St Johnsbury Academy - St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Academics
St. Johnsbury Academy’s academic program is designed to provide maximum flexibility so that a student may elect a course of study that meets his or her needs. The comprehensive curriculum includes 219 courses, including 21 advanced-placement sections. Other courses are offered at basic, standard, and accelerated levels. Eleven in-depth technical offerings and thirty-seven arts courses round out the curriculum. Many technical courses have been individualized, allowing students to learn technical skills while they prepare for college admission.
The school year, from late August to early June, is divided into two 18-week semesters and includes Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter, and spring recesses. Core classes, which have an average enrollment of 12 students each, meet five days a week. Some electives meet every other day.
Grades are sent to parents at the close of each term; interim reports are issued if a student is experiencing difficulty. Each student has a faculty adviser, who provides guidance in establishing and achieving personal and educational goals. Remedial courses are offered in all academic areas at no additional cost. The Center for Academic Improvement and Enrichment provides support to those students whose learning style requires more personal assistance and attention. Evening study support and classroom accommodations are arranged as necessary. Freshmen participate in a study skills program. Individual tutorials can be arranged.
To graduate, students must complete 26 credits. One semester of course work provides 1 credit. Specific requirements are 4 credits in English and 3 credits each in social science, mathematics, and science. All students carry four full courses each semester.
The Academy also offers an extensive English as a Second Language Program. The ESL program addresses the needs of individual students through a series of ESL, English, and social studies courses, which are directed at the specific needs of the nonnative speaker.
Athletics
Varsity and junior varsity teams for boys are organized in baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer, and wrestling; there are also freshman teams in football, basketball, and soccer. Girls’ varsity and junior varsity teams are formed in basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and field hockey. There is also interscholastic competition in cross-country, golf, ice hockey, tennis, track and field, and Ultimate Frisbee for boys and in golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, tennis, track and field, and Ultimate Frisbee for girls. Nordic and Alpine skiing are offered on a coeducational basis. In addition, intramural sports are offered throughout the year. Tennis, skiing, golf, hiking, canoeing, riding, mountain climbing, and camping are among the recreational sports and activities available.
Alumni Memorial Gymnasium contains the basketball court, seating for 1,250, and locker rooms. The Academy’s Field House contains three multipurpose tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts; a 1∕12-mile indoor track; batting cage; and a 25-yard, 6-lane indoor swimming pool. The building also provides locker rooms, team rooms, areas for hydrotherapy and wrestling, and a weight room with a Universal Gym, nine Nautilus stations, and extensive free-weight and aerobics equipment. The athletic track is a 400-meter all-weather track.
Arts
The Charles Hosmer Morse Center for the Arts provides extraordinary facilities, consisting of six fine arts studios and an art gallery, a print and photography studio, two music performance studios with five practice rooms, a dance studio, and a 200-seat black-box theater.
Courses include photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, videography, theater, music, dance, fashion design, graphic design, Intaglio printmaking and Senior Portfolio.
Unique Programs or Strengths of School
Center for Academic Improvement
Introduced in fall of 2008 in conjunction with a new daily schedule, the Center for Academic Improvement (CAI) was started to meet the needs of each student. The Center will provide remediation in mathematics, English, science and social studies and enrichment opportunities in areas of strength or interest.
Each student has a free study block in each semester to allow them visit the CAI to obtain remediation or enrichment. To meet the various learning needs of these students, the Academy remains committed to a student-centered approach to teaching, recognizing that it is our responsibilitiy to determine how each student learns best and then adapt our delivery of instruction to maximize his or her performance.
STeM Program
The STeM Program is an elective, multi-faceted system of guidance, coursework, work experience, mentoring, and training for students and teachers that provides students with a pre-university experience in engineering. The Academy is affiliated with the nationally-recognized program Project Lead The Way, which aims to increase the number of students--particularly young women and other students traditionally under-represented in engineering--in science and technology programs. Students in all STeM courses will take a nationally-recognized exam at the end of the course.
Colwell Center for Global Understanding
The Colwell Center for Global Understanding at the Academy supports programs and activities that foster global education. Founded in 2003, and in partnership with the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, the Colwell Center organizes a Reader’s Series whose vision is to encourage reading, cultural literacy and tolerance by reading fiction and non-fiction from different regions around the world. The Colwell Speaker’s series invites professionals from the global community to speak to students to expose them to issues that reach beyond our campus. The Colwell International Travel Program coordinates many trips abroad for our students to expand upon international learning. Our student body represents a level of racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and intellectual diversity found in very few schools that are located in rural locations.
Costs
Please be aware that the costs provided below are designed to provide approximate comparisons. For a precise reckoning of costs, contact an education advisor.
Tuition: USD $41,200
Health Insurance: $930
English Language Study
Many Consortium Schools allow students to improve their English abilities while they are studying. The precise nature of the ESL programs tend to vary from school to school; please contact an advisor for a specific description.
ESL Program: Yes
Cost of ESL Program: USD $4,350
Visualizing the School
Website: St. Johnsbury Academy
Map: View
