Columbus Academy
| Columbus Academy | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 4300 Cherry Bottom Road Gahanna, Ohio, (Franklin County), 43230 United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°2′56″N 82°52′26″W / 40.04889°N 82.87389°WCoordinates: 40°2′56″N 82°52′26″W / 40.04889°N 82.87389°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational |
| Motto | "In Quest of the Best" |
| Established | 1911 |
| Principal | Corinna Izokaitis (Upper School),
Karla Long (Middle School) Kay Mason (Lower School) |
| Headmaster | Melissa Soderberg |
| Faculty | 126 |
| Grades | PK–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,057 (PreK - 12) |
| Average class size | 18 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 8:1 ( only lower school ) |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Campus size | 233 acres (94 ha) |
| Color(s) | Maroon and Gray[1] |
| Athletics | 15 varsity sports |
| Athletics conference | Mid-State League[1] |
| Mascot | Viking |
| Nickname | Vikes |
| Team name | Vikings[1] |
| Rival | Bexley Lions |
| Accreditation(s) | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[2] |
| Newspaper | The Academy Life |
| Yearbook | Caravel |
| Tuition | 9,800-20,200 |
| Athletic Director | Dominic Facciolla[1] |
| Website | www.columbusacademy.org |
Columbus Academy is a selective, independent college-preparatory school for students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. The private school is located on a large, secluded campus surrounded by wooded areas in Gahanna, Ohio in the United States, 8 miles from downtown Columbus. The Academy was founded in 1911 by Mr. J. L. Hamill in Bexley, Ohio and moved to its current campus in 1968. Originally an all-boys school, it became coeducational in 1991 when the Board of Trustees decided to admit girls. From its conception, the school expanded over time to a matriculation level of 1,000 students. Columbus Academy students and alumni often refer to the school as "Academy".
Founding And Bexley Campus
Columbus Academy has a 100-year history. In 1911, a group of area businessmen founded the school to provide a local option for secondary education at the highest standards. They adopted the independent country day school philosophy that academic preparation was a cooperative effort between the school and the home. Columbus Academy emerged as a college preparatory school dedicated to the highest standards of intellectual, social, moral, aesthetic and physical development.
Columbus Academy's first campus was situated on 4 acres (1.6 ha) along Alum Creek. Numerous additions to the "main house" were made as the number of students in grades 5-12 grew. Academy's first headmaster, Frank P.R. Van Syckel, instituted a strong liberal arts program coupled with vigorous athletic instruction. He established a tradition of excellence which is reflected in the school's motto, "In Quest of the Best."
Move To Current Campus
After continued enrollment growth and repeated flooding along Alum Creek, the Board approved a 20-year plan for relocation. The school acquired 230 acres (93 ha) in Gahanna (eight miles northeast of Columbus), raised funds, and built a new campus. The original five-building complex served the school well until the student body exceeded 600 boys. In the mid-'70s, the school undertook a major building program that added a lower school wing and the Schoedinger Theatre. This expansion allowed Kindergarten to be added to the school in the early 1980s. In 1991, the school became a co-educational institution.
The school is situated on a secluded suburban campus. In 1999 the school built a new library reminiscent of its old Bexley campus, and added large additions to the theatre and Lower and Upper schools in 2004. Beginning in 2003, they added another addition, respectably larger than the last. This addition consisted of a new athletic building, new sports facilities and courts, additional parking lots, a new upper school wing, and a third library (totaling three libraries: one lower school, one middle school, and one upper school).
Tuition & Endowment
|| $9,800 || $17,800 || $18,500 || $20,200| Lower School |
|---|
| Middle School |
| Upper School |
The Academy's current endowment is approximately $23 million. In 2002, Columbus Academy kicked off the Advancing the Quest fundraising campaign. ATQ's goal was to raise $17M to support the following areas: Faculty and Staff Excellence, Student Body Diversity, School Size and Structure, and Facilities. The most important objective of the Advancing the Quest campaign was to create an educational community that better serves CA students, their families, and the community as a whole by enhancing facilities and enriching programs. Advancing the Quest exceeded its goal in record time and the advancements it prompted continue to resonate across campus.
The operating budget for 2005-06 was $17.7 million. Income from non-discretionary Annual Fund gifts covered 7% of the school's operating budget and expenses.
Athletics
Athletic competition has long been a part of the Columbus Academy tradition. In addition to being recognized academically as one of the leading private schools in Ohio, Columbus Academy is also an athletic powerhouse among schools in its division. One of the oldest high school athletic rivalries in the state of Ohio is the Academy/Bexley competition. The Academy was one of the first schools in the US to begin fielding a soccer team and track team. Today, Academy students compete interscholastically and intramurally in a wide range of sports including football, soccer, track, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, lacrosse, wrestling, field hockey, swimming, cross country, and others.
Ohio High School Athletic Association Team State championships
- Baseball - 1982[3][4]
- American Football – 1987, 2003[4][5]
- Soccer – 1995[4]
- Golf – 1983, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999[4]
- Track and Field – 1977, 1981, 2012, 2013[4]
- Girls Field Hockey – 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013[4]
Other non-OHSAA titles
Other athletic accomplishments
- 2000 State Champion Girls Lacrosse Div. I.
Extracurricular Activities
The Alpha Math Club
Alpha is Columbus Academy's math club which serves to participate and prepare for in various math competitions, such as the American Math Competitions (AMC), and foster an interest in challenging math problems.
The Academy life
The Academy Life is the newspaper produced by students of Columbus Academy during the school year and is published primarily for the students, alumni, faculty, parents and advertisers. It is produced to inform and entertain its readers by providing coverage of current events, sports, features and reviews. The Academy Life has received journalism awards in past years, including the International First Place award named by Quill & Scroll, an international high school journalism honor society.
Student Council
The Columbus Academy Student Council is a representative body which acknowledges and fulfills the wants and needs of the students. By upholding the Mission Statement of the Columbus Academy and serving as a bridge to unite the students, faculty, and administration, The Council will encourage, initiate, and ensure the interests of the individual student. The Council consists of 18 voting members, including a Student Body President who presides over the meetings, a Student Body Vice President, as well as 4 council members per grade.
Service Board
An act of service reflects generosity of time, resources, and energy. It is an investment of self - spirit, mind and body - in helping to meet the needs of others.
The Columbus Academy Service Board is the student organization which sponsors, encourages and provides acts of service, and determines community service mores in conjunction with the student body. As shown in The Service Board Mission and Purpose Statement, The Service Board has three functions: It is a group of student leaders whose mission is to serve the public, make a difference in the world, and be virtuous in the community; It is a group of student representatives with the responsibility, as ordained by the Columbus Academy, to determine community service ethics for the school; It is a group of student visionaries who strive to make community service a more pervasive part of the existing spheres at the Columbus Academy.
Theatre
The Academy annually produces two theatrical productions by Upper School students, one a fall drama, and the other a spring musical. Students in grades six through eight also participate in a musical produced during the winter. Upper School students can also work on stage crew for the Middle School musical.
Quest
Quest is Columbus Academy’s art and literary magazine published annually in the spring term. It solicits writings and art work from upper school students. Its motto is also, "In quest of the best."
Political Club
The Political Club is open to all Upper School students. The club’s aims are to cultivate interest in national and international politics and foster informed student opinion and discussion on world events. Its members meet to discuss current affairs, view films and documentaries of historical and political significance, and organize special activities.
Latin Club
Columbus Academy's Latin Club goes by the title of The Dead Language Society, and the school maintains a local chapter of the Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL)[6] and National Junior Classical League (NJCL).[7]
United CA
A student committee of the Board of Diversity, United CA started in 2010 as a student initiative. Students in this group represent their classmates at the Board meetings and their school at the NAIS People of Color Conference's Student Diversity Leadership Conference. They have worked to organize the Martin Luther King assembly, activities with younger students and faculty workshops.
GSA
The Columbus Academy GSA is a Gay–straight alliance, uniting straight and LGBT students.
In The Know
The Columbus Academy in the Know team competes in ITK and Quizbowl tournaments around central Ohio. The team competes annually in the WOSU Tournament. The team finished as runners-up in the 2008 edition, and they returned to the quarterfinals in 2013.
Accreditation & Memberships
- National Association of Independent Schools
- Independent Schools Association of the Central States
- Ohio Association of Independent Schools
- Recipient of Malone Family Foundation Award
Notable alumni
- Todd Park - Chief Technology Officer of the United States, former CTO of the Department of Health and Human Services, co-founder of athenahealth.
- Andrew Romanoff - politician, former Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives
Notable teachers/faculty
- Jeffrey Sutton - former history teacher and soccer coach; Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
External links
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ↑ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ↑ Yappi. "Yappi Sports Baseball". Retrieved 12 February 2007.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved 31 December 2006.
- ↑ Yappi. "Yappi Sports Football". Retrieved 12 February 2007.
- ↑ "2009 Convention – Club Point Summary" (PDF). Ohio Junior Classical League. 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
- "2010 State Convention — Club Point Summary" (PDF). OJCL.org. Ohio Junior Classical League. 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ↑ "Constitution of the Ohio Junior Classical League" (PDF). Ohio Junior Classical League. March 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2009. "...by paying both OJCL annual chapter dues and any annual chapter membership dues required by NJCL."