OMNIBUS LUCET “THE
LIGHT SHINES FOR ALL”
Our Mission Lawrence Academy recognizes you for who you are, inspires you to take responsibility for who you want to become, supports you as you learn, and empowers you to take action for the greater good.
Our Practice RISE expresses our commitment to ...
Recognize the distinctive qualities of each student and provide opportunities for growth; Inspire intellectual curiosity, commitment to learning and knowledge, and student leadership; Support students through teaching practices focused on who they are, how they learn, and what they experience socially and emotionally; Empower students to exercise their strengths, elevate others, and contribute to the world.
Lawrence Academy’s head of school since 2012, Dan Scheibe grew up on the Wesleyan University campus in Middletown, Conn. He earned his B.A. in literature from Yale University and advanced degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Wesleyan University. Dan has worked in independent schools as a teacher, coach, dorm head, and advisor for over 25 years, beginning at Jakarta International School. His first work in a residential environment was at Blair Academy, and he worked for more than a decade at Middlesex School immediately preceding his tenure at Lawrence Academy.
Dear Prospective Students:
Distinct from many of our peer schools, Lawrence Academy is centered on YOU, the student, through our mission. The student is the entire point of our work captured in RISE: we seek to recognize, inspire, support, and empower YOU. It is rare for a school to live by such a statement, but that is the experience of Lawrence Academy. Nothing is more important to us as a school than the experience of our students.
Lawrence Academy was founded over 230 years ago to bring the transformative power of education to the young people of a young country. Our school’s modern expression continues this commitment: we believe education arises from and builds towards a just community. The work we do to elevate, empower, and enliven through learning starts with our students and continues into the world.
This broad sense of mission depends on the attitude we have towards YOU, towards our students. We care for young people with generosity, optimism, and interest. The connection that arises from a commitment like this is powerful: It helps you thrive, contribute, and prosper. For life.
We warmly invite you to find this sense of purpose and meaning — unique to YOU —at Lawrence Academy.
Head of School From our Dan Scheibe
students per advisory 6-8
Advisory Program
The advisory system is at the heart of the Lawrence Academy experience. At its most basic, an advisory group is 6-8 students of varying grade levels, backgrounds, and friend groups, and a faculty member advisor, who see each other every school day. Advisors monitor their students’ welfare and academic progress, are in charge of students’ bi-weekly progress reports, and are also families’ main point of contact at LA.
However, advisory groups are much more than a required daily check-in: They’re close-knit units where students should gain confidence and inspiration, and feel safe to share both triumphs and struggles. The advisor and fellow advisees provide guidance, motivation, and friendship; some celebrate birthdays and other big milestones. In short, an advisory group becomes an on-campus family.
From the beginning, advisory has set the perfect tone for my time on campus. It is my safe place. Anything and everything - my advisor is there for me.”
Academics
In keeping with our mission, faculty work to recognize students for who they are as learners and to create classroom environments that appropriately challenge and support students. In these intentionally designed classrooms, consistent and individualized feedback is key to encouraging students to take risks, learn from errors and reflect openly about their progress.
Lawrence Academy students grow their knowledge, confidence, and independence in the academic program with the faculty by their sides. Practicing skills, diving into new content, and making analytical connections are all core elements of the LA learning experience. Graduates leave LA fully equipped to take the step in their journey knowing that they have knowledge and skills to find success wherever that journey takes them.
5:1 student-faculty ratio
What courses can I take at Lawrence Academy?
Lawrence Academy’s academic schedule is designed to support student acquisition of knowledge and skills. Each academic class meets for 75 minutes, five times over two weeks. Students take a typical course load of five or six classes but switch between classes less frequently and have a rigorous but manageable homework load each night.
Liberating students from the traditional high school schedule makes space for LA students to invest more time and energy into deep investigations that support authentic understanding and critical thinking.
BLUE WEEK SCHEDULE
ACADEMIC BLOCK SCHEDULE
LAWRENCE ACADEMY DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS
English
Math
Science
History
Foreign Language
Complete a year of English for every year at Lawrence Academy.
Complete Math 3.
Incoming 9th grade students: Complete physics, chemistry, and biology. Students entering after the 9th grade: Complete chemistry and biology.
Incoming 9th grade students: Complete three years, one of which must be U.S. History. Students entering after the 9th grade: Complete two years, one of which must be U.S. History.
Complete two consecutive levels of any one language (French, Spanish, Latin, or Chinese), regardless of the level at which the student begins their freshman year.
Art
ESL
Winterim
Community Service
Incoming 9th grade students: Complete two years of art, one of which must be Artistic Expression. Students entering after the 9th grade: Complete the equivalent of one term of art for each year attending Lawrence Academy (i.e., a term course each year they are enrolled).
Students entering Lawrence Academy in the English as a Second Language program are expected to spend only two years in the program if they enter at the ESL intermediate level. ESL Literature and ESL Skills count as English credits; ESL Sociocultural Studies and ESL Bridge History count as history credits. After students are placed in the mainstream curriculum, they must meet the department requirements whenever possible. Non-native English speakers will not be given foreign language credit for their native language.
Complete a two-week Winterim for every year at Lawrence Academy.
Complete six hours of community service for every year at Lawrence Academy.
ENGLISH
At Lawrence Academy, English teachers want their students to learn to think for themselves, to express their own ideas, and to consider others’ perspectives, with a focus on developing an individualized academic identity through teacher feedback and student self-reflection. Throughout their four years, English students practice and refine five key academic skills-reading, writing, thinking, speaking, and listening.
Our spiraling English curriculum builds from the ground up, starting with developing reading
confidence, practicing literary analysis, and playing with the basic tools of creative writing in the ninthand tenth-grade courses. Every course offers students opportunities to explore their academic identities with guided choice in reading, writing, and discussion.
Over their four years, as students recognize and embrace who they are as learners, we offer opportunities to dive deeper into English studies, with both honors and standard course offerings in the eleventh- and twelfth-grade where they may pursue passions for literature and for writing.
I have grown in the LA English department because of how willing my teachers have been to push and challenge me to do my very best. Whether it’s meeting outside of class or emailing me revisions late at night, my teachers have always given me the opportunity to strive for greatness by always being there for help when I need it.”
We encourage Lawrence Academy students to do the intellectual and investigative work of historians. By determining the meaning of an important idea or answering a complex question for themselves, they are working to understand the human condition, past and present.
The Lawrence Academy History Department believes in bringing the material alive. Teachers emphasize active learning, inquiry, and creative thinking with a focus on depth of knowledge over breadth. After all, history is not a spectator sport.
The best thing about the LA History Department is the way it allows you to expand on your previous knowledge and learn new ways of thinking. The history department works to teach LA students new ways of viewing historical events and lets each student examine history in ways that feel most intriguing to them. This individual approach to learning allows for better conversations and discussions, which is why the LA history department has helped show me that learning and analyzing events and then discussing them with others is the best way for me to learn.”
countries represented
LANGUAGE
We believe in learning languages through immersion. Students will learn to communicate in the target language as early as possible and work towards aural, grammatical, and oral fluency. The LA Language Department encourages students to take risks and make mistakes to learn to trust themselves and gain confidence.
Offering the modern languages of Chinese, Spanish, and French as well as the classical language Latin, LA provides students with a range of options. In addition to learning modern languages, students will also dive into the languages’ cultures while engaging with teachers and peers who speak the language natively. Students enrolled in Latin will learn to read and analyze the works of ancient Roman authors through close-reading and discussion of grammatical constructions.
By graduation, the Lawrence Academy Language Department hopes its students see themselves as global citizens with open minds and new perspectives.
The LA language department has pushed me beyond merely memorizing vocabulary and toward greater comprehension. Teachers do not teach language merely for the sake of language. They use language to communicate ideas or cultural history.”
Lawrence Academy’s mathematics department aims to give each student an integrated, personalized, and practical experience. Students will find comfort with numbers and mathematical ideas and perhaps even an excitement for and love of the subject!
All Lawrence Academy students must take Integrated Algebra and Geometry I, Integrated Algebra and Geometry II, and Algebra II and Trigonometry. In these required courses, students learn algebra, geometry, and trigonometry through a blended and pattern-based approach, spiraling foundational skills to develop a deep understanding of functions and applications. Beyond the required courses students have various options in calculus, statistics, computer science, and more.
Lawrence Academy’s math classes do more than just ask students to memorize formulas. Students learn to
think mathematically, apply previous strategies to new problems and build their mathematical toolbox. Both independently and collaboratively, students discuss problem-solving strategies, experiment with different approaches, and learn to recognize patterns. They learn to think critically, enhance their reasoning skills, and gain confidence with the subject through careful analysis.
The best thing about the math department at LA is the atmosphere of curiosity that teachers bring to the classroom. They bring energy and excitement into the room and show everyone how fascinating mathematics is. Thanks to the teachers I’ve had, I always look forward to my math classes at LA.”
Lawrence Academy’s Freshman Physics
course is a hands-on, conceptual class that teaches and uses engineering design principles. Students complete multiple challenges, both simple and complex, to learn design-focused ways of thinking and technological design principles that will help them better approach finding solutions to modern-day problems.
SCIENCE
We want Lawrence Academy students to learn to think like scientists by looking at the world with both curiosity and skepticism. LA students discover the skills of scientific reasoning: gathering and connecting information, analysis and evaluation. They will come to appreciate these skills for both scholarly pursuits as well as daily life in the modern world influenced by science and technology.
The LA Science Department’s focus is on understanding over memorization. We use the scientific method as a way of thinking. Students will see the relationships between their scientific skills and all of the other disciplines they study.
The science department at LA has really helped me to develop strong analytical skills. I have learned how to research topics and how to ask meaningful questions in order to further my understanding."
ARTS
The LA Arts Department is committed to the arts as an academic pursuit in a welcoming and inclusive environment that fosters curiosity and creativity. Students will learn the creative skills needed to express themselves along with the technical skills needed to communicate their vision effectively. They’ll work with integrity, independence, and an open mind to develop an awareness of themselves and the world around them.
All LA Spartans will dig into their creative side as part of their required coursework in addition to having the opportunity to engage in the arts as afternoon co-curricular options. Students entering the 9th grade take a required year-long Artistic Expression course. All students must take an additional three terms of art after 9th grade to graduate.
In 2024, the Lawrence Academy Singers traveled to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall for the fifth time since 2014. LA students join peers from across the country for this high-profile performance opportunity!
LEARNING SUPPORT
At Lawrence Academy, we recognize that all students learn differently, and we believe those differences make our community stronger. When individual learning differences create academic challenges, Lawrence Academy provides a variety of supports to help students work toward their full academic potential. These supports include individual attention from teachers in the classroom, as well as opportunities during weekly office hours and in the library during study hours.
For students who would benefit from additional support, there is the learning support program. Students who utilize our learning support program meet with a learning coach for 35 minutes either once or twice per week during their academic day. Time with a learning coach can be spent reviewing assignments, organizing materials, planning long-term projects, reviewing completed work, or supporting work completion. The goal of our learning coaches is to meet students where they are and foster growth in areas of need in order to set them up for success at Lawrence Academy and beyond.
Students at Lawrence Academy may also qualify for academic accommodations, provided up-to-date testing has been provided. When a student seeking accommodations chooses Lawrence Academy, the director of learning support will provide the necessary information for requesting accommodations.
Approximately 1/5 of Lawrence Academy students use learning coaching
THE FEEDBACK SYSTEM
Lawrence Academy students receive electronic progress reports from their teachers during advisory group meetings on a bi-weekly basis. Teachers’ reports provide students with praise, encouragement, and constructive criticism, as well as advice, reinforcement, and specific pointers for improving academic performance. Because comments are addressed to the students themselves, this system allows the students to take responsibility for their learning, with the student's advisor supporting that ownership.
Perhaps more importantly, the frequency and consistency of teachers' feedback gives advisors insight into patterns or changes in a student’s attitude or behavior that could be the first sign of a problem. A teacher’s written comment can spark a one-on-one session, a larger conversation, or a phone call home to the student’s family. Opening the door for these sorts of interventions bi-weekly often helps clear up misunderstandings or solve a potential problem early on.
Students receive teacher progress reports every 2 weeks
THE OMNIBUS PROGRAM
Lawrence Academy students, like all 21st-century teenagers, are faced with sometimes-overwhelming realities as they begin to understand who they are and how their identity intersects within their local, national, and global communities. Each month, the school sets aside time within the school day to discuss larger community issues, including identity,
wellness, life skills, and other social and emotional topics. The goal of this program, known as Omnibus — meaning “for all” — is to help students learn more about and process these issues in the comfort of a safe and open environment. Programming includes small and large group meetings, schoolwide assemblies, speakers, and affinity spaces.
“Knowing that I would be in a community where I am acknowledged and known as a person...”
Veronica Fortune Boarding student from Jersey City, N.J.
Veronica... meet
Veronica knew Lawrence Academy was special the very first time she stepped on campus. She was nervous when she arrived for Revisit Day, but, she remembers, “I got compliments from random students walking by, and the faculty members knew my name.”
“It made me feel seen, and it made me feel special,” Veronica adds. “Knowing that I would be in a community where I am acknowledged and known as a person, it made me sure I wanted to come here.”
Now a junior at LA, Veronica fosters that same welcoming spirit as an Umoja club leader, on the volleyball and track & field teams, and in her dormitory. The Jersey City, N.J., native has found a second family in her advisory group.
“My advisor is always there for me: she checks up on me, and she makes sure I have everything I need,” Veronica says. “My advisory group isn’t all the same age or in the same grade, but even outside of advisory, we still connect, we still talk, we still maintain that family bond.”
But it’s LA’s Black Box dance studio where Veronica feels most at home on campus. A longtime dancer, she felt “an immediate connection” to the space during orientation.
“Brian Feigenbaum, our dance director, is able to push me and get me out of my comfort zone, and he inspired me to branch out and become more creative,” Veronica says. “I’d definitely say I’ve improved as a dancer — I think more outside the box, and I get to explore more.”
Kavan... meet
Lawrence Academy has changed Kavan. The senior boarding student from Newton, Mass., says he’s not only “one billion times more mature” than he was when he started as a freshman, he’s also found new academic, athletic, and artistic interests.
“LA has helped me grow more than I’ll ever know,” Kavan says. “I wouldn’t be the same kid without Lawrence Academy.”
Kavan felt students’ sense of pride in their school and their welcoming nature from his very first time on campus, for Revisit Day. “Every kid I saw was wearing LA clothing. I didn’t see anyone sitting alone. Every single time we walked by someone, the admissions rep said their name and told me all about them,” he remembers. Since then, Kavan’s advisory group, a life-changing Winterim experience, classes with teachers who have pushed him to give it his all, and other experiences have shown him the full depth of that supportive community.
“There’s love from students; there’s love from faculty. There’s a certain happiness around campus that’s really hard to find elsewhere, and it doesn’t leave you,” Kavan says. “You feel the LA culture every day. When you’re here, you know it.”
Kavan is passionate about making sure younger students feel that culture, too. In addition to playing varsity football and being a Men’s Club member, he is captain of the varsity boys’ tennis team, a proctor in an underclassmen dorm, and student body vice president.
“LA’s a great school,” Kavan says, “but it’s a better home.”
“LA is a great school, but it’s a better home.”
Kavan Daftary
Boarding student from Waban, Mass.
Winterim
For five decades, Lawrence Academy has embraced the idea of experiential education through Winterim. The two-week mini-term in March is a central feature of LA’s educational program, breaking students out of their normal routines and encouraging them to open their minds, bodies, and hearts to new experiences. For some, Winterim is a cool, fun, and unique experience; for others, a Winterim program will end up influencing their chosen path of study in college or their future career.
Roughly 30 Winterim options are offered each year, with each course falling into one of five areas: cultural immersion, academic field study, service learning, crafts and skills, or outdoor adventure. In keeping in line with our mission, all Winterim programs align with a focus on taking action for the greater good.
Students can stay on campus and in the Groton area or venture out of state — or even out of the country — and are encouraged to take advantage of the diverse areas of study and explore a variety of options throughout their time at Lawrence Academy.
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY IN YELLOWSTONE AND THE GRAND TETONS
In 2024, a new Winterim course – Wildlife Photography in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons – took a small group of Spartans west. The approximately dozen-person group traveled from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Idaho Falls, Idaho; West Yellowstone and Big Sky, Mont.; and the Teton Science School near Jackson, Wyo., during the two-week mini-term.
“Big Sky Country is absolutely stunning: clean, clear, pristine, majestic, wide open, and unspoiled,” says Chris Margraf, Lawrence Academy’s assistant director of college counseling, a math teacher, and head Spartans varsity baseball coach, who co-led the trip with with another fellow faculty member, Theresa Ryan. “We wanted the students to genuinely appreciate, respect, and immerse themselves in the beautiful landscape that Montana and Wyoming offer without being distracted by social media or their cell phones, and develop an interest, proficiency, and understanding of how to capture wildlife and landscapes through the art of photography.”
Guided by park rangers, scientists, activists, and professional photographers, the Winterim group traversed the gorgeous locales by foot, cross-country skis, snowshoes, and snowcats, snapping photos of the landscapes and wildlife while learning about the area’s environmental issues. The trip was an opportunity to play and discover the outdoors, and to gain perspective, gratitude, and appreciation for the natural world, says Ryan.
average students per group faculty members per group
THE SYSTEM IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
For nearly 17 years, Lawrence Academy students have been exploring the United States government through The System. This on-campus/off-campus Winterim program offers an honest, digestible look at how the organizations and people who run the country work.
“I wanted to bring some knowledge to our students, so that if they’re talking about ‘the system’, they understand that it’s made up of regular people and buildings, and if you want to go see how it works, you can,” says The System Winterim leader Brian Feigenbaum, LA’s director of dance who also holds a law degree and has more than a decade of community and political organizing experience.
“It’s our lives hanging in the balance, and if we don’t have the passion, education, and knowledge to make it work better, we are naïve – but, if we learn how the system works, we can effect change.”
The System brings Lawrence Academy students to where government happens, allowing them daily opportunities to observe the system in action at both the state and federal levels and meet with elected officials, think tank employees, and other members of the political system. During the first week of Winterim, students spend their time in Boston; they then travel to Washington, D.C., for the second week.
“You can’t help but come away from this Winterim with an increased respect for what we’re trying to do as a society,” Feigenbaum adds. “We aren’t always successful at it, but we aren’t by any means done evolving – and for us to continue to evolve, we need to know where we are now, where we come from, and what it looks like.”
A SAMPLE OF WINTERIM COURSE OFFERINGS
Cultural Immersion
Dominican Rebublic Trip
Tuscany Trip
Academic Field Study
Poetry Writing/Reading
Sports Journalism Service Learning
Give Kids the World Service Project
Dominican Service Project
Crafts and Skills
Woodworking
Stained Glass
Outdoor Adventure
Sailing in Caribbean
Ozark Mountain
Bike Adventure
Student Life
Boarding and day. Artists and athletes. Local, national, and international hometowns. In these ways, and so many more, the Lawrence Academy community is a diverse one.
The Lawrence Academy community is also an open one, and a safe one. By both their peers and LA faculty and staff, students are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones within a support system that will applaud them when they succeed and encourage them to try again when they fail.
In all parts of school life, Lawrence Academy encourages the voices of each and every person on campus. As a whole, the community aims to acknowledge each individual’s unique qualities and perspectives, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, ability, religious affiliation, and political views.
percent of our students participate in six community service hours each year
service project opportunities are available each weekend 1- 3
Highlights of LA’s Work in the Community
• 10,000 meals packaged annually for Rise Against Hunger
• $5,000-$8,000 raised yearly for various service projects
• Every year, we collect:
– 100 bags of food every two months for our local food pantry
– 100 homemade blankets annually for Blanket Me
– Toys for For the Love of Erica
– Toiletries for Catie’s Closet
• 15 beds built for Sleep in Heavenly Peace
• 1-3 service project opportunities are available each weekend
• 6 hours per student each year for one common good
students of color
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING
At Lawrence Academy, diversity isn’t about simply recognizing who you are as a unique person; it’s about acknowledging and exploring others’ diverse cultures and points of view, and creating, participating in, and sustaining a just, inclusive, and equal community, both on campus and in the world beyond LA. Faculty and staff want students to realize that, no matter who they are, they have a role to play in these efforts. To do this well, we understand that creating an environment where people are listening to one another is critical. When folks feel heard, they understand the part they play in building a community that is a reflection of themselves.
Lawrence Academy’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts encompass the full on-campus experience: A set of “community norms” guide how students, faculty, and staff interact with and treat each other. Programming throughout the year — including the Omnibus program and in-class discussions — brings these issues to the forefront. These programs serve as an opportunity to call community members into the conversation. Identity-based student clubs, known together as Concordia clubs, bring like-minded students and their allies together, both to create a mini-community and involve students in each club’s chosen social cause. Concordia clubs all come together once per month as well, to encourage cooperation and explore how they intersect.
Our goal is to get students to understand that this work isn’t about diversity, it’s about community. In your ideal community, you want things to be equitable; you want people to feel included. They should see this as community work, because while today’s issue may not directly relate to them, tomorrow’s may.”
– Raquel Majeski, associate head of school
A student’s fellow residents form another mini-community on campus, strengthening the feeling of camaraderie. Each dorm includes at least one faculty in residence, as well as student proctors, to provide care and leadership. Day students, too, are encouraged to get to know faculty members’ on-campus families and participate in the residential LA experience – that is, until it’s time to go to sleep at night.
A full slate of on- and off-campus activities are available to Lawrence Academy’s boarders every weekend, and day students are welcome at all events as well, with no additional cost to any student.
Student clubs are required to run two weekend activities per year, in addition to faculty-organized shuttles to nearby shopping areas, movie nights, trampoline park trips, dances, and more. Three times per year, Lawrence Academy hosts on-campus weekends, programmed with input from students.
Movie trip
Dinner out at local restaurants
Boston Museum of Science
Movie night on campus
Mall trip
Trip to Roller Kingdom
Community service projects
Snow tubing trip
Talent show on campus
Comedy show on campus
student-led clubs with faculty advisors
Beyond Lawrence Academy’s classroom and co-curricular program requirements, students are encouraged to become involved and active members of the school’s student-centered community. Almost 50 special interest-driven and community-service focused clubs exist on campus, led by students and overseen by faculty advisors. For those students who aspire to lead the Lawrence Academy community in one way or another, select opportunities are available as well.
Leadership Opportunities on Campus
• Student Government (elected positions and open committees for anyone to serve on): Executive Board, Faculty-Student Senate, and Judiciary Council
• Spartan Leaders (application required): The four focus areas are new students, the Moral Courage Task Force (MCTF), residential life, and international students
• Elm Tree Society (application required)
• Clubs (voluntary leadership)
• Moral Courage Task Force (Concordia club leaders)
Concordia Clubs: Umoja LA Embassy 1899
Gender Sexuality Alliance Did Jew Know Thompson & Terrell Across the Aisle
PAX United Service Clubs: Rise Against Hunger
Community Service Advisory Board (LA Cares) Environmental Sustainability Council
Special Interest Clubs: The Library Squad Art for All Diablo (Yo-Yo) Club Chess Club Spartan Strength First Responders Club Puzzling Around Academic Clubs: Literary Magazine Debate Club Business Club
Traditions
Lawrence Academy’s traditions are anything but boring; in fact, our community likes to mix the old with the new. Some school traditions are just emerging, while others have been mainstays on the annual calendar for years.
SPOON HUNT
Spoon Hunt is an annual, week-long, school-wide game of tag, for which both students and faculty can sign up. Participants start the week with a spoon with their name on one side and another participant’s name on the other, with the goal of finding and tagging the person on their spoon. Fancy footwork and strategy are required to be victorious! However, the entire community wins thanks to the camaraderie encouraged by the friendly competition.
MOUNTAIN DAY
Every September, the entire Lawrence Academy community takes a break from the classroom and travels to New Hampshire to hike Mount Monadonck. Some take their time to reach the top; others run to climb it twice, even three times! One of LA’s oldest traditions, Mountain Day features a cookout, gorgeous views, and an all-school photo at the summit – the perfect way to kick off the school year.
J. WILLIAM MEES VISITING SCHOLAR PROGRAM
In October 2014, three months before the debut of his Tony Awards-winning musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda visited Lawrence Academy to speak in classes and engage with students as part of the J. Williams Mees Visiting Scholar Program. Established in 2010, the program brings professionals to LA to give students a firsthand opportunity to learn what they do and how they have been successful in their fields. In addition to Miranda, past visiting scholars include poet Taylor Mali, science professor Dr. Peter M. Groffman, singer-songwriter Dar Williams, nationally acclaimed author Andre Dubus III, and Irshad Manji, educator, author, and founder of the Moral Courage Project.
SPIRIT WEEK
Perhaps no week at Lawrence Academy is more fun than Spirit Week! Held annually during the last week of October, Spirit Week features plenty of surprises and encourages creative attire. Halloween is always celebrated, and other theme days have included Pajama Day, Twin Day, Pink-Out for Breast Cancer Awareness, and Spartan Spirit Day.
Arts
In one way or another, we all possess a desire to express ourselves — and Lawrence Academy students will find numerous and varied options to engage their creative sides. LA’s arts program is both part of the school’s curriculum — a requirement for graduation – and part of students’ afternoon activity options.
Just as Lawrence Academy’s classrooms are personalized and collaborative, our arts program is about individual, yet collaborative, expression: students are encouraged to find excitement and take pride in their artistic efforts, and to appreciate the artistic abilities of those around them. Students will be creatively problem-solving and gaining creative confidence that will help them throughout life, no matter what career they pursue.
Each term culminates in Arts Week, a multi-day celebration of students’ work. A visual arts show, theatre productions, music concerts and recitals, and dance recitals give arts students the opportunity to proudly share their creative work in front of the rest of the Lawrence Academy community.
Dancers from Lawrence Academy have been invited to perform at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival six times since 2003, as part of the international theatre festival’s American High School Theatre Festival program. Under the leadership of Director of Dance Brian Feigenbaum, LA students spend their spring and summer preparing for the big event, with the trip to Scotland for their performance becoming a highlight of the dancers’ time at Lawrence.
SAMPLE ARTS DEPARTMENT OFFERINGS: THE WORLD OF DANCE, LAWRENCE ACADEMY SINGERS, CERAMICS, DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION, IMPROVISATION, DRAWING, MUSICIANSHIP, PIANO CLASS, PAINTING, AND HONORS OFFERINGS IN EACH ARTS DISCIPLINE.
Evan... meet
Evan, a junior from Sudbury, Mass., was hesitant to try out for a theater production when he arrived at Lawrence Academy — he saw how people at his last school judged the kids who participated in plays and musicals. “But then, I was like, ‘You only live once,’” he says.
“I ended up doing the musical freshman year, and I have not stopped,” Evan adds. In addition to LA’s winter musicals, he’s also earned roles in the fall plays and springtime One-Acts, senior produced/directed short-form plays. He enjoys performing so much, in fact, that he’s thinking about auditioning for local theater productions.
“The people I found during that first musical, they made me feel like nobody else’s opinions really mattered,” Evan says. “The community feels like a no-judgement zone, and it’s so pleasant to be in.”
The performing arts are a major part of Evan’s life at LA: In addition to the productions he’s been part of, he takes Honors Theater and plays the trumpet and a variety of other instruments, some of which he picked up in Honors Performance Studies. LA’s Director of Theater, Dennis Canty, is also his advisor.
“Relationships with teachers are so easy to make here,” Evan says. “You feel like they actually care about how you feel about school. Instead of just teaching you, they really make sure you thrive.”
The feeling of freedom Evan has found in LA’s theater program permeates campus, he says. Spartans are in charge of their own destinies.
“The faculty keep you in the lines and keep you in the direction you want to go,” Evan says, “but they allow you to kind of dictate how much or how little direction you need. They allow you to be yourself while trying to find what you enjoy.”
Afternoon activities
arts options:
theatre, dance, stage crew, music independent, studio art
“The community feels like a no-judgement zone, and it’s so pleasant to be in.”
Evan Labagnara Day student from Sudbury, Mass.
Emma... meet
Emma came to Lawrence Academy from a school where she had about 400 classmates and barely knew half of them. Now, after two years on the elm tree-shaded hillside, the boarding student from Singapore knows each fellow member of the Class of 2024.
“Everyone is just so supportive,” Emma says of LA. “Back in my old school, it was a very competitive environment. A lot of people, they just wanted to be the top, so usually at recitals and other events, everyone was very critical of each other but here, when people mess up, they just start clapping really, really loud. It just hypes up the whole atmosphere here.”
Emma has been making art since she was about four years old. She took visual art, music, and drama classes at her old school and worked with a family friend who is an artist. At LA, Emma takes visual arts classes on campus, and cello lessons via Groton Hill Music Center, and sings in the Lawrencian Chorale. But her advisor, arts department chair and visual arts teacher Dina Mordeno, is among the adults who have helped Emma incorporate art into her life on campus in other ways.
“Everyone here is trying to make their passion something they can do for the greater good,” Emma notes. With faculty and staff support, her art is displayed in the Development Office and has been used on a Grandparents’ Day card and posters for on-campus events. Emma received a Gold Key from the Massachusetts Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition; leads the Art for All club and helps with Consortium, LA’s literary magazine; and and recently interned for Groton’s local newspaper.
“Instead of comparing everyone to each other teachers here get to know you individually, and they try to challenge you and because of the relationships with their teachers, people really want to push themselves,” reflects Emma, who also plays golf and ice hockey and is a member of the Special Events Committee, a Spartan Leader, and her junior class president. “People are coming to LA not to prove to the teachers what they can do; it’s more like, I want to come here because I want to show the teachers that I’m willing to grow.”
Emma Zhou
boarding student from Singapore and China
Lawrence Academy partnership with Groton Hill Music
At Lawrence Academy, students have a wide range of music courses, vocal and instrumental ensembles, and private lessons available to them. In addition to these on-campus offerings, Spartans are also encouraged and supported to venture off campus for instrumental music studies at the nearby Groton Hill Music Center.
Our partnership with Groton Hill Music aims to connect our instrumental music students with the greater community. Students work with high-level peers and teachers while taking private lessons and participating in chamber, orchestra, and wind ensembles.
Students who participate will also have access to see Groton Hill Music professional performances and workshops with visiting artists. Less than a mile down the road, this state-of-the-art not for profit educational and performance center features two concert halls (1,000seat and 300-seat), and rehearsal and teaching spaces.
Athletics
Lawrence Academy values the team experience: being part of something bigger than yourself, part of a cohesive group working toward a common goal. Sports teach teamwork, of course, but also how to handle and overcome adversity, and how to deal with failure and learn from mistakes
Lawrence Academy’s athletics program is deep, broad, and inclusive. We field varsity, junior varsity, and thirds teams, so whether student-athletes are looking to compete intensely in their favorite sport or branch out and try a sport that’s entirely new, there’ll be a sport for them. Students interested in being part of a team, but not necessarily interested in playing, can take on the role of team manager/scorekeeper.
Just as Lawrence Academy’s classroom teachers do, our coaches train, motivate, and guide their players to an understanding of the importance of investing energy in the little things in order to build off their own work and that of their teammates. And the student-led Spartan Nation encourages the rest of the Lawrence Academy community to turn out and cheer on LA’s student-athletes. Not only does their
support create an electric atmosphere, it also fosters school spirit, even outside of athletics.
Lawrence Academy teams compete in the 16member Independent School League (ISL) and the New England Preparatory School Athletics Council (NEPSAC). A strong and fiercely independent league, the ISL values honorable representation, proper conduct, and good sportsmanship.
Fall sports: Cross Country, Soccer, Football, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Mountain Biking
Winter sports: Basketball, Hockey, Skiing, Squash
Spring sports: Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Tennis, Track, Golf, Crew
Other afternoon opportunities: Strength & Conditioning, Health and Wellness, Extreme Intramurals
TEAM TITLES, 2014-2024:
Varsity Baseball: 2024 ISL Finalists; 2022 ISL Champions
Varsity Football: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 ISL Champions; 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023 NEPSAC Bowl Champions
Varsity Boys’ Hockey: 2017, 2019, 2020 ISL Keller Division Champions; 2016 NEPSAC Small School Quarterfinalists; 2024 NEPSAC Large School Quarterfinalists; 2018, 2023 NEPSAC Small School Champions
Varsity Girls’ Hockey: 2017, 2022 NEPSAC Division 1 Quarterfinalists
Varsity Girls’ Field Hockey: 2017, 2018 NEPSAC Class B Quarterfinalists
Varsity Girls’ Basketball: 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024 NEPSAC Class B Quarterfinalists; 2015, 2016, 2017 NEPSAC Class B Semifinalists; 2019 NEPSAC Class B Finalists
Varsity Girls’ Volleyball: 2016, 2023 NEPSAC Class B Quarterfinalists; 2017 NEPSAC Class B Semifinalists; 2018 NEPSAC Class B Champions
Varsity Boys’ Basketball: 2017, 2018 NEPSAC AA Quarterfinalists
Varsity Girls’ Ski Racing: 2020 NEPSAC Class C Champions
Varsity Girls’ Soccer: 2014, 2023 NEPSAC Class B Quarterfinalists; 2019, 2021 NEPSAC Class B Semifinalists; 2022 NEPSAC Class B Finalists
Varsity Boys’ Soccer: 2014 ISL Champions; 2014 NEPSAC Class B Finalists; 2015 NEPSAC Class B Champions
To set the cause above renown … to love the game beyond the prize.”
– Sir Henry John Newbolt
Lawrence Academy’s athletic program provides an opportunity for all student-athletes with varying levels of skill to experience exercise, discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and personal growth. We strive to provide excellent coaches who promote respect, sportsmanship, integrity, and rigor.”
– Kevin Potter, director of athletics
3
ATHLETIC FACILITIES
1
“Our coaches know when to take a break in practice and just have fun.”
Geena Cookinham
Boarding student from Gilmanton Iron Works, NH
On average, 26 LA student-athletes go on to play college sports every year
meet
Geena...
Geena arrived at Lawrence Academy looking for a change. The senior boarding student from Gilmanton, N.H., wanted to expand her horizons and aspires to play college hockey, and she believed LA could help her accomplish both goals.
“I felt like I needed to get outside my comfort zone with both sports and school,” Geena says. “I felt like I could push myself to another level, and I think coming here was the change I needed.”
She jumped right into LA’s athletics program, joining the varsity girls’ soccer, varsity girls’ ice hockey, and varsity girls’ lacrosse teams, and also playing club hockey in the fall. Tryouts were nerve-wracking, Geena admits, but everyone she encountered, from her potential teammates to the teams’ coaches, welcomed her warmly.
“Even if I’m having a rough day, they just brighten my day,” she says of her teammates. “And our coaches know when to take a break in practice and just have fun, or they can push us because they know our schedules. Seeing them around school is really fun – you feel closer to them.”
LA’s supportive community has allowed Geena to get to know her classmates, teachers, clubmates, and dormmates more deeply, too. Whether she’s in class, at practice, or in Yo-Yo Club, she’s surrounded by people who make her feel comfortable – who make her feel like she’s home.
“You can mess up, and it’s okay because everyone’s so supportive around here,” Geena says, “and I feel like you can’t really find that other places.”
LA student-athletes go on to play D1 college sports every year
Tavian...
When Tavian came to Lawrence Academy, he considered himself more athlete than student. After two years on the elm tree–shaded hillside, though, the Hudson, N.H., native knows he’s a student-athlete.
“Grades weren’t really looked at as important at my old school, but coming here has taught me the importance of your education,” Tavian reflects. “I’ve definitely learned that I value education more than I think, and I value being an academic person as well. You can have so many more experiences and opportunities with education than with just athletic alone.”
Sports brought Tavian to LA – he plays football and basketball and is a member of the track & field team – but once he got to campus, he was drawn in by the “welcoming and accepting” community. He joined Umoja and the Men’s Club and attends LAMP events, and he has made friends beyond his teammates.
“I don’t want to be hanging around only one type of people and then not get a different type of experience,” Tavian says. “Everyone at LA wants you to be involved in the community. I feel like the culture of LA is just: be friendly and be caring to everyone.”
Because of LA’s small classes and the multiple roles faculty and staff have on campus, Tavian has also been able to get to know his coaches and teachers on a more personal level. His sophomoreyear English teacher “brought out the writer within me that I never really knew was there,” he shares, and his coaches – one is his advisor, and two others are dorm parents – are easy to reach almost any time.
Boston College, Dartmouth College, University of South Carolina, University of Rhode Island, Northeastern University
“I feel like the culture of LA is just: be friendly and be caring to everyone.”
Tavian Fenderson boarding student from Hudson, N.H.
University of Vermont, Penn State, University of Michigan, Brown University, University of Delaware, University of Maine, Columbia University, Vanderbilt University, Harvard University
College Counseling
Lawrence Academy’s focus on student-centered learning extends to the college application process. Our experienced team of college counselors aims to make the process of applying to college feel more manageable. LA’s college counselors are also teachers, coaches, dormitory parents, and advisors allowing them to get to know the students as people, students, and members of the school community throughout their time on campus.
of LA students were accepted into one of their top three college choices 95%
Beyond LA
In the fall term of their junior year, students select their college counselor and begin to focus more intensely on the process of applying to college. Individual meetings with their college counselor and a well-developed college counseling curriculum, which includes college counseling classes once per month, help juniors identify colleges that fit their individual academic, extracurricular, and personal needs, and understand which school environments will best serve them as a person and as a learner. Seniors continue to work with their college counselor and attend college counseling classes in the fall, when they complete and send their college applications. Families, too, are educated about the college application process via college admissions panels, monthly webinars, guest speakers, and frequent correspondence from the College Counseling Office. Lawrence Academy parents benefit from a monthly newsletter that provides grade-specific advice about the college process.
While the college application process is a big part of junior and senior year, it is also important for ninth and 10th grade students to be aware of what lies ahead. The College Counseling Office holds class meetings with the ninth and 10th grades to highlight the importance of the students’ grades and involvement in the life of the school.
Our LA graduates are off to... Babson College, Bates College, Boston College, Boston University, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Colby College, Carleton College, Connecticut College, Dartmouth College, Elon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgetown University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Kenyon College, Middlebury College, Northeastern University, New York University, Stanford University, Syracuse University, Trinity College, Tulane University, Union College, University of California, Berkeley, United States Military Academy at Westpoint, Washington and Lee, Wesleyan University ... just to name a few.
The College Process at LA
SENIOR YEAR:
•Students meet on-campus w/college reps (over 140)
•Complete Common App
•Decide if and where applying early •Apply early decision/ early action
for decisions
Admissions
SEPTEMBER – JANUARY
SCHEDULE A CAMPUS VISIT
Come visit our campus to better acquaint yourself with our school and community. The admissions team begins to conduct official campus visits MondayFriday starting mid-September through Jan. 31. Each visit lasts about two hours and consists of a campus tour with a current student followed by an interview with an admissions representative. Interviews are a required component of the application. If you would like to meet with a special interest representative, please notify our office ahead of time so we can request that they be available. If you are unable to visit campus for an interview due to location or time constraints, we can conduct a virtual interview during our regular office hours. To schedule a campus visit, please visit the “Admissions – Schedule Your Visit” part of our website, www.lacademy.edu.
REGISTER FOR STANDARDIZED TESTING (OPTIONAL)
Standardized tests are an optional part of the LA application. In keeping with the practices of a growing number of peer schools around the country as well as a number of the nation’s most selective colleges and universities, Lawrence Academy chose to implement a test-optional SSAT policy beginning with the 2020-2021 admissions season. In evaluating our candidates, we center on students’ interviews, personal essays, co-curricular endeavors, teacher recommendations, community involvement, and transcripts. For those who do choose to submit their SSAT scores, our school code is 4552. Information about testing can be found by visiting www.ssat.org.
ATTEND ADMISSIONS EVENTS
While not required, we highly recommend that prospective students attend our various admissions events throughout the fall and winter to learn more about LA and hear directly from our students and faculty. The Admissions Office hosts both in-person and virtual events, so we encourage you to join what is most convenient for your family! Please check our website for updated information on admissions events throughout the admissions season.
DECEMBER – JANUARY
COMPLETE ADMISSIONS APPLICATION
Applications to Lawrence Academy can be submitted using either SSAT’s Standard Application Online or using the Gateway to Prep Schools online application. A completed application requires the submission of your candidate profile, student essays, school transcript from the current and previous year, and three required recommendations: math, english, and principal or guidance counselor. Though not required, any supplemental letters of recommendation may be uploaded directly to the candidate’s profile or emailed to admiss@lacademy.edu.
JANUARY
SUBMIT COMPLETED APPLICATION
The application deadline for Lawrence Academy is Jan. 15.
COMPLETE FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION
Lawrence Academy commits to ensuring access to an independent school education by bridging the gap between family resources and educational expenses. If you are applying for financial aid, please visit our website to complete the required forms and submit all necessary documents. The financial aid application deadline is Jan. 31.
MARCH
DECISIONS RELEASED
All applicants will be notified of our admissions decision on March 10.
APRIL
REVISIT DAY
All accepted students will be invited back to campus for Lawrence Academy Revisit Day in early April.
RESPONSE REQUIRED
Accepted students are required to formally accept their offer of admissions and return the signed contract and deposit to Lawrence Academy by April 10.
