| Asheville School | |
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| Location | |
| Asheville, NC, USA | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Boarding |
| Religious affiliation(s) | none |
| Established | 1900 |
| Head of school | Archibald R. Montgomery IV |
| Average class size | 12 students |
| Student to teacher ratio | 7:1 |
| Campus | Suburban, 300 acres |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Athletics | 15 sports |
| Website | www.ashevilleschool.org |
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Asheville School
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| Location: | Roughly bounded by Patton Ave., Southern RR line, US 40, Sand Hill Rd., and Malvern Hills subdivision, Asheville, North Carolina |
| Built: | 1900 |
| Architect: | Beadle,Chauncey,et al |
| Architectural style: | Tudor Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 96000614[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | June 03, 1996 |
Asheville School is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 1900, the Asheville School campus sits on 300 acres (1.2 km2) in the Blue Ridge Mountains and currently enrolls 270 students in grades nine through twelve. The school's mission is "to prepare [their] students for college and for life and to provide an atmosphere in which all members of a diverse, engaged, and purposefully small school community appreciate and strive for excellence- an atmosphere that nurtures character and fosters the development of mind, body, and spirit."
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Asheville School was founded in 1900 by Charles Andrews Mitchell and Newton Mitchell Anderson. Previously, the pair founded the University School in Cleveland, OH in 1890. The founding of these two schools was a daring experiment in preparatory education, as it challenged the time-honored system of British classical education. Anderson’s concept for Asheville School was of a place where boys could prepare for college or for the business world; where the body, through organized athletics, would be trained as well as the brain; where boys could learn constructive work with their hands as well as their heads.
Fifty-three boarding students from grades 5-12—called "forms," according to the British system—were enrolled that first year. A century later, Asheville School has a diverse co-educational student body, remaining true to its founders’ vision of a small boarding school where students come to learn, build lasting friendships and receive an education that goes far beyond the classroom.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Asheville School has been careful to maintain the integrity of its original Tudor-style buildings while also incorporating newer structures into the campus master plan. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, Asheville School has held a place of distinction in the field of independent education for more than 100 years. Asheville School continues to maintain that place of distinction in the 21st century as one of the nation's leading boarding schools.
Asheville School's academic course of study is rigorous and stresses a traditional core curriculum of humanities, mathematics, science, foreign language and the arts. Through the study of these subjects, students learn the fundamentals of good writing, critical thinking and clear communication. Class size is small, averaging 12 students per class and a student to teacher ration of 7:1.
Asheville School has a unique Humanities program that integrates the study of literature, history, religion, art, music, architecture, film and dance into a four-year sequence: Ancient Studies, World Studies, European Studies and American Studies. English and history teachers may team-teach these courses, along with the school’s music teacher and other guest lecturers. Students who complete the four-year sequence receive half credits for both history of art and history of music. The program is writing intensive, culminating in a final research project, the Senior Demonstration. Throughout the Senior Demonstration, students research and write about a subject of their choice, resulting in two major papers and an oral defense of the student's work.
Students at Asheville School are expected to live by high ethical standards and to uphold an Honor Code. The Asheville School Honor Code states that no student will lie, cheat or steal, and they will report any student who does. When submitting any independent work, students "pledge" that they have adhered to the honor code. Students also constitute the majority of the Honor Council, the educational and disciplinary body which hears all violations of the Code.
All students must participate in an "afternoon activity" after the academic day ends. Each student can pick one for each season. All third formers and fourth formers are required to participate in one team sport during the course of the year. Each student can participate in art, drama, music, life fitness, equestrian, mountaineering, or an interscholastic sport (which are listed below).
Situated among the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Asheville School has emphasized an appreciation of the great outdoors since its founding. The school's location offers great natural beauty and an abundance of recreational opportunities. Asheville School has a well established mountaineering program that provides the staff, training and equipment to give students the opportunity to participate in backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, snow skiing, caving and mountain biking. Many students take mountaineering as an afternoon activity for daily on-campus instruction and practice. On-campus facilities include a high-ropes course, an Alpine Tower, a climbing wall, a swimming pool (for kayak instruction) and 200 acres (0.81 km2) of forested land with miles of trails for biking and exploring. Off-campus trips are frequently offered to places such as Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest, the Tuckaseegee and French Broad rivers, and the Tsali Recreational area. All new students go on at least one overnight camping trip during their first year at Asheville School that introduces students to the school's mountaineering program and to the beautiful region.
The Asheville School student body is made up of approximately 75% boarding students and 25% day students. The school values diversity and has students from 20 states and 13 countries. Roughly a quarter of the students receive need-based financial aid. The school has about the same number of males and females. An important avenue for student leadership is the Prefect/Proctor system, which calls on students to help manage dormitories, study halls, technology resources and lab space. Student representatives sit on almost every major school committee.
The school has a Conduct Council, where three alternate prefects and two alternating faculty convene with the faculty conduct chair in order to determine a recommendation of punishment for students who have committed a level one offense or various level two and/or three offenses.
There is also an Honor Council that hears the cases of students who have broken the honor code. This body is meant to be more constructive than disciplinary, and the members discuss the offenses of the students with them in order to achieve a sort of reconciliation between the student and the school.
The traditional football rival of Asheville School (Blues) is Christ School (Greenies).
The traditional Asheville School dessert is the Asheville School banana: a banana covered in lemon juice and sugar. The dessert is also featured on Vineyard Vines ties, bags, and belts which are sold in the school store.
Asheville School students are expected to maintain a well-groomed, well-dressed appearance. For boys, classroom dress includes jackets and ties; for girls, a dress skirt, jumper, or dress slacks with a blazer. Some substitutions may be permitted according to the season. Neat casual dress is required at other times.
Every fall the campus spends a day at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain, NC.
Notable alumni of Asheville School include:
Faculty
Total number of faculty: 60
Number of teaching faculty: 36
Percentage of teaching faculty with advanced degrees: 73%
Overall student-faculty ratio: 4 to 1
Average class size: 13
Overall faculty residing on campus: 80%
Testing averages
SAT Reading - Middle 50 percent range (class of 2010): 570-680
SAT Mathematics – Middle 50 percent range (class of 2010): 580-690
SAT Writing – Middle 50 percent range (class of 2010): 560-680
Percentage of AP exams with scores of "3" or better (2010): 83%
Number of students designated as AP Scholars (2010): 43
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