IN A CHANGING WORLD of immense information accessibility and digitalization, education also needs to evolve.
Classrooms look and function much in the same way that they have for over one hundred years. As a result, the work we ask of our students is mismatched to the work of this rapidly-changing world.
At Salisbury Academy's Upper School for grades 9-12, we don't want kids to simply be good at school. We want them to be good thinkers, to change their relationship with their work, to think and interact with content and their community in a meaningful, authentic way.
IMAGINE
IMAGINE a school built for students as creative problem solvers, confident communicators, compassionate citizens, motivated students, and resilient individuals.
OUR HISTORY
It's not every day that a community has the opportunity to build a school from the ground up. In 1993 Salisbury Academy did just this, and for over a quarter century the school has served as an educational leader in the Rowan-Salisbury area. Our founders envisioned an environment where children could be creative and open to explore new and interesting ideas through hands-on experiences, where children would grow as whole beings and develop a passion for learning.
SA UPPER SCHOOL
Salisbury Academy is not afraid to break the mold and design learning environments that reveal each student's greatness. We recognize that the four years of grades 9-12 have the potential to set the stage for who students will become, what life they will pursue, and the impact they will have on the world.
Our Upper School supports students in this journey through learning, exploration, and self-discovery in the context of authentic experiences.
The Salisbury Academy upper school is designed to provide each learner with a community of peers, resources, mentors, and guides to help them make the most of our diverse array of academic, social, and extracurricular opportunities.
Our Upper School journey is a thoughtful, four-year progression designed to prepare students in a way that they find themselves equipped and eager for their life's path.
LEARNING PHILOSOPHY
Our students will complete their four-year journey prepared for what's ahead of them, possessing critical skills for today's world:
- Confidence
- Service Orientation
- Complex Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity
- People Management
- Empathy
- Cognitive Flexibility
- Financial Literacy
- Self-Awareness
- Emotional Intelligence
- Resilience
- Financial Literacy
In the real world, life isn't separated by learning categories with algebraic equations as the focus in one part of the day a reading focus in another. This is why our cross-curricular system of learning breaks free from the traditional box of separate subjects taught in separate rooms. Rather, our system models the classroom as the outside world. Classes will be interdependent with each year taking on an overarching theme.
Salisbury Academy Upper School students will learn in context and not only understand what they are learning, but why. This makes learning matter, and when learning matters, material sticks. Projects that connect the learning and encourage transfer of knowledge as well as application to the real world will be the highlight of our school-wide exhibitions.
View an example module from the Salisbury Academy Upper School ninth grade curriculum:
Our school will celebrate mentally and physically healthy learners, not celebrate pulling all-nighters for the sake of creating rigor. This commitment to personal wellness encompasses mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health and will be supported by a strong advisory program incorporating relationship building, social skill development, and goal setting.
ACADEMIC LIFE OF AN SA UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT
Students at the Salisbury Academy Upper School learn collaboratively with their teachers and peers through seminars. Seminars are an opportunity for direct instruction, community experiences, discussion, and debate. Students also learn in labs that correlate with their courses. Teacher and additional staff support in lab allows students to receive one-on-one attention for acceleration and enrichment, collaborative time to work on projects with peers, and guided learning opportunities for skill building.
In this way, the time students spend directly supported in their individual needs is maximized and the time spent working on schoolwork outside the school day is minimized. The balance of seminar and lab time will also allow students to learn the balance of independent and collaborative learning required for success in college and the world beyond.
Each year has a theme that allows students to connect their learning across all contents and build engaging projects throughout the elective and Compass experiences. See theme and sample overarching questions for each year below:
Freshman Year: Self-Discovery
Sophomore Year: Community
Junior Year: Innovation and Enterprise
Senior Year: Global and Personal Perspectives
While covering the full NC college admission requirements, Salisbury Academy Upper School students will have a multitude of additional opportunities to further their learning. From opportunities in service learning and entrepreneurial exposure to fascinating electives, students will be empowered to pursue their interests and passions while finding purpose and meaning in their experiences.
COLLEGE TRANSITION PREPARATION
By partnering with local colleges, our school will allow students the opportunity to take college level courses throughout much of their upper school experience. The grades 9-12 design will assure their transition into these courses is smooth and their progress during the courses are supported by Upper School staff.
Our team has the expertise to work side-by-side with students to transition fully to college after graduation while carefully considering next steps. In addition to the transcript and school profile support, our counselors personally know each student and will advocate for them.
THE WORLD OF COLLEGE ADMISSION IS ALSO CHANGING
In addition to traditional indicators of student progress (grades and test scores), colleges are seeking authentic evidence of student accomplishment. To this end, students will each develop a portfolio of work with rich examples of their learning journey and the impact they have made in their communities.
Credits:
Created with images by mantinov - "Blue light burst explosion for background" • Taken - "classroom chairs tables" • TeroVesalainen - "thought idea innovation" • Cytonn Photography - "untitled image" • Element5 Digital - "untitled image" • AhmadArdity - "books bookshelf library" • terimakasih0 - "ask sign design" • Jeremy Beck - "untitled image" • Erika Fletcher - "untitled image" • WavebreakMediaMicro - "Composite image of compass"