Norfolk Academy | |
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Address | |
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1585 Wesleyan Drive , Virginia United States | |
Information | |
Type | Private, Day, College-prep |
Motto | ου πολλα αλλα πολυ (Greek) (Not quantity, but quality) |
Established | 1728 |
Headmaster | Dennis Manning |
Grades | 1–12 |
Gender | Co-educational |
Enrollment | 1200 students in 1–12 |
Campus | 70 acres (28 ha) |
Color(s) | Orange, Blue, White |
Athletics conference | TCIS |
Mascot | Bulldog |
Rivals | St. Christopher's School, Cape Henry Collegiate School |
Website | www |
Norfolk Academy (NA) is an independent co-educational day school in Norfolk, Virginia. Chartered in 1728, it is the oldest private school in Virginia and the eighth oldest school in the United States. In 1966, Norfolk Academy merged with Country Day School for Girls in Virginia Beach, Virginia to create the current co-educational school. It serves students in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, and Suffolk.
In sports, NA competes in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools (TCIS) as well as in the Virginia Preparatory League (males) and the League of Independent Schools (females).
History[edit]
Norfolk Academy | |
![]() Norfolk Academy, 420 Bank Street, ca. 1890 | |
Location | 420 Bank St., Norfolk, Virginia |
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Coordinates | 36°51′6″N 76°17′7″W / 36.85167°N 76.28528°W |
Area | 0 acres (0 ha) |
Built | 1840 |
Architect | Thomas U. Walter |
NRHP reference No. | 69000343[1] |
VLR No. | 122-0018 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 12, 1969 |
Designated VLR | September 9, 1969[2] |
The original Norfolk Academy building was designed by architect Thomas Ustick Walter, who subsequently became the fourth Architect of the Capitol. The Greek-revival building, featured on the school's current seal (at right), was modeled after the Temple of Thesus in Athens. Subsequently, the building was a military hospital during the American Civil War, a Red Cross building in World War I and from 1920-1970 as the City of Norfolk's Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and from 1973 as the City of Norfolk's Chamber of Commerce.[3][4]
Originally accessible via downtown Norfolk's Bank Street, the building now sits at the intersection of East Charlotte Street and St. Paul's Boulevard. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.[1]
Academics and student life[edit]
Students are required to research, compose, and deliver to the student body and faculty an original persuasive speech as a graduation requirement. Public Speaking skills are integrated into the curriculum from the 1st grade on.
Norfolk Academy's German program was recognized in 2007 as the number one German program in the country among high schools. The College Board recognition for the school and German program has been earned, as the Report notes, through the performance of students on the AP German Language Exam. The ongoing exchange with the Copernicus Gymnasium, Löningen (Germany) has been in place since 1973, and is the longest-running high school student exchange program between the two countries.
Athletics[edit]
Norfolk Academy's athletic program features 74 interscholastic competition for grades 7 – 12. 95 percent of Middle School students and at least 85 percent of Upper School students play one sport or more. Almost one-quarter of students in grades 9-12 play three sports. Teams compete in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools, the League of Independent Schools, and the Virginia Prep League.
Recently[when?] a new stadium with a multi-purpose turf field and wider track and a new turf field hockey and girls' lacrosse field were added. Other features include an Athletic Pavilion complex with fitness center containing cardio-vascular and weight-training equipment and a multi-use field house that has over 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2), the Burroughs and Conrad gymnasiums, the newly-renovated Vaughan Aquatic Center, the Metro Information Services Tennis Complex, the Watson Baseball Field, the Rixey Lacrosse Field, and nine additional playing fields.
Summer[edit]
In the summer, Norfolk Academy hosts Breakthrough at Norfolk Academy, an affiliate of Breakthrough Collaborative, as well as summer camps for lower and middle school students.
Notable alumni[edit]
- Hardy Cross (1899), engineer[5]
- Glenn Youngkin (1985), Governor of Virginia (2022-present)[6]
- David McCormack, basketball player for the Kansas Jayhawks.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- ^ "Chamber puts 170-year-old Norfolk building up for sale". The Virginian Pilot, 2008.
The building, based on the Greek Temple of Thesus in Athens, was designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, the man who later designed the dome of the U.S. Capitol. Along with its use as a school, the building served as a military hospital during the Civil War, and a Red Cross building in World War I. Around 1920, Norfolk used it for roughly 50 years as the city's Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
- ^ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (July 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Norfolk Academy" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
- ^ Weingardt, Richard, "Engineering Legends: Great American Civil Engineers : 32 Profiles of Inspiration and Achievement", 2005, Pages 124–125
- ^ "Glenn Youngkin '85 Helps Create Nonprofit Aimed At Supporting Unemployed Workers". Norfolk Academy News. Norfolk Academy. June 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
Coordinates: 36°52′27.58″N 76°11′34.14″W / 36.8743278°N 76.1928167°W