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Sewickley Academy

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Coordinates: 40°32′38″N 80°11′27″W / 40.54389°N 80.19083°W / 40.54389; -80.19083
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Sewickley Academy

Amici, Honor, et Virtus
Friendship, Honor, and Achievement
Location
Map
315 Academy Avenue
Sewickley, PA 15143 40°32′38″N 80°11′27″W / 40.54389°N 80.19083°W / 40.54389; -80.19083
Information
Typeindependent, secular, coeducational preparatory school
Established1838
HeadmasterKolia John O'Connor[1]
Head of schoolDr. Cricket Mikheev (Lower School)

Evan Kurtz (Middle School)

Dr. Peter Lau (Senior School)
DeanKen Goleski (Senior School)
Trevor Adams (Middle School)
GradesPK-12
Enrollment660[2]
Color(s)  Red
  Black
Athletics conferencePIAA, WPIAL, Midwest Prep Hockey League
MascotPanther
Endowment$34 million[4]
Tuition$15,825 Pre-Kindergarten
$17,220 Kindergarten
$21,470 1st-5th
$24,995 6th-8th
$26,670 9th-12th[3]
AffiliationsNational Association of Independent Schools
Websitesewickley.org

Sewickley Academy prepares students for a lifetime of success by respecting them for who they are and helping them discover who they will become. The Academy is a community that listens to one another, helps each other meet and exceed academic and personal expectations, sets a high standard of character, and contributes confidently and positively to the world. The school's Community of Respect pledge and Honor Code set high standards of character. A curriculum that focuses on respect for the collective conscience inspires students to humbly lead and to be exemplary in their service to others.[5]

Sewickley Academy enrolls approximately 660 students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. The average class size is 15 students, with a 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio. A highly diverse student body travels from over 45 school districts in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia to attend class on campus. Approximately 25% of the student body is of Asian, East Indian, Latino, or African-American decent.[6]

Sewickley Academy is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools. The school’s colors are red and black, and the mascot is the Panther.

Mission Statement: Sewickley Academy inspires and educates students to engage their hearts, minds, and hands to cultivate their full individual and collective potential in the service of a greater good.[5]

Campus

Located approximately 12 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, 660 students attend SA on a single, 16-acre campus, which includes 60 classrooms, nine science labs, five computer labs, two robotics labs, two libraries with a total of 33,600 volumes, two student publishing centers, a digital design lab, and a media center.

The campus is equipped with five tennis courts, four athletic fields including a turf field, two gymnasiums, and a fully equipped fitness center that supports 22 varsity teams.

The Academy utilizes two greenhouses and a school garden that creates an outdoor classroom and experiential learning center. The arts programs are supported by visual and performing art studios, a ceramics studio, music practice rooms, a black-box theater with seating for approximately 130, Rea Auditorium with 570 seats, and the Campbell Art Gallery.[6]

Early Childhood, Lower, Middle, and Senior Schools: 315 Academy Avenue, Sewickley, PA 15143

Frick Field: 200 Hazel Lane, Sewickley, PA 15143

Nichols Field: 624 Beaver Road, Sewickley, PA 15143

History

Sewickley Academy is the oldest independent school in western Pennsylvania. Founded in 1838 as a boys’ school by William Nevin and John Champ, it was housed in Squire Way’s brick house that still stands on Beaver Road in Sewickley. Boarding students came from southern states including Virginia and as far south as New Orleans, Louisiana. They came by steamboat and by rail, joining local day students from the Pittsburgh area.

The school underwent several iterations: it was moved four times around the Sewickley area and closed briefly three times, once because of the Civil War when southern students returned home and some teachers and older boys joined the war effort. The school reopened in 1865 as a day school. Two local girls’ primary schools closed in the early 1900s and, integrating these girls into its program, the Academy became a co-educational day school when it settled onto its present campus in 1925.

Under the leadership of legendary Headmaster Cliff Nichols (1951 – 1981) the school began to expand slowly from a neighborhood school to a more regional school. The Academy only educated students through Grade 9 for much of its history. Students left Sewickley to attend boarding schools and other schools in the Pittsburgh area to complete their secondary education. In 1963 Nichols hired James E. Cavalier to build a Senior School, one year at a time. The first class graduated from the new Senior School in 1966.

A fire destroyed the main building on January 10, 1970, but in true entrepreneurial spirit, Nichols and the Board of Trustees enacted a capital campaign that repaired the main building and added several additional buildings to the campus. What seemed a disaster that fateful day became an incentive to make the school even better than before. Under Headmaster L. Hamilton Clark’s leadership, the school enacted a Master Plan from 1998 to 2000 that transformed the campus once again, adding a new building for the Middle School, a university-inspired library for Middle and Senior Schools, and reconfiguring almost every other building on campus.

Under the leadership of Head of School Kolia O’Connor, the school continues to upgrade and expand its facilities and design its curriculum to reflect a forward-thinking global experience. The school recently celebrated its 175th anniversary since its founding in 1838 and the 50-year anniversary of the inception of the Senior School.[7]

Academics

Sewickley Academy is committed to preparing young people for a lifetime of discovery and learning. A rigorous educational program promotes academic excellence and teaches students to think and learn both independently and cooperatively. The curriculum is demanding but flexible enough to accommodate individual learning styles and interests. Teachers are innovative and creative inside and outside the classroom, and students are encouraged to strive to reach their full potential in all that they do.[8]

1-to-1 School

Sewickley Academy is a “1-to-1” school. Using the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) model, the Academy is able to take advantage of the enormous power of technology by ensuring that it is in the hands of every student Grades 6 through 12.

This initiative ensures that each student has the tools necessary to do the increasingly collaborative and dynamic work that is at the heart of a robust 21st century education. Using a range of powerful digital tools, students collaborate online as well as in class to discover, create, problem-solve, and leverage as never before the power of both in-class and online experiences. 1-to-1 access allows for what is often called a Blended Learning environment, which seeks to take the best of in-class practices and complement them with the best in online learning strategies.

The device needs to meet some minimum requirements for speed, internet access, and storage, but otherwise the choice of device is up to each individual family. The device is owned and maintained by students.[9]

Cum Laude Society

Sewickley Academy has been a member of the Cum Laude Society since the earliest days of the Senior School in 1966. The faculty members of the Sewickley Academy Cum Laude Society select students from the senior class to become candidates for induction into the Sewickley Academy chapter of the Cum Laude Society. Selections are made based on the record of academic achievement earned by the student through the end of their junior year. The Cum Laude Society instructs its member chapters to not consider service, athletics, leadership, or other non-academic factors in selecting candidates for induction. The Cum Laude Society argues this on the basis that these qualities are recognized in other contexts. The Cum Laude Society is looking first and foremost at the student’s record of academic achievement.

Support Services

Sewickley Academy enrolls a diverse student body with a variety of backgrounds, skills, talents, and interests. Recognizing that students develop, learn, and grow in a variety of ways, the Academy is committed to working with teachers and parents to help children understand their unique personalities and learning profiles. Parents are valued "partners in education" and are consulted and closely involved in individualized planning on behalf of each child's personal and academic success.

The Support Services team coordinates with faculty and families to ensure that every child has both an academically and socially enriching experience Pre-K through Grade 12. Consultation and services are provided in the areas of learning (reading, math, speech/language, and executive functioning skills), counseling, and health. The Academy provides direct support to students through one-on-one and/or small group sessions, as well as classroom-based facilitations in coordination with faculty to help teachers identify and support their students’ personal and academic strengths.

Each division has a formal structure to facilitate comprehensive student support. All three school divisions have resource teams that meet weekly to discuss students who come to their attention via teachers, students, and/or parents. The resource team's primary goal is to ensure that the needs of students are addressed in a timely and meaningful manner, while respecting confidentiality and "need to know" guidelines.[10]

Financial aid

A strong financial aid program supports Sewickley Academy's commitment to diversity within our student body. Qualified, motivated students are encouraged to apply to Sewickley Academy irrespective of financial need. Approximately 18 percent of students receive tuition assistance.

Grants are awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need. Financial aid is available to students in Pre-K through Grade 12.

The financial aid program at Sewickley Academy is need-based. Aid decisions are guided by financial data submitted to Financial Aid for School Tuition (FAST) by Independent School Management (ISM), and by review of the application data by Sewickley Academy's Financial Aid Committee. There are no merit-based scholarships available at Sewickley Academy. All aid is need-based.[11]

Global Studies

Global Studies Vision Statement: Sewickley Academy’s Pre-K through Grade 12 Global Studies Program enables students to cultivate a globally-informed personal identity and equips them to be creative leaders and constructive citizens in the service of building positive partnerships with others near and far.[12] Recently, students have taken on leadership roles in organizing service travel options to countries such as Ireland and Haiti. These initiatives are supported and encouraged by the Global Studies Department.[13]

Sewickley Academy offers a Global Studies Certificate Program. The program incorporates academic and experiential learning components and is designed to develop global competence and other 21st century skills. [14]


Service Leadership

All Academy students participate in individual and group volunteer service projects including but not limited to food and resource drives, on-site volunteer work, and student-sponsored and organized fundraisers.

Senior School students must record 55 hours of service (independent of school-led initiatives) to graduate.[15]

College Guidance

The Academy reports that 100 percent of graduates continue on to four-year colleges. Two full-time college counselors provide students with individual attention and counseling throughout the college process.[16]

Interscholastic sports

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Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ "Administration". Sewickley Academy. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "About Us". Sewickley Academy website. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  3. ^ "Tuition & Fees". sewickley Academy. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  4. ^ "Charitable Organization: Sewickley Academy". Open Endowment. 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Mission and Values".
  6. ^ a b "Quick Facts".
  7. ^ "Our History".
  8. ^ "Curriculum".
  9. ^ "Personal Digital Device Program".
  10. ^ "Support Services".
  11. ^ "Tuition and Financial Aid".
  12. ^ "Global Studies".
  13. ^ "Trips and Exchanges".
  14. ^ http://www.sewickley.org/Page/Academics/Global-Studies/About-the-Certificate-Program
  15. ^ "Service Leadership".
  16. ^ "College Guidance".
  17. ^ "Distinguished Alumni". Sewickley Academy Website. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
  18. ^ "Astronaut Bio:Edward Michael "Mike" Fincke". NASA Johnson Space Center Website. March 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
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