Salem Academy

Last updated
Salem Academy
Salem Academy 01.jpg
Location
Salem Academy
500 Salem Avenue

27101

United States
Coordinates 36°05′15″N80°14′21″W / 36.0874°N 80.2393°W / 36.0874; -80.2393
Information
Type Girls' boarding school
MottoThe Beginning of Possible
Established1772(252 years ago) (1772)
CEEB code 344455
Head of schoolKris Sorrells
Faculty45
Grades912
EnrollmentAbout 200
Color(s)Purple and gold
  
AthleticsNCISAA
Team nameSabers
Website www.salemacademy.com

Salem Academy is a boarding and day school for high school girls in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It shares its campus with Salem College, located near historic Old Salem. It is the oldest private school in North Carolina, and the fourth-oldest boarding school in the United States. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Salem was founded in 1772 by early Moravian settlers who held the view that girls deserved an education comparable to that afforded boys. Among the town's early residents were 16 girls and women who traveled, mostly on foot, around 500 miles from Bethlehem, Province of Pennsylvania, to join the new community. One of them was 17-year-old Elisabeth Oesterlein, who founded and became the first teacher of what is now Salem Academy and College. There were very few girls' schools at the time, particularly in the South. Word quickly spread about the girls' school, and the school accepted boarding students in 1802. The school grew considerably throughout the 19th century, both in size and course offerings, with college-level courses being offered in the 1860s. As the college-level curriculum expanded, the school officially became known as Salem Academy and College in 1907. Despite such travails as the American Civil War and a measles epidemic in the 1800s, the Academy has never closed its doors in the more than two centuries since those first classes were held.

Affiliation

Founded by the Moravian Church, Salem Academy is now an independent institution which retains some of the traditions of the church. Other Moravian traditions still practiced at the school include the senior vespers, held at the end of every fall term, which includes a Moravian Lovefeast.

Salem Academy is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Admissions

Salem accepts students from all over the United States and from around the world. All U.S. applicants are required to send middle-school transcripts and teacher recommendations, and must take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). International applicants may submit TOEFL or TOEFL, Jr. scores as an alternate to the SSAT. Applicants are also required to undergo an interview before being admitted.

International students from countries such as Germany, South Korea, Trinidad, Albania, Dominica, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, and China make up nearly one-quarter of the student body each school year.

Academics

Salem Academy offers a college preparatory curriculum, and 100 percent of Salem Academy students continue their education in college. Students are accepted at many of the top colleges and universities in the United States and around the world.

The Class of 2017 had a 100 percent college acceptance rate and earned more than $3 million in scholarship offers. Recent graduates have enrolled at top colleges and universities, including Duke University; the University of Southern California; the University of California, Los Angeles; Pennsylvania State University; Washington University in St. Louis; UNC Chapel Hill; Williams College; NYU Tisch School of the Arts; and Salem College.

Requirements

Salem requires 20 academic credits required for graduation, including four in English, three in a world language, four in mathematics, three in history, and three in science, plus requirements in physical education, religion, and fine arts. [3]

Jan Term

Jan Term is a three-week mini-term that gives students opportunities to pursue internships, enroll in special classes, and travel both in the United States and abroad. The school schedules trips each year that are organized and led by faculty members from different departments. For the first two years most students spend January Term on campus in focused classes or programs that allow each student to further explore her interests. Juniors and Seniors pursue internships outside of Salem where they can gain first hand knowledge of topics and careers of interest.

Athletics

Teams

Salem Academy's students participate in many different sports alongside their academic activities.

During the fall season, the offered sports include: varsity and junior-varsity: field hockey, volleyball, tennis, and cross country.

In the winter season, varsity swimming, basketball, and fencing are offered.

And in the spring, varsity soccer, and varsity track and field are the offered sports.

The school mascot is the saber, and the school colors are purple and gold.

Athletic events

In February, the Athletic Council holds a bonfire where students gather around a large fire on the athletic fields to roast hotdogs, make smores, and drink hot chocolate.

Traditions

Salem Female Academy Catalogs (1854-1872)(page 172) Salem Female Academy Catalogs (1854-1872) - DPLA - ff047c1b3e893301d9da0bc032e4c17a (page 172).jpg
Salem Female Academy Catalogs (1854-1872)(page 172)

Opening Chapel

Each fall the school year officially begins at Opening Chapel. The ceremony involves faculty and staff sharing personal messages and the Dean of Students reading letters from alumnae with well wishes and advice for current students. Alumnae from classes as far back as 1930 attend and are recognized by the current students.

Smoosh Cake Banquet

Smoosh Cake Banquet is a tradition for Salem Academy. Seniors are each given a cupcake. Inside each cupcake are small gems that "foretell" that student's future.

Athletic Picnic

The school colors are purple and gold and the entire school is divided into two school spirit teams—the purple team and the gold team. Each year the new students learn which team they will be on at the Athletic Picnic, held in the fall. The athletic picnic includes games and displays of school spirit on the front lawn.

Ring Banquet

Ring banquet is held in the fall. Freshman host an evening with a secret theme that only they know. This is when seniors run down an aisle to receive their class rings. The presidents of both the Freshman and Senior classes, along with a previously elected Freshman prepare speeches and speak to the crowd.

Senior Day

Senior Day is held the day after the Ring Banquet. In the morning, the seniors are entertained by the faculty and staff at a special breakfast. During the day the seniors, divided in groups, teach brief seminars to the younger students on the topic of their choice, ranging from origami to cupcake decorating to the philosophy of "The Office." The morning is concluded by the seniors acting out skits and singing the senior song to the other students, faculty, and staff during an outdoor luncheon. Starting with the Class of 2008, if the seniors wish to mention a teacher in the skit, they must ask for the approval of the mentioned teacher, due to past incidents of faculty members feeling insulted by the content of the skits. Senior skits portray what their four years were like, highlight ongoing inside class jokes, and remember the most absurd events their class experienced together.

Senior Vespers

Senior Vespers is a cherished Christmas event that marks the close of the fall semester. The seniors lead a Moravian Lovefeast, which is a candlelight choral service in which students sing Christmas carols and seniors serve coffee and buns in the Moravian tradition. Seniors wear white dresses and are not allowed to speak for the duration of the ceremony

Notable faculty/alumnae

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem College</span> Private liberal arts womens college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.

Salem College is a private women's liberal arts college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1772 as a primary school, it later became an academy and ultimately added the college. It is the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college and the oldest women's college in the Southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Catalina School</span> Private, day and boarding school in Monterey, , California, United States

Santa Catalina School is a private school in California founded by Sister Margaret Thompson and the Dominican Order in 1950. Situated on a 36-acre hacienda-style campus, the Upper School is an all-girls boarding school that also accepts local students. The Lower and Middle School serves both boys and girls. Students are required to wear uniforms. The school emphasizes building a sense of community that challenges its students mentally and spiritually. Santa Catalina is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In addition, the school is associated with the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Boarding Schools, National Catholic Educational Association, and the National Coalition of Girls' Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Yarmouth Academy</span> Co-ed, prep school in Yarmouth, Maine, United States

North Yarmouth Academy is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory day school serving students from early childhood education to postgraduate. NYA was founded in 1814, in what was then North Yarmouth, Maine, prior to the 1849 secession that established Yarmouth, the town in which the school now stands. NYA has 394 enrolled students with an average class size of 14 students. NYA offers 16 interscholastic sports for boys and girls at the Varsity and Junior Varsity level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson Long Military Academy</span> Former military institute & boarding school

Carson Long Military Academy in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, was the oldest continually operating college preparatory boarding school and military academy in the United States with mandatory military training for boys in grades 6–12. Maximum enrollment was approximately 235 student cadets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Willard School</span> Private school in Troy, New York, US

Emma Willard School, originally called Troy Female Seminary and often referred to simply as Emma, is an independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for young women, located in Troy, New York, on Mount Ida, offering grades 9–12 and postgraduate coursework.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy of Saint Elizabeth</span> Catholic high school in Morris County, New Jersey, United States

The Academy of Saint Elizabeth is a private college preparatory secondary school for young women located in Convent Station, New Jersey, United States. Established in 1860, the academy is the oldest secondary school for women in New Jersey. The school is within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson but operates independently. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928 and is accredited until January 2027.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkshire School</span> Private, boarding school in Massachusetts, United States

Berkshire School is a private, co-educational boarding school located in Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA.

Our Lady of Mercy Academy is a private Catholic College preparatory school for young women, founded in 1928 in Syosset, NY. The academy is governed by a board of directors and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayland Academy, Wisconsin</span> School in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, United States

Wayland Academy is a selective private, coeducational college preparatory boarding high school located in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, United States. The student population at the beginning of the 2021–22 school year was 125. Nearly three-quarters of the students board at the school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilton School</span> School in Tilton, New Hampshire, United States

Tilton School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school in Tilton, New Hampshire, serving students from 9th to 12th grade and postgraduate students. Founded in 1845, Tilton's student body in the 2021-22 academic year consisted of 61 day students and 129 boarding students. The typical student enrollment includes representation from 15-20 states and 10-15 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baruch College Campus High School</span> Public high school in New York City, New York, Manhattan, USA

Baruch College Campus High School (BCCHS) is a public high school located in Kips Bay in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. BCCHS is renowned for its high academic standards, advisory program and perfect graduation rate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Needham High School</span> Public secondary school in Webster Street, Needham, Massachusetts, United States

Needham High School is a public high school in Needham, Massachusetts, educating grades 9 through 12. Aaron Sicotte is the principal of Needham High School. Its three assistant principals are Alison Coubrough-Argentieri, Mary Kay Alessi, and Pierre Jean. As of 2016, the school had 1,644 students and over 201 part-time and full-time instructional staff members, plus support staff employees. Needham High School was awarded a gold medal by U.S. News & World Report for its academic excellence. The school is ranked as the 11th best for Massachusetts and 307th best nationally on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best high schools in 2016.

Middleburg Academy Middleburg Academy was a co-educational, nonsectarian, independent secondary school, set on a historic campus of more than 95 acres (38 ha) in Middleburg, Virginia. On June 17, 2020 Middleburg Academy announced its full closure.

Maryvale Preparatory School is a Catholic, independent school for girls in grades six through 12. Affiliated with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Maryvale is located in Lutherville, Maryland. It is also affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, all-girls Roman Catholic, independent school in Towson, Maryland. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore. Notre Dame Preparatory School is one of Baltimore's oldest Catholic, college preparatory schools for girls. Founded in 1873 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, a teaching order from Germany, Notre Dame Prep is located in Towson, Maryland, north of Baltimore City.

Center Line High School is a public high school located in Center Line, Michigan. It is part of Center Line Public Schools. Center Line High School serves students living in Warren and Center Line, but is open to students living outside of the district through the Michigan School of Choice program. The school colors are orange and black and the mascot is the panther. Center Line High School employs an academy model that exposes students to a multitude of careers, industry skills, and potential employers through classroom instruction, guest speakers, site visits, job shadowing, and internships. Center Line High School offers students AP classes and dual enrollment into the Early College of Macomb program at Macomb Community College, the Macomb Mathematics, Science, and Technology Center program of Warren Consolidated Schools, or the International Academy of Macomb. Center Line High School is a member of the Southwest Macomb Technical Education Consortium (SMTEC) partnership with Fitzgerald High School, Lincoln High School, and Warren Woods Tower High School. Students may opt to take career technical education classes at the SMTEC partner schools and students from the SMTEC partner schools may take career technical education classes at Center Line High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Seminary</span> Private girls school in New York, US

Buffalo Seminary (SEM) is an independent, private, college preparatory day and boarding school for girls in Buffalo, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erskine Academy</span> School in South China, Kennebec, Maine, United States

Erskine Academy is a private high school located in South China, Maine that serves eight surrounding towns. The campus occupies about 25 acres (100,000 m2) of land and includes several academic buildings as well as various athletic fields. The school's motto is "Mens Sana in Corpore Sano". Erskine Academy's school colors are blue and white, and an eagle is the school's mascot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John Villa Academy</span> Private, school in New York City , , New York, United States

St. John Villa Academy was a private, Roman Catholic School on Staten Island in New York, New York. Its senior high school was all girls, while the K-8 school was co-ed. The school was located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. St. John Villa Academy, owned and operated by the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, was located on the east shore of Staten Island, in the Arrochar neighborhood, overlooking the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge and Lower New York Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billerica Memorial High School</span> Public school in the United States

Billerica Memorial High School (BMHS), formerly Howe High School, is a public secondary school in the town of Billerica, Massachusetts. It is the only high school under the purview of the Billerica Public Schools district, and serves approximately 1,600 students between grades 8 and 12. The school is supervised by a district superintendent who reports to an elected school committee for the town. As of January 2023, Thomas Murphy, an alumnus of BMHS, is the school's principal. The administration consists of assistant principals responsible for a specific grade-year. In athletics, Billerica's arch-rival is Chelmsford High School. The colors of BMHS are green and white, and the school's emblem is the Indian Head.

References

  1. "Oldest North Carolina Private Schools By Founding Date (2020)". www.privateschoolreview.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  2. "What Are the Oldest Boarding Schools in the US?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  3. "Courses of Study". Salem Academy. 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2018-06-25.