Wasatch Academy
Encyclopedia
Wasatch Academy is Utah’s only independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school
for grades 8-12. Founded in 1875 by Duncan McMillan, Wasatch Academy sought to improve the lives of the people of the Sanpete Valley through education. McMillan, who famously said, “Let it endure like the Wasatch Mountains, call it Wasatch Academy,” provided educational opportunities where previously none existed. The current Head of School is Joseph Loftin, who celebrated 20 years of leadership in April 2009.
The majority of the faculty live in school-owned housing surrounding the campus.
The school also has a new campus in Ruian
, China
, as a part of a newly inaugurated joint educational venture with Ruian High School. This program, the license for which is the first ever granted by the Chinese Ministry of Education, will provide top Chinese students with a dual diploma, one from Ruian High School and one from Wasatch Academy.
Countries represented include Afghanistan
, Brazil
, Bulgaria
, Canada
, China
(including Hong Kong
), Taiwan
, Croatia
, Czech Republic
, Ethiopia
, Germany
, India
, Jamaica
, Japan
, Kenya
, Korea
, Macau
, Mali
, Mexico
, Saudi Arabia
, Singapore
, Switzerland
, Turkey
, United Arab Emirates
, Venezuela
, and Vietnam
. Though most of the students are from China.
States represented include Alaska
, Arizona
, California
, Colorado
, Florida
, Georgia
, Idaho
, Illinois
, Iowa
, Massachusetts
, Missouri
, Nevada
, New Jersey
, New Mexico
, New York
, North Carolina
, Oregon
, Pennsylvania
, Texas
, Utah
, Virginia
, Washington, and Wyoming
.
Wasatch Academy is recognized as a School of Distinction by the All Kinds of Minds Institute for its full implementation of and dedication to Schools Attuned methodologies.
Weekend recreation is emphasized at Wasatch Academy. In addition to the extracurricular courses offered, students may sign up for trips to the movies, dinners, larger malls, amusement parks, skiing/snowboarding trips, and various cultural events. The school offers weekend activities, such as midnight movies and community service projects, on campus as well.
(UHSAA) in the 1A category of Utah high schools, as determined by size and geographic region . Students are required to participate in at least one competitive sport per year, and are encouraged to be involved in all three seasons of athletics. Certain extracurricular offerings (such as fencing or rock climbing) may satisfy the athletics requirement, provided that the criteria for the number of performances or competitions are met.
Varsity
practices are scheduled during the afternoon class. Games and competitions may be scheduled during evenings and on weekends. Students must hold extracurricular eligibility to be allowed to participate in competition.
Student athletes can earn a letter
by meeting the criteria set by their coach and the Athletic Department. Letter winners receive their letters at the end of each season.
Boys’ Athletic offerings include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, equestrian, golf, paintball, snowboarding, soccer, tennis, and track and field.
Girls’ Athletic offerings include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, equestrian, golf, paintball, soccer, snowboarding, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
Recent athletic accomplishments include:
Wasatch Academy recently completed the renovation of a building devoted to the performing arts.
laptops. Faculty tailor assignments to integrate technology and learning. In all grades, the curriculum is vertically sequenced and horizontally integrated through online curriculum mapping. Content and skills are thus scaffolded, and the English, Social Studies, Science, and Art curricula parallel each other where appropriate in an effort to help students make connections between disciplines.
The school’s newly built Center for Evolving Technologies provides students with the same high quality equipment employed by industry professionals. Courses offer include Desktop Publishing, Web Design, Film and Video Editing, Broadcasting, Linux, Computer Fundamentals I & II, Digital Audio Lab, Media Literacy, Digital Music Theory, Advanced Computer Study and Robotics, Intro to Programming, and Computer Gaming Activity. The school plans to offer a course in Programming in the imminent future.
Eight Semesters of English and Math:
The school requires eight semesters of English (I, II, III, and IV). International students must complete English III to obtain a regular diploma, or English II for an ESL diploma. Students must also complete eight semesters of Math, with a minimum successful completion of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
Six semesters of History and Science:
The school requires six semesters of History/Social Sciences, two of which are dedicated to US History. Freshmen and sophomores must complete a full two-year sequence of Global Studies. Students must also complete six semesters of Science. Two semesters in Biology are required; Chemistry and/or Physics are strongly recommended.
Four semesters of International Languages and Fine Arts:
The school recommends six semesters dedicated to the study of a foreign language to all students, with a minimum of four semesters (in the same language) required for graduation. Honors Program students are required to study six semesters of a foreign language. Students must also complete four semesters in Fine Arts.
Recent Wasatch Academy graduates have gained acceptance to:
Lehigh University
; Northwestern University
; Carnegie Mellon University
; Hamilton College; Harvard College
; Columbia University
; Grinnell College
; University of Utah
; University of California, Davis
; Menlo College
; New York University
; United States Military Academy at West Point; University of Oregon
; Purdue University
; Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Mount Holyoke
; Lewis & Clark College
; Baylor University
; Tufts University
; Oxford University; Brigham Young University
; Sarah Lawrence
; University of Washington
; Brandeis University
; University of California, Santa Barbara
; and Emory University
.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for grades 8-12. Founded in 1875 by Duncan McMillan, Wasatch Academy sought to improve the lives of the people of the Sanpete Valley through education. McMillan, who famously said, “Let it endure like the Wasatch Mountains, call it Wasatch Academy,” provided educational opportunities where previously none existed. The current Head of School is Joseph Loftin, who celebrated 20 years of leadership in April 2009.
Campus
Wasatch Academy consists of the Loftin-Lewis Student Center, Craighead Humanities Building, Reemtsma Mathematics and Science Building, the recently completed Anne N. Coltharp Center for Evolving Technologies, the Multi-Purpose Building (which houses the school’s main gymnasium, and its music and visual art classrooms), the Tigers Den Performing Arts Center (with a complete renovation completed in Spring Semester 2010), six residence halls, an administration building, a wellness center, a coffeehouse, and an additional off-campus gymnasium.The majority of the faculty live in school-owned housing surrounding the campus.
The school also has a new campus in Ruian
Ruian
Rui'an is a city on the eastern coast of China, in the south of Zhejiang province. It is a county-level city administrated by the nearby prefecture-level city of Wenzhou. It currently has a population of 1,125,000 people covering 1271 km2, 3037 km2 including sea...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, as a part of a newly inaugurated joint educational venture with Ruian High School. This program, the license for which is the first ever granted by the Chinese Ministry of Education, will provide top Chinese students with a dual diploma, one from Ruian High School and one from Wasatch Academy.
Student body
As an international academy, Wasatch Academy enrolls students from more than 30 nations and upwards of 22 states. The 2008-2009 academic year closed with an enrollment of 231 students total: 7 faculty students, 15 day students, and 209 boarding students.Countries represented include Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(including Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
), Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Though most of the students are from China.
States represented include Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, 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...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Washington, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
Academics
Academic classes are structured after the university model, where a passion for learning and a dedication to critical thinking is encouraged through thoughtful participation, leadership, and good citizenship, both morally and ethically. The median student-to-teacher ratio is 10:1.Wasatch Academy is recognized as a School of Distinction by the All Kinds of Minds Institute for its full implementation of and dedication to Schools Attuned methodologies.
- - Schools Attuned: All full-time teachers and dormitory parents are certified and trained in Schools AttunedSchools AttunedThe Schools Attuned to All Kinds of Minds Program is a research-based professional development program for educators administered by the non-profit organization All Kinds of Minds Institute...
methodologies. Schools Attuned, a teacher training and certification program developed by the All Kinds of Minds Institute, employs a Neurodevelopmental FrameworkNeurodevelopmental FrameworkNeurodevelopmental framework for learning, like all frameworks, is an organizing structure through which learners and learning can be understood. Intelligence theories and neuropsychology inform many of them. The framework described below is a neurodevelopmental framework for learning. The...
and approach to assess learning strengths and help students gauge how they learn best. This strength-based approach helps students transform their learning and gives them the self-assessing tools required for college.
- - Learning Strategies: This specialized program, available to all Wasatch Academy students, provides a setting where professionally-trained teachers work individually with students to reinforce strong points, address perceived weaknesses, and fill in educational gaps to maximize student success.
- - Study Halls: Every night from Sunday to Thursday, students devote two hours to completing homework, fulfilling reading assignments, and studying for exams. The school’s built-in study halls ensure that work gets done on time, and help students internalize time management skills needed for college success. Study Halls occur in the residence halls (generalized instruction) and in open classrooms (specialized instruction by topic).
- - Tutoring is also available in most disciplines to provide one-on-one support to struggling students.
AP Offerings
In addition to its college preparatory curriculum, Wasatch Academy offers the following Advanced Placement courses: English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, European History, United States History, Calculus A/B, Calculus B/C, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Statistics, Psychology and Computer Science.Extracurricular Offerings and Recreation
Extracurricular course offerings include fencing, rock climbing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, skiing, debate, skateboarding, BMX biking, hiking, ultimate Frisbee, kayaking, strength training, student government, horseback riding, canoeing, aikido, iaido, swimming/lifesaving, whitewater rafting, paintball, literary magazine, journalism, and student ambassador and prefect programs.Weekend recreation is emphasized at Wasatch Academy. In addition to the extracurricular courses offered, students may sign up for trips to the movies, dinners, larger malls, amusement parks, skiing/snowboarding trips, and various cultural events. The school offers weekend activities, such as midnight movies and community service projects, on campus as well.
Residential Life
The Wasatch Academy Residential Life faculty is dedicated strictly to supporting student life in the residence halls, without separate, external assignments and responsibilities. Residential Life faculty, or Dorm Parents, are trained in the social sciences, and teach a curriculum designed to complement the academic program, educating students about personal care, responsibility for one’s actions and possessions (and consideration of the actions and possessions of others), and topics in growth and development, health and hygiene, and respect and social awareness.Advisory System
Each student is assigned a faculty advisor who hopes to become the student’s academic, social, and emotional advocate. The relationships between advisors and advisees are meant to facilitate academic and social progress. Advisors serve as mentors to students. Advisors remain in close and frequent communication with parents, and carefully observe the social and academic aspects of each student’s life. Advisors provide an additional resource to address any concerns or problems that students may experience.Athletics
Wasatch Academy is a member of the Utah High School Activities AssociationUtah High School Activities Association
The Utah High School Activities Association is an organization of 131 high schools in the U.S. state of Utah that sponsor athletic activities in 25 sports and activities. More than 50,000 students compete annually in approximately 25,000 competitions among UHSAA member schools...
(UHSAA) in the 1A category of Utah high schools, as determined by size and geographic region . Students are required to participate in at least one competitive sport per year, and are encouraged to be involved in all three seasons of athletics. Certain extracurricular offerings (such as fencing or rock climbing) may satisfy the athletics requirement, provided that the criteria for the number of performances or competitions are met.
Varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
practices are scheduled during the afternoon class. Games and competitions may be scheduled during evenings and on weekends. Students must hold extracurricular eligibility to be allowed to participate in competition.
Student athletes can earn a letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
by meeting the criteria set by their coach and the Athletic Department. Letter winners receive their letters at the end of each season.
Boys’ Athletic offerings include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, equestrian, golf, paintball, snowboarding, soccer, tennis, and track and field.
Girls’ Athletic offerings include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, equestrian, golf, paintball, soccer, snowboarding, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
Recent athletic accomplishments include:
- - Girls Tennis Team placed fourth in state in 2009
- - 3 Varsity Snowboarders qualified to compete at the 2009 USASA Snowboarding National Championships at Copper Mountain, Colorado
- - Girls Varsity Volleyball Team placed second in region in 2009
- - Boys Basketball Team placed first in the region in 2010
Fine and Performing Arts
Creative outlets for students include ballet, jazz, modern dance, hip-hop, Pilates, yoga, choreography, photography, graphic design, interior design, ceramics, stained glass, painting, drawing, sculpture, art appreciation, small group ensemble, guitar, piano, drums, play production, stagecraft, acting/comedy, theatre, and film.Wasatch Academy recently completed the renovation of a building devoted to the performing arts.
Technology
Wasatch Academy provides a wireless campus in recognition of the global demand for rapid access to information. The school requires its students to use MacMacintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
laptops. Faculty tailor assignments to integrate technology and learning. In all grades, the curriculum is vertically sequenced and horizontally integrated through online curriculum mapping. Content and skills are thus scaffolded, and the English, Social Studies, Science, and Art curricula parallel each other where appropriate in an effort to help students make connections between disciplines.
The school’s newly built Center for Evolving Technologies provides students with the same high quality equipment employed by industry professionals. Courses offer include Desktop Publishing, Web Design, Film and Video Editing, Broadcasting, Linux, Computer Fundamentals I & II, Digital Audio Lab, Media Literacy, Digital Music Theory, Advanced Computer Study and Robotics, Intro to Programming, and Computer Gaming Activity. The school plans to offer a course in Programming in the imminent future.
Honor Code Statement
The Wasatch Academy family lives together in a nurturing community where dignity, care, and respect are the norm. As individuals, we contribute our talents, voices, cultures, and perspectives to inspire one another to succeed.Student Conduct and Honor Code
The Wasatch Academy Honor Code requires that students conduct themselves with honor, integrity, and regard for others. The code also promotes a spirit of freedom that students may not otherwise experience. Students are expected to report observations of inappropriate conduct to the faculty or administration. Specifically, students pledge to follow all school rules, and not lie, cheat, steal, or do physical, mental, or emotional harm to others or to property, nor tolerate the actions of those who do. An Honor Code violation may be considered a major infraction and may be referred to the student-run Honor Council, which acts as a “jury of one’s peers,” working in conjunction with the Dean of Students for most cases or the Dean of Academics for purely academic issues.Student Leadership and Organizations
- - National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
: Wasatch Academy embraces the standards of excellence established by the NHS. Students must qualify scholastically and demonstrate outstanding qualifications in the areas of leadership, service, and character. - - Mu Alpha ThetaMu Alpha ThetaMu Alpha Theta is a United States mathematics honor society for high schools and two-year colleges. It has over 89,000 student members in more than 1,800 schools worldwide. Its main goals are to inspire keen interest in mathematics, develop strong scholarship in the subject, and promote the...
: Charter member since 2008. - - Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
- - Student Council (STUCO): Executive positions include President, Vice President, Secretary, International Representative, Commissioner of Pep, and Recreation Coordinator.
- - Honor Council: Positions include President, Vice President, Secretary, and Member.
- - Prefect Program: This is a student leadership program that offers a training course (and continued education) to motivated students who have been at Wasatch Academy for at least one semester and have proven themselves to be model citizens through their responsibility, dependability, and effective skills in communication.
- - Athletic Team Leaders: Varsity Team Captains, Team Managers.
- - Class Leaders: President, Vice President, Secretary, STUCO Representative.
- - Residential Student Advisory Committee
- - Student Ambassadors
- - Dining Hall Advisory Committee
- - Yearbook Editor and Assistant Editors
Graduation Requirements
Overall, students must earn a minimum of 24 academic credits, and must be enrolled for their entire senior year, during which time they must earn a minimum of six academic credits in order to graduate.Eight Semesters of English and Math:
The school requires eight semesters of English (I, II, III, and IV). International students must complete English III to obtain a regular diploma, or English II for an ESL diploma. Students must also complete eight semesters of Math, with a minimum successful completion of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
Six semesters of History and Science:
The school requires six semesters of History/Social Sciences, two of which are dedicated to US History. Freshmen and sophomores must complete a full two-year sequence of Global Studies. Students must also complete six semesters of Science. Two semesters in Biology are required; Chemistry and/or Physics are strongly recommended.
Four semesters of International Languages and Fine Arts:
The school recommends six semesters dedicated to the study of a foreign language to all students, with a minimum of four semesters (in the same language) required for graduation. Honors Program students are required to study six semesters of a foreign language. Students must also complete four semesters in Fine Arts.
College Placement
Wasatch Academy has a 100% acceptance rate to colleges and universities.Recent Wasatch Academy graduates have gained acceptance to:
Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
; Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
; Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
; Hamilton College; Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
; Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
; Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
; University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
; University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
; Menlo College
Menlo College
Menlo College, often referred to as Menlo, is a private, four-year baccalaureate college specializing in business located in the Silicon Valley town of Atherton, California.-Campus:...
; New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
; United States Military Academy at West Point; University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
; Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
; Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; Mount Holyoke
Mount Holyoke
Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation , is the western-most peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, and is the namesake of nearby Mount Holyoke College. The mountain is located in...
; Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
; Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
; Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
; Oxford University; Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
; Sarah Lawrence
Sarah Lawrence
Sarah Lawrence may refer to;* Sarah Lawrence College, an Arts college in Westchester County, New York* Sarah Lawrence , wife of Joseph Smith-See also:* Sara Lawrence, who represented Jamaica in the 2006 Miss World Contest...
; University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
; Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
; University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
; and Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
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