Isle of Wight Academy

Isle of Wight Academy (IWA) is a private non-profit day school located in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The school has students from Pre-kindergarten to 12th grade and is non-sectarian and coeducational.

Isle of Wight Academy
17111 Courthouse Highway, Isle of Wight, Virginia 23397
Location
Coordinates36°54′27.7″N 76°42′23.7″W
Information
TypePrivate
Established1967
HeadmasterMark Munford
GradesPre-K - 12th
Enrollment682[1]
MascotChargers
Websiteiwacademy.com

History

Isle of Wight Academy started in the space previously occupied by the Isle of Wight Elementary School, as a segregation academy. It was open for one year until, in the fall of 1968, a fire completely destroyed the school building, leaving only the original gymnasium (which remains the only building standing on the campus from the original school structure). With funding from the school community, the academy was able to rebuild with four permanent classroom buildings and a new gymnasium.

The academy was one of many such schools which lost tax-exempt status in the early 1970s because of racially discriminatory admissions policies.[2] During the 1980s enrollment began to decrease. After briefly losing its tax-exempt status again in 1985[3] it finally regained it June 1987.[4] In 1988, The school enrolled three African-American students out of 300, and in 1989 one.[4] Headmaster Don Deaton told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that "We would like to have more African-American students but it's hard to attract them."[4] The early 1990s saw a reversal of fortune for the school. Enrollment began a steady increase and more programs began to be offered to the growing student body. Enrollment now stands at approximately 650 students, the most ever enrolled at the Academy.[5]

On December 3, 2013, Smithfield Foods, a subsidiary of Shuanghui International Holdings Limited, pledged $1 million to the school for facilities and scholarships.

Mission

The philosophy is to "accept students of average or above average ability and develop them to their fullest potential by providing a quality program, which will build the student mentally, physically, and spiritually. The school emphasizes the honor, integrity, social development, and citizenship of the student."[6]

Academics

Being a college-preparatory institution, Isle of Wight Academy has courses with an emphasis upon equipping the students for a college education. In order to aid with this, the school has a variety of dual-enrollment and Advanced Placement (AP) classes.[7] IWA partners with Paul D. Camp Community College and Richard Bland College to offer the following dual credit courses at present: US History (6 credits), French IV ( 8 credits), Spanish IV (8 credits), Economics (6 credits), English (6 credits), and Statistics/Linear Algebra (6 credits). AP US Government and AP English Literature and Compositon are the currently offered Advanvced Placement classes. Some of the recent institutions attended by IWA graduates include the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, as well as others.

Extracurricular Activities

Isle of Wight Academy has a number of extracurricular activities for the Upper and Lower School students. For the Upper School, clubs such as the Student Council Organization (SCO), Key Club, Drama Club, and Science Club have the largest degree of participation.[8] The Upper School also has a number of academic competition teams, such as the Scholastic Bowl, Battle of the Brains, Science Bowl, Blue Crab Bowl, and Envirothon teams. The Upper School has chapters in four national honor societies, the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, French National Honor Society, and Spanish National Honor Society.[9] The Lower School has the Junior Student Cooperative Organization (JSCO) and the Middle School Science Club to offer academic enrichment outside of the classroom.

Isle of Wight Academy offers half-credit courses in fine arts, such as Upper School Band, Chorus, and Audio Visual Technology.[10] The Upper School participates in the Association of Virginia Academies (AVA) Forensics and Fine Arts competitions, where many students place high in their respective categories.[11]

Athletics

Isle of Wight Academy is a member of both the Virginia Colonial Conference and Metro Athletic Conference.[12] In its history, IWA has won 70 conference season championships, 35 conference tournament championships, and 11 state championships (five in softball, five in football, and one in baseball).[13] IWA sponsors the following varsity and junior varsity sports: football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, cross country, soccer, golf, and winter and fall cheerleading.[14]

Daniel Brown attended Isle of Wight Academy, where he was a three-sport athlete (basketball, football, and baseball). From 2005-2007, he helped Isle of Wight win three consecutive state championships.[15] He is a tight end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL).

References
  1. "Private School Universe Study 2015-16". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. Tax credits for nonpublic education: Hearings, Ninety-second Congress, second session, on H.R. 16141 and other pending proposals ... U.S. Govt. Print. Off. 1972. p. 647. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  3. Gordon, Richard E. (April 16, 1986). "Prince Edward Academy Given Tax Exempt Status". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  4. Ebeling, Ashlea (November 26, 1989). "Despite Its Changed Image, Academy Draws Few Blacks". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  5. "History". Isle of Wight Academy. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  6. "About Us". Isle of Wight Academy. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  7. "Academics". Isle of Wight Academy. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  8. "Clubs". Isle of Wight Academy. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  9. "School Profile". Isle of Wight Academy. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  10. "Upper School". Isle of Wight Academy. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  11. "Campus Life". Isle of Wight Academy. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  12. "Metro Conference". Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  13. "IWA Trophy Case - Metro Conference". Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  14. "School Profile". Isle of Wight Academy. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  15. "Daniel Brown (American football)", Wikipedia, 2019-01-07, retrieved 2019-02-04
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