderbilt University. Students have won statewide art competitions and the Fine Arts department has received state recognition for excellence. ^[12]

Athletics

St. David's, a member of the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA), offers 42 boys' and girls' middle school, junior varsity, and varsity interscholastic athletic teams. St. David's is also a member the Eastern Plains Independent Conference (EPIC), which includes: Cary Christian School, Grace Christian, Trinity Academy of Raleigh, St. David's School, and the O'Neal School (Southern Pines, NC). ^[13]

St. David's middle school athletics belong to the Capital Area Middle School Conference (CAMSC) – Cary Academy, Cary Christian School, Franklin Academy, Grace Christian (Raleigh), The Magellan School, North Raleigh Christian Academy, St. Timothy’s School, Trinity Academy (Raleigh), Wake Christian Academy. ^[14]

Athletics highlights from the 2014-2015 school year include Varsity Girls Tennis won 3rd consecutive 2A State Championship and EPIC Conference Championship, Varsity Boys Soccer won 2A State Championship and EPIC Conference Championship. ^{[15] [16]} Other conference championships included varsity volleyball, varsity girls basketball, varsity girls soccer.

In 2015, St. David's again was awarded the Wells Fargo Cup (previously the Wachovia Cup), a prestigious award given to the highest ranking athletic program in the state for its division. ^[17]

In the 2013-14 school year, St. David's athletics continued their winning ways, bringing home both EPIC conference championships and 2A state championship titles. Varsity girls tennis won both conference and state championships. Varsity volleyball finished as EPIC conference champions. JV Football went undefeated and won their conference championship, as did the JV girls tennis team. In the spring, girls track won the state championship and girls soccer finished the season with an impressive 16-0-1 record.

In 2014, for the fourth time in five years, St. David's won the Wells Fargo Cup, the prestigious award given to the highest-ranking athletic program in the state for its division. ^[18]

In the Spring of 2013, the boys varsity tennis team brought the state title back to Raleigh, defeating Gaston Day School 7-2 in the Championship. The team finished off the year 14-3, including winning their last 8 matches. Jacob Munster and Carson Welch were named to the All-State team. ^[19]

In October 2012, the school's varsity volleyball team won the 2A state championship for the second year in a row, and the girls varsity tennis team brought home the state championship as well for their sport.^[20]

In October 2011, The St. David's volleyball team went 26-0 in the regular season, and advanced to the state championships undefeated. They won all their matches, clinching the state championship in three straight sets. ^[21]

In October 2009, under long-time head coach and PE department chair Jose Cornejo, the St. David's Varsity Soccer team won its third state championship in four years (state champions 2006, 2007 as well), beating Asheville Christian Academy 2-1 in the finals.

In the 2006-2007 school year, St. David's School won the Varsity Football, JV Football and Varsity Soccer state championships.

The St. David's basketball program also has a winning tradition. In the 2007-08 season, both the boys and girls varsity team made it to the final four in the state tournament.

References

External links

• Official website