| The Quarry Lane School | |
|---|---|
| The official school logo | |
| Location | |
| 6363 Tassajara Rd. Dublin, CA 94568 United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1991 |
| President | Dr. Sabri Arac |
| Faculty | 40 |
| Grades | Pre-K - 11 |
| Number of students | 277 |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Website | www.quarrylane.org |
The Quarry Lane School is a private college preparatory and International Baccalaureate school in Dublin, Alameda County, California, that currently offers education for students from preschool to their junior year in high school. It is owned by Dr. Sabri Arac, who presides over the school as Head of School. Ms. Gabrielle Denton currently resides as Lower School (Pre-K through 5th) Director, with Mrs. Liz Paz-Rumore and Dr. Tom Keating as Upper School (Middle and High School) Co-Directors.
Contents |
The mission statement of the Quarry Lane School is:
... to create an atmosphere that inspires a lifelong love of learning and nurtures each student to reach his or her fullest potential -- emotionally, socially, academically and physically -- in order to assume responsibility as a future citizen of the world.
The Quarry Lane School was founded in 1991 by Dr. Sabri Arac as an infant/toddler preschool and was expanded into an elementary school at its original Pleasanton, California campus. In 2000, Dr. Arac opened a campus in Dublin, California to accommodate the elementary school that was rapidly growing. The Pleasanton campus was open only to preschool students, while elementary students studied at the Dublin campus. In 2004, Dr. Arac opened the second Pleasanton preschool campus, the Pleasanton West campus. After repeated plans to build an additional building on the Dublin campus to support a high school, the ground was finally broken for the construction of the high school in 2005. Though not finished for the next year because of construction issues, in 2007 the newly facilities were opened. The newest facilities include an indoor gym, three science labs, a computer lab, Art studio, Library, outdoor sports field, tennis court and 33 additional instructional classrooms. Unfortunately, this expansion has placed legal and financial burdens upon the school. In late 2008, a civil lawsuit in which a general contractor claimed The Quarry Lane School did not pay for almost $5 million in work was settled. Details of this settlement were not publicly released. Quarry Lane School currently offers college preparatory, honors and AP classes. The School is an International Baccalaureate School, and offers an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.[1]
The Quarry Lane School has been accredited by NIPSA and WASC and was also voted to be the "family favorite" in the Bay Area Parent magazine Hall of Fame. Students have won awards in the Exploravision contest, the Optimist Speech Contest, and the Reader's Digest National Word Power Challenge. Over 75% of students qualify as gifted and talented, and over one half of the middle and high school students were on the honor roll, with a Grade Point Average of 3.5 or higher.
The Quarry Lane School has a lot of student involvement in the Upper School (grades 6-10). Both the middle school and high school have their own student council, and leadership is a required class for the Upper School.
Current clubs include band, chess, drama, economics, environmental and leadership; other clubs are formed based on student interest.
Quarry Lane Robotics offered after school for elementary through high school students. Elementary and middle school students discover robotics and develop their engineering skills using the LEGOs NXT robotics system. They plan to compete in a future FIRST LEGO League (FLL) competition. For middle school and high school students, they enhance and challenge their robotics invention skills using the more challenging VEX robotics kit. In their first year, 2007, Quarry Lane Robotics Team 212 competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge in the Northern California Region. Team 212 placed 4th in the qualifiers with a record of 4-1-0, and finished as NorCal Championship Semi-Finalists.
As of the 2008-2009 school year, basketball, golf and soccer were offered to the middle school, but only men's basketball is offered to the high school students. No high school women's sports are foreseen in the near future, as the female student population is still too small to support a sports team.
Leadership is optional for all Upper School students. Leadership class is currently headed by Mrs. Liz Paz-Rumore, Dean of Students Emeritus, for the Upper School. Leadership, especially for the high school, is focused on improving one's self and college admissions. Students draft a version of their college application essay in this class, learn vocabulary for the SAT or ACT tests, and also learn about what colleges look for in an application. In grades 6-8 the goal is to develop critical thinking, teach organizational skills, and instill social and moral values. Leadership class also focuses on practicing leadership skills by requiring every student to plan and run an event during the year, such as a school sponsored social event or a community service project.
Student council is a central element to the Quarry Lane Upper School. The student council was designed by students to bring up issues that are bothering them to the faculty. Both the Middle School Student Council and the High School Student Council are headed by Mrs. Liz Paz-Rumore, Dean of Students Emeritus.