The Athenian School
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| Established | 1965 |
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| School type | Private |
| Head of School | Eleanor Dase |
| Students | 296 |
| Mascot | Owls |
| Colors | Orange and Black |
| Location | 2100 Mt. Diablo Scenic Blvd. Danville, CA 94506 |
| Website | http://www.athenian.org |
The Athenian School is a college preparatory school located in Danville, California. Athenian provides education to high school students on a 75-acre campus at the base of Mt. Diablo, located near San Francisco in Northern California. Athenian was founded by Dyke Brown in 1965.
Athenian is composed of roughly 150 students in the middle school (grades 6-8) and 300 students in the high school (9-12). Approximately 40 students and 12 teachers live on campus full-time. The maximum class size is 17. Athenian attempts to train its students in all aspects of life, not just classroom life. Students at Athenian have a voice in the running of the school through Town Meeting, a monthly meeting where students debate the merits of various proposals; for example, through this system, a rule was created that prevented teachers from assigning homework over weekends longer than two days.
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[edit] Philosophy
Athenian is a member of Round Square, an international organization of schools founded by Kurt Hahn. Round Square schools practice five values, or "pillars:" multicultural understanding, education for democracy, outdoor adventure, environmental conservation, and community service. The school attempts to impart these values to students through various requirements and presentations.
[edit] Graduation requirements
To graduate, students at the Upper School must complete:
- Mathematics through Algebra II.
- Four years of literature. Juniors and seniors take semester-long seminars to fill this requirement.
- Three years of history, including two history seminars or a year-long AP course.
- Three years of sciences, including introductory physics, chemistry, and biology.
- French, Spanish (or English, if it is a second language) through the third year.
- One semester of an Arts and Society class.
- 30 hours of community service each year, and students must present their service work to the community.
- The Athenian Wilderness Experience (AWE), a 26-day hiking trip to either Death Valley or High Sierra. This trip usually takes place in the junior year, and is modeled on Outward Bound courses. Medical deferments are possible, albeit rare.
Athenian costs approximately $24,000 per year for day students and $40,000(total) per year for boarding students.
Tuition for the 2006-2007 school year (USD): (plus fees)
Middle School (6-8): $18,570
Upper School (9-12): $24,600
[edit] Athletics
Athenian is one of ten schools in the Bay Counties League - East. The school colors are terracotta and earth, but the sports teams are resigned to simply orange and black. The athletics program has steadily improved over the past few years. Athenian has made the North Coast Section in men's soccer for five straight years. The women's basketball team made it to NCS in 2005, the men's basketball team made NCS in 2006, for the first time in eight years, and the men's baseball team made it to the 2006 NCS Championship, finishing runner-up. Athenian's Golf team has won the league title for three consecutive years. A handful of swimmers, wrestlers, and track runners will also qualify for the North Coast Section in a given year.
[edit] Robotics
Athenian also fields competitive teams in other areas. Perhaps the most notable is the Athenian Robotics Collective (ARC). Over the past few years they have had much success under the tutelage of Eugene Misuzawa. Athenian has performed very well in its regional competition, going against schools with many times its own population and resources. In spite of this, the robotics team has managed to place in the regional competition the last three years, qualifying for the national tournament two years ago. In 2006, the team placed first in the region and will again attend the national tournament in Atlanta.
[edit] Debate
Athenian also maintains a strong debate team. Started over nine years ago under the supervision of former coach Reed Niemi, the team has fielded several excellent speakers. The debate team competes against schools that far surpass Athenian in size, yet manages to do well. The team's success has also continued into the 2005-2006 season with individuals qualifying for the national tournament in extemporaneous speaking, the Tournament of Champions held at Northwestern University.
[edit] Clubs
- Conservative Club
- Interweave: Athenian's Gay-Straight Alliance
- Feminist Club
- Asian Club
- Latino Club
- Students of Color
- Jew Crew
- Christian Crew
- Conservation Club
- Middle Eastern Club
[edit] Admission
Of 200 applicants to the high school each year, around 100 will be admitted. Half of those admitted will enroll. These students and students moving up from the middle school combine to form a freshman class of roughly 75 students. Students applying to Athenian must take a standardized test and complete several essays. Admission to the middle school is considerably easier than to the high school. Middle school students are usually accepted to the high school if they wish to continue.
[edit] External links
| Bay Counties League - East Athenian • Head-Royce • College Prep • Chinese Christian Bentley • Oakland Military Institute • CSD-Fremont Contra Costa Christian • University Prep • Emery |
