Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 2013 – 2014 Profile
Deborah B. Russell, Head of School | J. Michael King ’94, Head of Upper School SAT/ACT Code: 472-213 Steve V. Pinto, Director of College Counseling, spinto@nsacademy.org Alice Cross Lee ’02, Associate Director of College Counseling, alee@nsacademy.org Melanie B. Long ’04, College Counseling Assistant, mlong@nsacademy.org
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The mission of the school is to provide an academically rigorous college preparatory education in an atmosphere fostering moral character, respect, responsibility and compassion. With a commitment to honor above all, the school seeks to develop and inspire leaders who value diversity, creativity, scholastic excellence and community service.
The School and Accreditation Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, an independent coeducational, college preparatory day school, serves grades Pre-Kindergarten-12. Founded in 1966 for students in grades 1-7, the school moved to its present 100-acre campus and added an Upper School in 1970. The first Senior Class graduated in 1972. Admission is selective, based on tested aptitude and achievement and potential for college preparatory work. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy students reside in the small towns as well as the larger metropolitan centers of the Hampton Roads region. While most students live in Suffolk, 30% come from the communities of Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Smithfield, Franklin, and the counties of Isle of Wight and Southampton. Suffolk is a city of enormous geographic size whose vital economy includes agriculture, medium-sized manufacturing and service businesses, and distribution and defense contracting. Parents reflect a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.
Enrollment and Faculty Grades Pre-Kindergarten-12: 745 students, Grades 9-12: 278, 82 seniors, 70 juniors, 15% minority students The faculty totals 99 instructors and/or administrators; 56 hold an advanced degree. The Upper School faculty totals 34; 77% of the Upper School faculty hold an advanced degree. Student-faculty ratio: 9 to 1 in the Upper School.
Grading System Only academic courses are computed in the student’s GPA. For the classes that graduated in 2010, 2011, and 2012, students taking five or more academic credits had two points added to the total GPA for the year in which the courses were taken. Beginning with the class of 2013, that policy ended. Grades are weighted in classes labeled as AP or Honors courses. In the academic year 2009-2010, three points were added to the grades of AP courses each marking period, and two points were added to Honors courses. Per school policy we do not provide class rank.
3373 Pruden Boulevard • Suffolk, Virginia 23434 (757) 539-8789 • fax (757) 539-4176 • www.nsacademy.org
Grading Scale 100-97 = A+, 96-93 = A, 92-90 = A89-87 = B+, 86-83 = B, 82-80 = B79-77 = C+, 76-73 = C, 72-70 = C69-67 = D+, 66-63 = D, 62-60 = DAny grade 59 or below = F C- (70) is the minimum average required to move on to the next level for sequential courses (Math and World Languages). D 60%-69% is the minimum passing grade.
In the years prior to 2012-2013, the grading scale was as follows: 100-92 A 91-84 B 83-76 C 75-70 D 69 or below F
F Any grade below 60%. No credit is given for the course.
Academic Year Prior to 2012-2013, the academic year was divided into trimesters with trimester tests at the end of the first and third trimesters. Beginning in 2012-2013, the academic year was divided into semesters with semester exams at the end of each semester. Each semester is approximately 90 days in length. The class schedule is on a seven-day rotation with each class meeting six times during the seven-day rotation. A maximum of seven credits may be earned in a regular school year. Five of these credits must be in academic courses.
Graduation Requirements The curriculum is college preparatory. A minimum of 22 credits in grades 9-12 are required for graduation. Successful completion of a course earns one credit. Beginning in 2011-2012, all courses are year-long. Requirements are distributed as follows: English: 4 years Mathematics: 3 years, to include an Algebra II-level course Laboratory Science: 3 years History and Social Sciences: 4 years, three of which must include Modern World History, U.S. History and American Government Foreign Language: 3 years of one language or 2 years of 2 languages, may include credit earned in 8th grade Fine Arts: 1 year; students in the Class of 2014 may have completed this requirement in 8th grade
Standardized Testing Profile AP courses are offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors. AP students must take the final AP exam. The maximum allowed AP course load is three AP courses/per year. More than 3 AP courses/per year requires special permission from the Head of Upper School.
Advanced Placement Statistics
% of students scoring a 3 or higher % of seniors taking at least one AP course this academic year % of seniors taking 3 or more AP courses this academic year
84% 65% 29%
A c a d e m i c P r o f i l e – C l a ss o f 2 0 1 4 Junior Year Mid 50% Standardized Test Scores: SAT I Critical Reading SAT I Math SAT I Writing ACT English ACT Math ACT Reading ACT Science 490-630 500-620 480-620 22-28 22-26 21-28 20-26
Curriculum All courses are college preparatory. Honors and AP courses are selective and not open to everyone. Selection for Honors and AP courses is based upon past academic performance and teacher recommendation. Students must have special permission from the Head of Upper School to take more than three AP courses. Courses are taught based on enrollment.
The following courses may appear on a student’s transcript: English: English 9-12 Honors English 10-12 AP English Language AP English Literature Creative Writing Independent Survey of Literature (Non-academic) Journalism I-III News Writing and Desktop Publishing Media Production Fine and Performing Arts: Art I-II Advanced Art AP Studio Art Photography Intermediate Choral Music Advanced Choral Music Fundamentals of Music Theory Band Theatre Arts Stage Crafts & Technical Production Foreign Language: French I-III Honors French IV-V Latin I-III Honors Latin IV
Honors Latin V AP Latin: Vergil Spanish I-V Honors Spanish III-V AP Spanish Mathematics: Algebra I Geometry Honors Geometry Algebra II Algebra II/Trig Honors Algebra II/Trig Algebra III/Trig Precalculus Honors Precalculus Honors Calculus AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC AP Statistics History: Ancient World History Modern World History AP European History U.S. History Honors U.S. History AP U.S. History American Government
Honors American Government AP U.S. Government & Politics Introduction to Psychology AP Psychology History of Film Principles of Economics Science: Environmental Science* AP Environmental Science Modern Biology Honors Biology AP Biology Chemistry Honors Chemistry AP Chemistry Anatomy & Physiology Physics Honors Physics AP Physics C AP Computer Science Health and Physical Education: Health and Fitness Advanced Physical Fitness: Strength Training Advanced Physical Fitness: Alternative Sports
Note: AP and Honors courses are in bold above. Independent Survey of Literature and all Health and Physical Education classes are non-academic and are not included in a student’s GPA. Beginning in 2012-2013, Independent Study courses were offered for course credit. *In 2012-2013, Environmental Science was re-introduced as an upper-level lab science. It was previously a 9th grade science elective and may appear on some transcripts as such. In 2012-2013, Honors French IV and V and Honors Latin IV and V were introduced. Regular French IV and V and Regular Latin IV are no longer offered. Prior to the 2013-2014 academic year, AP Chemistry and AP Biology met for two class periods. Starting in 2013-2014, AP Chemistry and AP Biology will meet for only one class period.
C o l l e g e s O f f e r i n g A d m i ss i o n s t o t h e C l a ss e s o f 2 0 1 1 , 2 0 1 2 a n d 2 0 1 3 Alderson-Broaddus College American University Appalachian State University Auburn University Austin Peay State University Averett University Barton College Belmont University Bridgewater College Brigham Young University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University Campbell University Cape Fear Community College Case Western Reserve University Catawba College Chowan University Christopher Newport University Clemson University Coastal Carolina University College of Charleston College of William and Mary Colorado State University Concord University Davidson College Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University East Carolina University Eastern Mennonite University Eastern Washington University Elizabethtown College Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - FL Emerson College Emory & Henry College Emory University Ferrum College Flagler College Florida State University Furman University George Mason University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Gettysburg College Goucher College Guilford College Hampden-Sydney College Hampton University High Point University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hofstra University Hollins University Iowa State University
James Madison University Jefferson College of Health Sciences Lander University Liberty University LIM College Longwood University Louisiana State University Loyola University Chicago Loyola University New Orleans Lynchburg College Manhattan College Marymount University McDaniel College Mount Holyoke College New Jersey Institute of Technology New York University North Carolina Central University North Carolina State University Old Dominion University Oregon State University Parsons The New School for Design Pennsylvania State University, University Park Pratt Institute Queens University of Charlotte Radford University Randolph College Randolph-Macon College Regent University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Roanoke College Saint Joseph’s University Saint Louis University, Madrid Salisbury University Savannah College of Art and Design Seton Hall University Sewanee: The University of the South Shenandoah University St. John Fisher College St. Lawrence University St. Mary’s College of Maryland Stony Brook University Swarthmore College Sweet Briar College Temple University Texas A&M University Texas Tech University The Ohio State University The University of Akron The University of Alabama The University of Arizona The University of Georgia The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of Tampa The University of Texas, Austin The University of Texas, San Antonio Tidewater Community College Tulane University Union College United States Coast Guard Academy United States Naval Academy University of Colorado at Boulder University of Delaware University of Florida University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Kansas University of Kentucky University of Mary Washington University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Melbourne University of Miami University of Mississippi University of North Carolina at Charlotte University of North Carolina at Greensboro University of North Carolina at Wilmington University of Notre Dame University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh at Bradford University of Richmond University of Rochester University of South Carolina University of the Arts London University of Vermont University of Virginia University of Virginia’s College at Wise University of Washington University of West Florida University of Wisconsin, Madison University of Wyoming Vanderbilt University Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Military Institute Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Wesleyan College Wake Forest University Washington College West Virginia University Western New England University Widener University Wingate University Winthrop University Wofford College Worcester Polytechnic Institute
College Placement: 100% of the graduates of the Class of 2013 pursue higher education at a university or college. National Merit Scholarship Program: 2013: 3 Commended, 1 Finalist; Class of 2014: 4 invited to participate. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy is a member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and complies with the NACAC Statement of Principles of Good Practice.