Shenandoah Valley Academy
Encyclopedia
Shenandoah Valley Academy (SVA) is a private
, co-educational, boarding
, high school
in New Market
, Virginia
, United States. It has both boarding and day school programs. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS) and the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools. It is a member of the Virginia Council for Private Education. Founded in 1908, it has experienced steady growth with attendance standing at around 230 for the 2010-2011 school year. SVA is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system
, the world's second largest Christian school system.
to build a school. In 1907, construction began on the main building of what was known as New Market Academy. The first students enrolled in 1908. In January 1908 New Market Academy assumed its current name, Shenandoah Valley Academy. The name was changed because New Market Academy duplicated an old private school in New Market, ironically, the new name was shared with another, now defunct, military school in Winchester, Virginia
. At the time of its founding, Shenandoah Valley Academy was the seventh Seventh-day Adventist high school level academy in the United States. In 1911 SVA graduated its first four students. SVA students come from Virginia
and Maryland
across the United States
to New York
, Florida
, or California
and across national borders from places such as South Korea
, Angola
, the United Kingdom
, and South America
. By the time of its centennial in 2008 SVA had graduated over 6,000 students. During the 2009-2010 school year, SVA reached an enrollment of two hundred forty-four students.
, and is bordered on one side by the Shenandoah River
and on the other sides by the Massanutten Mountain
and Allegheny Mountain Range
. Most classes are held in the Administration Building. Both the boys dorm, Phanstiel Hall, and the Girls Dorm, Hadley Hall, have been fully remodeled within the past two years.
areas of English, Basic Sciences, Mathematics, a Foreign Language, and Social Sciences. In addition, religion classes are mandated on a yearly basis. In addition to its core curriculum, SVA offers three Advanced Placement (AP) classes and Concurrent Enrollment
classes including Introduction to Computers, Spanish IV, Anatomy & Physiology, Physics, US History, Personal Finance, Psychology, Jesus and the Gospels, and Knowing and Sharing Christ.
, Public Ivies
or the Little Ivies. The College Preparatory Diploma is designed to gain acceptance into colleges with less demanding acceptance requirements. Towards the conclusion of their junior year, the school selects their senior classes based on their course selections and grade point average to prepare them for the appropriate diploma option.
selected a member of the Class of 2010 as one of its five Maxwell Scholar Program winners. The program, Pacific Union College's most prestigious based on "high academic achievement, a commitment to Christian service, and outstanding leadership skills" represents a renewable grant of $15,000 per year to each of its recipients.
, which has existed since at least the year 1974.
who make free instrumental lessons available to all students at SVA. Music groups that are currently active at SVA include the Shenandoans their elite touring choir, the Handbell Ensemble, which goes on tour with the Shenandoans, there is also the Concert Choir, a large choir for everyone, and a Gospel Choir, singing the popular Christian music of the day. Apart from the vocal and bell groups, there is also the Orchestra, Brass Band, and the String Ensemble which rounds out the official music groups at Shenandoah. The Shenandoans, Handbell Ensemble, and the Orchestra are the organizations which tour most frequently. Not under the direction of the music department are the Praise Teams who lead the school population in singing at its weekly worship events.
There is also a small drama club on campus which writes and performs small plays for various elementary schools as well as for some school events. The drama club is primarily used as a recruitment tool, showcasing Shenandoah Students to middle school age students.
Other sports meet on off campus locations such as the tennis courts in New Market, Virginia
.
or Brazil
, but at times have gone to other locations. An average of about 40 students go on these trips.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, co-educational, boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in New Market
New Market, Virginia
New Market is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It had a population of 2,146 at the 2010 census. New Market is home to the Rebels of the Valley Baseball League, and the New Market Shockers of the Rockingham County Baseball League.-History:...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States. It has both boarding and day school programs. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
(SACS) and the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools. It is a member of the Virginia Council for Private Education. Founded in 1908, it has experienced steady growth with attendance standing at around 230 for the 2010-2011 school year. SVA is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system
Seventh-day Adventist education
The Seventh-day Adventist educational system is the second-largest Christian school system in the world, after the Roman Catholic system ....
, the world's second largest Christian school system.
History
In 1905 while on his death bed, Charles D. Zirkle donated 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) of his property to the Virginia ConferencePotomac Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
The Potomac Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the organizational body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the State of Virginia, and the Washington Metropolitan Area in the United States. Its headquarters are in Staunton, Virginia...
to build a school. In 1907, construction began on the main building of what was known as New Market Academy. The first students enrolled in 1908. In January 1908 New Market Academy assumed its current name, Shenandoah Valley Academy. The name was changed because New Market Academy duplicated an old private school in New Market, ironically, the new name was shared with another, now defunct, military school in Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
. At the time of its founding, Shenandoah Valley Academy was the seventh Seventh-day Adventist high school level academy in the United States. In 1911 SVA graduated its first four students. SVA students come from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, or California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and across national borders from places such as South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. By the time of its centennial in 2008 SVA had graduated over 6,000 students. During the 2009-2010 school year, SVA reached an enrollment of two hundred forty-four students.
Campus
The school is located on a 450 acres (1.8 km²) campus in Virginia's Shenandoah ValleyShenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
, and is bordered on one side by the Shenandoah River
Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is a tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each, in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia...
and on the other sides by the Massanutten Mountain
Massanutten Mountain
Massanutten Mountain is a synclinal ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in the U.S. state of Virginia.-Geography:The mountain bisects the Shenandoah Valley just east of Strasburg in Shenandoah County in the north, to its highest peak east of Harrisonburg in Rockingham County in the...
and Allegheny Mountain Range
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
. Most classes are held in the Administration Building. Both the boys dorm, Phanstiel Hall, and the Girls Dorm, Hadley Hall, have been fully remodeled within the past two years.
Curriculum
SVA's curriculum consists primarily of the standard courses taught at college preparatory schools across the world. All students are required to take classes in the coreCore Curriculum
The Core Curriculum was originally developed as the main curriculum used by Columbia University's Columbia College. It began in 1919 with "Contemporary Civilization," about the origins of western civilization. It became the framework for many similar educational models throughout the United States...
areas of English, Basic Sciences, Mathematics, a Foreign Language, and Social Sciences. In addition, religion classes are mandated on a yearly basis. In addition to its core curriculum, SVA offers three Advanced Placement (AP) classes and Concurrent Enrollment
Dual enrollment
In education, dual enrollment involved students being enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. It may also refer to any individual who is participating in two related programs, but such a general form of usage is uncommon....
classes including Introduction to Computers, Spanish IV, Anatomy & Physiology, Physics, US History, Personal Finance, Psychology, Jesus and the Gospels, and Knowing and Sharing Christ.
Diploma options
SVA offers its students three diploma tracks, an Advanced Placement Diploma, an Basic College Preparatory Diploma, and a Basic Diploma. The Advanced Placement Diploma is designed for students expecting to apply to highly selective schools such as those in the Ivy LeagueIvy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
, Public Ivies
Public Ivy
Public Ivy is a term coined by Richard Moll in his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America's best public undergraduate colleges and universities to refer to universities which "provide an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price." Public Ivies are considered, according to the...
or the Little Ivies. The College Preparatory Diploma is designed to gain acceptance into colleges with less demanding acceptance requirements. Towards the conclusion of their junior year, the school selects their senior classes based on their course selections and grade point average to prepare them for the appropriate diploma option.
International Academic Competition
A Senior at SVA was a National Recognition Recipient of the International Academic Competitions's Math Challenge for the 2010-2011 school year. The International Academic Competition are a triad of competitions that recognize outstanding achievement in essay writing, mathematical problem solving and English Vocabulary sponsored by the Center for Future Global Leaders.Pacific Union College's Maxwell Scholarship
In 2010, Pacific Union CollegePacific Union College
Pacific Union College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Angwin, California, United States. It is the only four-year college in Napa County, California....
selected a member of the Class of 2010 as one of its five Maxwell Scholar Program winners. The program, Pacific Union College's most prestigious based on "high academic achievement, a commitment to Christian service, and outstanding leadership skills" represents a renewable grant of $15,000 per year to each of its recipients.
National Honor Society
SVA has an active chapter of the National Honor SocietyNational Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, which has existed since at least the year 1974.
Performing arts
SVA has an active, award winning, performing arts program. The department consists of two full time faculty as well as a number of students from JMUJames Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
who make free instrumental lessons available to all students at SVA. Music groups that are currently active at SVA include the Shenandoans their elite touring choir, the Handbell Ensemble, which goes on tour with the Shenandoans, there is also the Concert Choir, a large choir for everyone, and a Gospel Choir, singing the popular Christian music of the day. Apart from the vocal and bell groups, there is also the Orchestra, Brass Band, and the String Ensemble which rounds out the official music groups at Shenandoah. The Shenandoans, Handbell Ensemble, and the Orchestra are the organizations which tour most frequently. Not under the direction of the music department are the Praise Teams who lead the school population in singing at its weekly worship events.
There is also a small drama club on campus which writes and performs small plays for various elementary schools as well as for some school events. The drama club is primarily used as a recruitment tool, showcasing Shenandoah Students to middle school age students.
Athletics
The athletic department plays a large part in campus life at SVA, a large percent of the student body participates in the eight varsity teams, and many participate in its intramural sports. Many of the players on its varsity teams go on to play in college athletics at various colleges. The school has won a number of conference awards as well as tournament awards. During the 2009-2010 basketball season, SVA junior guard Ivan Delacruz had the highest scoring average in the area at 25.1 points per game.Facilities
- The Charles Zirkle Gymnasium – Used as Basketball and Volleyball facility
- Full size professional soccer field (redone in Summer of 2009)
- Baseball field (redone in Summer of 2009)
- Heated Indoor Olympic Pool
- Outdoor Track
- Tennis Courts (Under Construction)
Other sports meet on off campus locations such as the tennis courts in New Market, Virginia
New Market, Virginia
New Market is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It had a population of 2,146 at the 2010 census. New Market is home to the Rebels of the Valley Baseball League, and the New Market Shockers of the Rockingham County Baseball League.-History:...
.
List of teams
Includes:- Boys Varsity Soccer (Fall)
- Girls Varsity Volleyball (Fall)
- Boys Varsity Basketball (Winter)
- Girls Varsity Basketball (Winter)
- Boys Varsity Baseball (Spring)
- Girls Varsity Soccer (Spring)
- Boys Varsity Tennis (Spring)
- Varsity Swim Team (Fall)
Recent awards
- Boys Varsity Baseball - Conference Champions 2010
- Girls Varsity Soccer - Conference Runner Up 2010
- Boys Varsity Soccer – Conference Champions 2009
- Boys Varsity Basketball – Conference Champions '09-'10
- Boys Varsity Basketball – Runner-up, SWAU High School Basketball Tournament, Division One
- Boys Varsity Basketball – Conference Champions '08-'09
- Boys Varsity Soccer - Conference Champions 2008
- Boys Varsity Basketball – Conference Champions '07-'08
Annual Foreign Mission Trip
The Campus Ministries Office at SVA plans a yearly mission trip that students are encouraged to participate in. The trips are usually to Hispanic American countriesHispanic America
Hispanic America or Spanish America is the region comprising the American countries inhabited by Spanish-speaking populations.These countries have significant commonalities with each other and with Spain, whose colonies they formerly were...
or Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, but at times have gone to other locations. An average of about 40 students go on these trips.
Monthly DC Homeless Trips
Every month, a bus of students from Shenandoah Valley Academy go Washington, DC to help feed the city's homeless population.Notable alumni
- Dale Twomley - Businessman/Educator, former President of Worthington Foods and Principal of a number of schools.
Principals
- 1908-1909 R. G. Ryan
- 1909-1910 C. A. Maxwell
- 1910-1911 H. M. Forshee
- 1911-1912 M. E. Carr
- 1912-1913 J. H. Smith
- 1913-1914 No school this year
- 1914-1915 E. W. Dresser
- 1915-1916 R. G. Ryan
- 1916-1921 H. M. Forshee
- 1921-1926 John Z. Hottel
- 1926-1927 J. J. Mair
- 1927-1953 W. C. Hannah
- 1953-1955 W. T. Weaver
- 1955-1959 George H. Akers
- 1959-1962 Harold E. Haas
- 1962-1968 Loren E. Poole
- 1968-1974 E. F. Reifsnyder
- 1974-1978 Dale TwomleyDale E. TwomleyDale E. Twomley,PhD, is an American businessman, educator and author. He was the CEO of Worthington Foods, Inc. and was heavily involved in its sale to Kellogg.-Education:...
- 1978-1985 Lyle Botimer
- 1985-1988 W. G. Nelson
- 1988-1989 William Strickland
- 1989-1996 Dean Hunt
- 1996-2004 Mark Wile
- 2004-2005 John Nafie
- 2005-2007 Dale TwomleyDale E. TwomleyDale E. Twomley,PhD, is an American businessman, educator and author. He was the CEO of Worthington Foods, Inc. and was heavily involved in its sale to Kellogg.-Education:...
- 2007–present Spencer Hannah
See also
- List of Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools
- New Market, VirginiaNew Market, VirginiaNew Market is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It had a population of 2,146 at the 2010 census. New Market is home to the Rebels of the Valley Baseball League, and the New Market Shockers of the Rockingham County Baseball League.-History:...
External links
- Shenandoah Valley Academy (official)
- New Market Seventh-day Adventist Church (official)
- The Commonweal Foundation - Provider of scholarships to low income students at SVA
- The GHRoW Foundation - Provider of merit based scholarships for leadership to students at SVA
- Great School's Overview of SVA
- Shenandoah Stars Boys Basketball Stats