Cannon School
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Cannon School 
| Established | 1969 |
|---|---|
| School type | private school |
| Head of School | Matt Gossage |
| Location | Concord, N.C. |
| Enrollment | 900 |
| Athletic Conference | Metrolina Athletic |
| Colors | Maroon, Gold, and White |
| Nickname | Cougars |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Homepage | Official Site |
Cannon School is an independent private college preparatory academy for grades junior-kindergarten through 12th located in Concord, North Carolina, United States, at 5801 Poplar Tent Road. The current head of school is Matt Gossage, who took the position in 2006. The previous headmaster of Cannon was Richard Snyder.
Cannon School is made up of three separate "schools":
- Lower School (J-K through 4th grade),
- Middle School (5th through 8th grade),
- Upper School (9th through 12th grade).
Campus facilities feature approximately 60 classrooms, two media centers, a multi-purpose auditorium, a lecture hall, four computer labs and a technology center, four music suites, three art studios with a dark room and pottery area, six science labs, a full-service dining center, a dance studio, and two gymnasiums.
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[edit] Educational Philosophy
The Cannon School community instills academic excellence and personal responsibility, inspires athletic and artistic accomplishment, and promotes a respect for diversity within a challenging and safe educational environment.
[edit] History
Cannon School was founded in 1969 as Cabarrus Academy. The school was located in the historic downtown Concord residence of local textile entrepreneur J.W. Cannon. In 1994 the school relocated to its current 65-acre campus in the northwestern corner of Cabarrus County, and in 1998 the Cabarrus Academy was renamed Cannon School.
Originally a school for junior kindergarten through eighth grade, Cannon expanded throughout the 1990s and graduated its first senior class in 2002. (Note: First "new" senior class. As Cabarrus Academy, the school did graduate seniors in its earlier years.)
Cannon School instituted an enrollment model in November 2006 that caps overall student enrollment at less than 1,000, but expands the middle school and upper school.
[edit] Current Demographics
Cannon enrolls more than 900 students in all grade levels (Junior Kindergarten through twelfth grade), drawing its student body from seven Charlotte, NC-area counties, including Cabarrus County, Mecklenburg County and Stanly County, and the communities of Concord, Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, Kannapolis, Mooresville, Salisbury, and Charlotte. Cannon's student/teacher ratio is approximately 10:1. Cannon has more than 90 full-time faculty members; over half hold advanced degrees.
[edit] Achievements
- Cannon is the first independent school in North Carolina to be accredited by both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS).
- An exchange program with the Tian Li International School in Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China enriches student and parent cultural experiences.
- State athletics champions 2001-2008; Wachovia Cup winner four consecutive years (the award recognizes the high schools that achieve the best overall interscholastic athletic performance within each of the state's four competitive classifications); individual recognition of student and coaches including Wendy's High School Heisman Nominations and All-Area recognition by The Charlotte Observer.
- The Cannon School boys varsity basketball team won the 2A state championship in 2006.
- Cannon's 2006 boys varsity soccer won the MAC conference 3-1 in overtime over Covenant Day School.
[edit] Laptops
- Cannon boasts a wireless laptop environment that enables Upper School students to learn and communicate 24/7.
[edit] Academics
The 2003-2006 average combined SAT score for Cannon School students is 1217.[citation needed] That's more than 200 points higher than Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Cabarrus public schools, state, and national average scores.[citation needed] Cannon students averaged above the 90th percentile in every category on the national Educational Records Bureau standardized test for students in grades 1 – 8.[citation needed]
The school provides before and after school care programs.
[edit] Arts
Cannon School offers seven choral and instrumental groups; eight visual arts, five drama, and four dance class offerings for fifth through twelfth grade students. Junior Kindergarten through fourth grade students receive extensive art and music instruction by full-time instructors in large, light-filled studios.
Cannon's upper school theater program is one of 40 such groups in the nation to perform at Edinburgh, Scotland's Fringe Festival. The program has also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company during their residency at Davidson College, and won numerous awards at the regional and state levels of the North Carolina Theater Festival High School Play Festival.
[edit] Athletics
The Cannon School athletic program fields more than 30 sports teams in Middle and Upper Schools, including 18 varsity teams. Teams compete in soccer, tennis, basketball, swimming, track and field, cross country, lacrosse, golf, baseball, softball, cheerleading, and volleyball. Cannon's sports teams are known as the Cougars - their colors are maroon, black and white. (In early years, when the school was still Cabarrus Academy, the mascot was the road runner.)
The Cannon School Cougars compete in the 3A division of the N.C. Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA), and is currently a member of the Metrolina Athletic Conference (MAC). Beginning in the fall of 2008, Cannon's athletics teams will instead compete in the Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA), along with Charlotte Christian School, Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte Latin School, and Providence Day School. Though their opponents are predominantly other independent schools, Cannon occasionally schedules games with nearby public high schools.
Cannon School will field a Middle School football team beginning in the 2008-09 school year. The development of a team at that level is part of a three-to-four year plan to build a football program that will grow to include Junior Varsity and Varsity teams.
[edit] Controversy
Janet Klatt was fired in 2006 after the school learned of allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student.[1] According to Raleigh police spokeswoman Jim Sughre, "That type of relationship is specifically forbidden by law regardless of what the surrounding circumstances might be."[2] In 2007 Klatt pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of Indecent Liberties with a Student.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Former Cannon Teacher charged again at WCNC fro Lena Warmack - The Charlotte Observer, May 30, 2006
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Teacher pleads guilty to taking indecent liberties with student Associated Press, WCNC, January 18, 2007
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