On a sunny morning in Asheville, North
Carolina, John Gregory leads his humanities
class in a literary discussion outside on
the lawn of Asheville School – a
coeducational boarding school where the
average class size is 11. They are
discussing Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon.
At first, the class dialogue centers on the
literary style of the novel. Then something
unique happens. Gregory, chair of Asheville
School’s humanities department, asks the
students to focus on a reference in the
novel to Malcom X. Soon, the discussion
sounds less like a literature class and more
like a U.S. History debate.
And that’s exactly the point to Asheville
School’s newest model in curriculum reform –
a humanities curriculum that combines
history, literature, music, art history,
religion, and architecture into one
classroom.
“The beauty of this philosophy of teaching
is that it enriches learning when you allow
history, English, and music to complement
one another,” says Gregory.
By integrating these subjects, the
humanities program uses a team teaching
approach to emphasize writing and creativity
in a highly engaging classroom environment.
Jessica Luna, who is currently attending
Harvard University after graduating from
Asheville School in 2006, recalls how she
studied music, history and literature to
complete a humanities project describing how
the Greeks used to sing their works.
“When it all comes together, you don’t
notice that history, music, and literature
are different subjects,” says Luna. “It
makes what you are learning so much more
interesting.”
These humanities courses are built around
essential questions that tie the four-year
sequence together and give coherence to
students’ experience. In Asheville School’s
Ancient Studies class for all freshmen, the
question “What does it mean to be fully
human?” animates ninth graders’ year-long
inquiry into classical civilizations.
“Knowledge only becomes valuable when it’s
connected to a bigger picture,” says Jay
Bonner, associate head of school, humanities
teacher, and chair of Asheville School’s
Curriculum Committee. “That’s the impulse
behind this change in our curriculum. We’re
making the connections between and among
disciplines explicit in these courses, and
students see them, and the lights go on.”
The School’s humanities program is writing
intensive, which should help students
improve their SAT scores with the recent
addition of a 25-minute student-written
essay section.
“The new SAT plays right into what we’re
doing,” says Gregory. “There’s only one way
to become a better writer – to do lots of it
and to get constant feedback. Working with a
team teacher allows for even more drafts of
each paper. When kids in our humanities
classes look at their folder of writing at
the end of the year, they say, ‘Oh, that
thing is fat!’ And they turn into better
writers too.”
Asheville School’s new humanities program
has also inspired new models of teaching and
learning. “We can divide the students up
into small groups to work on writing, we can
have debates, we can listen to a symphony,
we can have artists come in to class, or we
can go seek out an expert at UNC-Asheville,”
says Gregory. “You can’t do those things in
a 40-minute period.”
Asheville School is the Southeast’s premier
coeducational college preparatory boarding
school for students in grades 9-12. Founded
in 1900, Asheville offers eager learners an
education of the highest quality in a
close-knit, supportive community.
Located in Asheville, North Carolina, the
School’s 300-acre campus overlooks the
natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
With approximately 230 students enrolled,
the student population represents 19 states
and 11 countries. Half are male and half are
female.
With an average class size of 11 students,
the school prepares students for admission
to and success in the finest colleges and
universities in the nation. An Asheville
School education provides students an
exceptional foundation in five core areas of
study – humanities (English and history),
mathematics, science, foreign language, and
the arts – and an array of opportunities for
intellectual exploration.
Interscholastic competition is offered in 13
sports, including baseball, basketball,
cross country, field hockey, football, golf,
lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track
and field, volleyball, and wrestling.
The school puts its setting in the mountains
of North Carolina to very good use with a
dynamic mountaineering program that offers
rock climbing, ice climbing, camping,
caving, kayaking, mountain biking, skiing
and snowboarding.
Recent graduates are currently attending
Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, University of
Pennsylvania, UNC-Chapel Hill, Brown,
Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Cornell, Duke,
and Davidson, among others.
To learn more about the Asheville School
experience, visit www.ashevilleschool.org or
call 828-254-6345.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School
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With a record enrollment of 336 students
for the 2006-07 school year, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee
School (RGNS) continues to prosper. Founded
in 1903, this renowned coeducational,
college-preparatory school serves boarding
and day students in grades 6-12. Located on
a beautiful 1,440-acre campus 90 minutes
north of Atlanta in the heart of the
Southern Appalachian Mountains between
Clayton, GA, and Franklin, NC, the school’s
boarding enrollment has increased by 50% in
the past two years as word has spread of its
strong college-preparatory programs,
nurturing environment, pristine mountain
setting, and Presbyterian heritage.
Today RGNS attracts a motivated,
respectful, and diverse student body from 17
states and 13 countries with over 70% of its
students receiving merit scholarships or
financial assistance from a budget exceeding
$2.5 million. The School’s motto: Work Study
Worship is the cornerstone of the RGNS
experience as it inspires and challenges
young people eager to learn and grow as they
prepare for college and a lifetime of
service.
RGNS is fast becoming a community that is
a microcosm of the world as evidenced by its
ethnic, cultural, and economic diversity.
The school is committed to ensuring that it
continues to thrive as an open, inclusive
community that retains its rich heritage
while focusing on a future bright with
promise.
For more information on the opportunities
at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, call
1-800-543-7467 or visit www.rabungap.org.
Come move mountains.
At Saint Mary’s School, a boarding and
day school in Raleigh, NC, young women in
grades 9-12 find their passion for learning
and life in a community dedicated to
academic excellence and personal
achievement. Founded in 1842, Saint Mary’s
is one of the oldest schools in North
Carolina.
Saint Mary’s School has an educational
plan that enables each young woman to
develop the competence, the confidence, and
the connectedness to learn, grow and lead.
Through My Achievement Plan (MAP), each
student charts her own unique path through
high school, ensuring that her journey leads
to academic excellence and personal
achievement. Faculty advisors and academic
counselors work with each student to make
certain she is taking appropriate and
challenging classes, and also taking
advantage of opportunities for leadership,
community service, and personal expression.
In addition, each student’s MAP is supported
by the COMPASS Curriculum, a co-curricular
program emphasizing skills and values such
as public speaking, community service,
ethics and spirituality, money management,
and personal honor, as embodied in the
school’s Honor Code.
One hundred percent of graduates are
accepted into colleges of their choice, and
many have gone on to excel in fields such as
medicine, science, business and law.
For more information about Saint Mary’s
School, please call (919) 424-4100 or visit
www.saint-marys.edu. Limited merit and
need-based scholarships are available.
Tallulah Falls School is an independent,
coeducational boarding and day school
serving 150 students in grades 6 - 12.
Tallulah Falls is located in northeast
Georgia, approximately 90 miles from
Atlanta.
Founded in 1909 by Mrs. May Ann Lipscomb,
President of the Georgia Federation of
Women’s Clubs, the school has deep roots in
the history of secondary education in
Georgia. In 1909, Tallulah Falls School
opened its doors to mountain children from
neighboring Habersham and Rabun Counties,
and continued to serve as both a public and
a private institution of learning for more
than sixty years.
Today Tallulah Falls School continues to
provide opportunities for intellectual
challenge, physical participation and
personal growth to students from the local
area, as well as from across the state of
Georgia, around the nation and throughout
the world.
The Tallulah Falls experience is centered
around community and characterized by
personal attention in a nurturing
environment. Classes are small, with an
average of 10-12 students. The community
consists of students, faculty, staff and
administration committed to promoting an
atmosphere of respect and encouragement,
conducive to learning and living. A recently
implemented shuttle service helps a growing
day student population reach the school
daily.
Visit the school’s website at
www.tallulahfalls.org or call 706-754-0400
ext. 5112 for more information.
