Newbury Academy
Encyclopedia
Newbury Academy is a virtual school
Virtual school
A virtual school or cyberschool describes an institution that teaches courses entirely or primarily through online methods. Though there are tens of thousands of commercial and non-accredited courses available online, the term "virtual school" is generally reserved for accredited schools that teach...

, an alternative private high school serving students in grades 9-12, still based in the area of Dumont
Dumont, New Jersey
Dumont is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The population was 17,479 at the 2010 Census.Dumont was formed on July 20, 1894, as the Borough of Schraalenburgh from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township, at the height of the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, but now also serving the Brick Township, New Jersey
Brick Township, New Jersey
-Transportation:The major county routes that pass through are CR 528, and CR 549 . Two state routes pass through: Route 70 and Route 88...

 area. Since 2008, all classes are conducted online, with teachers making weekly visits to the students' homes.

History and profile

The school was created to provide a safe, attentive environment for students who experience difficulties in traditional school settings. It was founded in 2001 by faculty member Jane E. McKinley, daughter of Graham C. Newbury
Graham C. Newbury
Dr. Graham C. Newbury born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, United States, was a general surgeon. The majority of his career was spent as Chief Surgeon at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey.-Education and residencies:...

 and Jane Cunningham Newbury, for whom the school was named. Classes at Newbury Academy are based on New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 state core curriculum
Core Curriculum
The Core Curriculum was originally developed as the main curriculum used by Columbia University's Columbia College. It began in 1919 with "Contemporary Civilization," about the origins of western civilization. It became the framework for many similar educational models throughout the United States...

, and are limited to a maximum class size of three. The school caters to individual student needs. All students are accepted, including those with neurological disorders, school phobia
Phobia
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational...

, attention deficit disorder, mild autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...

, or various learning disabilities. The education at Newbury Academy includes regular excursions to historical sites and other local areas of interest. Classes were held at 344 Washington Avenue in Dumont until the end of the 2007-08 academic year. Since September 2008, all classes are conducted online.

Mission statement

Newbury Academy is dedicated to freeing the high school student from frustration and failure, and helping each student set a course for independence, accomplishment of skills and self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...

; where learning is an adventure.

Faculty

The teachers at Newbury Academy are experienced, trained teachers, and meet all requirements to teach their courses in the state of New Jersey. Full-time teachers include:
  • Mrs. Dori Williams has been teaching in New Jersey since 1995 in a number of different capacities. She is serving as the director of the school and handles all administrative procedures. She teaches Physics
    Physics
    Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

    , Health
    Health
    Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

     and Digital Photography and facilitates the Spanish
    Spanish language
    Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

     and Japanese
    Japanese language
    is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...

     independent studies.
  • Mrs. McKinley started teaching in 1965 and has since helped nurture the education of thousands of students, especially those with learning disabilities. She teaches English
    English language
    English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

     and French
    French language
    French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

    .
  • Mr. McKinley recently received national honors, having scored in the highest 15% of all-time for examinees of the Praxis test
    Praxis test
    A Praxis test is one of a series of American teacher certification exams written and administered by the Educational Testing Service. Various Praxis tests are usually required before, during, and after teacher training courses in the U.S....

     for secondary social studies teachers. He teaches US History and Algebra
    Algebra
    Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...

    .

Part-time teachers:
  • Ms. Carter (music) is a critically acclaimed musician who has played in Carnegie Hall
    Carnegie Hall
    Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....

    . She teaches piano and flute and can help those interested with voice lessons.
  • Ms. Gribbon (art) is a textile artist who has been commissioned for numerous murals and has had work displayed in several galleries.

Additional information

  • The first graduating class was in 2005. Of the graduates, two went on to study at Rutgers University
    Rutgers University
    Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

    , one completed his assistant pharmacist certification and has been employed by a local pharmacy
    Pharmacy
    Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...

    , and another became a teaching assistant
    Teaching assistant
    A teaching assistant is an individual who assists a professor or teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include graduate teaching assistants , who are graduate students; undergraduate teaching assistants , who are undergraduate students; secondary school TAs, who are either high school...

     at Newbury Academy.
  • In May 2006, Newbury Academy accepted its first student granted with out-of-district placement. Tuition
    Tuition
    Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...

     is paid by the sending school district.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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