Engaging students. Inspiring success. Admissions
Personalized, not standardized. One of the most important decisions you make is choosing where your child attends school. At Norfolk Collegiate, we understand the importance of that decision–and its outcome for each student. For nearly 70 years, we have blended a supportive environment with challenging coursework, which allows students to create their own paths to success. This personalized approach makes us a premier educational institution in Hampton Roads. Every child has unique passions and abilities. Our guidance and innovative teaching equip our students to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals. Those aims include: embracing a lifelong love of learning, finding the perfect college fit, developing integrity and social responsibility, and cultivating the skills to reach their highest potential. Norfolk Collegiate, originally Carrolton Oaks, is an independent, coeducational day school enrolling more than 600 students in kindergarten through grade 12. We continue to expand and enrich our two campuses and programs, most recently with the opening of the Meredith Center for the Arts.
We are accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and AdvancED-SACS.
Academics Tradition meets innovation.
Norfolk Collegiate teachers are devoted not only to their students, but also to student-engaged instruction. Balancing traditional college-preparatory curricula with innovative techniques distinguishes our school from others. Blending group projects, service learning, interdisciplinary studies, 1:1 technology, small classes and challenging courses gives our students the experiences, motivation and tools to succeed.
Teaching to each child Students learn in varied ways and at different rates, so our teachers meet them on their respective developmental levels. To assure each child’s progress, they use multiple teaching methods, regularly assess and adjust skill levels or groupings, and differentiate assignments in math, reading and spelling. WE empower students to learn in ways suited to their abilities, thus deepening their skills and love of learning, and ensuring a future of high achievement.
Lower School Little acorns are nurtured.
Each young child is filled with potential, curiosity and enthusiasm to be nurtured. Maximizing those qualities through our Lower School’s challenging and stimulating programs lays the foundation for their academic success. For our smallest Oaks, we explore proven and technologically advanced ways of teaching through age-appropriate applications. From meaningful incorporation of iPads® into classrooms, to support of every child’s achievement in not only core subjects such as mathematics and reading, but also in the arts and sciences, our instruction and focus center on each student as an individual with distinct interests, skills and varied paths to success.
Creating core values Honor. Honesty. Kindness. Respect. Responsibility. Effort. These are the core values that Norfolk Collegiate’s Middle School students selected as the qualities most important to their learning and social community. Such collaborative decisions empower student leadership and civic responsibility.
Middle School Growing Oaks.
Early adolescence is a time of intense discovery. Young people are acutely attuned to their individuality, emotions and community. This range of intellectual, physical and social differences among Middle School students is why our faculty is student-focused and committed to personalizing instruction and building relationships. Partnering with parents to develop self-reliant learners who take responsibility for their own learning, as evidenced by student-led conferences and myriad other opportunities to explore interests and build skills, is a goal of the Middle School faculty. During these critical years, we support and guide students as they move naturally into paths of their emerging talents and interests. In grades six through eight, students experience lively learning in the humanities, math, science, technology, athletics and leadership. We challenge our students to encourage critical thinking and the exploration of new ideas, while developing strong values.
The Senior Project: A Capstone Experience each senior embarks on a journey of personal growth with his or her senior project. students go beyond the classroom and work independently or collaboratively, organizing to present culminating experiments, products or documents. These range from completing scholarly research or internships and staging charity events to organizing art shows or volunteering abroad.
Upper School
Mighty Oaks branch out for success. The culminating years of a Norfolk Collegiate education are distinct in many ways. On a personal level, we prompt students’ awareness of the opportunities available to them through activities fostering social responsibility, leadership, service and philanthropy. Our commitment to knowing and guiding each student to success is evident in our advisory system and college counseling program, and the depth of connections made between teachers and students in and out of the classroom. On an academic level, we continue to challenge them to think globally, to question strategically, to work collaboratively and to grow in a multitude of directions. To broaden their experiences, students are offered a range of Advanced PlacementŽ courses through the College Board, independent study programs and engaging electives. Our goal is to prepare young adults for college and beyond by building skills and confidence through real-world experiences and by inspiring a continuing love of learning.
Meredith Center for the Arts Our largest classroom came to life when the stunning Meredith Center for the Arts opened in March 2013. The Center houses our communication arts suite, art galleries, chorus room, theatrical design studio and professional theater. It is a venue for cultural events from across the region, making our campus a destination for thousands of visitors for years to come.
The Arts
Create. Evoke. Inspire.
Early and continuing engagement in the arts not only enriches lives, but also increases children’s ability to learn and expands their intellect and imaginations. We emphasize exploration and participation through visual, performing and communication arts. Our students polish their technical abilities and demonstrate their creative expression through the fine and performing arts, whether bringing a painting to life on canvas, shaping clay on a potter’s wheel, or hitting the high note in the school musical. Through communication arts, students develop versatility, competency and confidence in technology while engaged in journalism, videography, design and more. Our Meredith Center for the Arts has further enhanced these programs, providing a state-of-the-art facility where students can practice and perfect their artistic styles.
Communication Arts Communication arts is a distinctive, cross-disciplinary program that threads through the curriculum from kindergarten through grade 12. The program merges the traditional communication arts with new technologies to develop capable, confident, versatile communicators poised for academic, career and interpersonal success.
Athletics
Teamwork. Competition. Character. With more than 50 teams in nearly 20 sports in grades 6-12, students have abundant opportunities to join in and round out their Norfolk Collegiate experience. Beginning at the Lower School, which features daily physical education and seasonal intramural sports, we emphasize participation, whether for athletes with aspirations of playing at the college level or for those who simply enjoy competition and camaraderie. Sports ranging from basketball, sailing and soccer to lacrosse, wrestling and swimming are offered in the fall, winter and spring seasons at the middle school, junior varsity and varsity levels. These teams have achieved success at the local, state and national levels, and our student athletes have gone on to compete at colleges and universities at NCAA Division I, II and III schools. Middle and Upper School students benefit from a customized strength and conditioning program, an athletic trainer, access to physicians specializing in sports medicine and injury prevention, and a focus on supporting all students in becoming healthy.
Athletic photos by Jim Morrison ( jmwriter.com)
Student Life
Learning and growing beyond the classroom. Join in! Art Club Band Chorus Dance Diversions, Middle School magazine Foreign Language Clubs Forensics Horizons, literary magazine Math Club Military Awareness Club Oak Street Journal, Lower School newspaper The Oak Leaf, newspaper Writing Club The Acorn, yearbook Yoga
leadership opportunities: Honor Council Student Council Association Student Government Association Oak Ambassadors Club Officers Team Captains Publication Editors … And more!
At Norfolk Collegiate, guiding students to develop a strong moral compass and a school-wide code of honor begins at kindergarten. This core value of integrity is part of everyday life, from friendships and social time through test-taking, and is incorporated into a studentled Honor Council at the Middle and Upper School. To further develop their sense of community, responsibility and involvement, students can participate in a variety of extracurricular activities and elective courses. From enrichment at the Lower School to more than 50 student-led clubs at the Middle and Upper School, students can choose to participate in organizations and societies that will expand their experiences and develop their leadership skills.
Student Engagement Leads to Success Preparing for college – and life.
Norfolk Collegiate’s historically personalized approach leads to proven success. For decades, we have prepared students for accomplishment and leadership at college and beyond. Our graduates possess a strong educational foundation, passion for learning, personal awareness, curiosity, integrity, confidence and motivation to participate in their communities. As our students move on to college, these qualities are recognized through the millions of dollars in meritbased awards and scholarships that many are offered every year. In grade nine, we introduce students to the college admissions process. For the next three years, we provide them insights from alumni and college admissions officers, as well as training in college applications, visits, tests and interviews. The goal is to match each student with the right-fit college of his or her choice.
Norfolk Collegiate’s more than 2,500 graduates have enrolled at some of the finest colleges and universities, including Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Harvard, The Citadel, UCLA, UVA, VCU, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Washington and Lee, William & Mary and more! Our acclaimed college and guidance counseling, coupled with daily advisory groups, assures we can guide our students through the process toward their optimal college choice.
Next Steps Nothing will tell you more about the Norfolk Collegiate experience than a visit to our campuses. From open houses to personal tours, we are available to let you see firsthand how your child could benefit from a Norfolk Collegiate education. We offer need-based financial aid and are proud of a diverse student body that reflects the social and economic community of Hampton Roads. Optional bus transportation from Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach is available. We also offer after-school care for kindergarten through grade five and supervision for grades six through eight, and summer programs. To take the next step to setting your child on a course for growth and success, and to find out about the admissions process, summer programs or more, contact an admissions representative at 757.480.1495 or admissions@norfolkcollegiate.org.
Lower school campus
5429 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, VA 23509 Middle & Upper school campus
7336 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23505 Admissions: 757.480.1495 Middle & Upper School: 757.480.2885 Lower School: 757.625.0471 norfolkcollegiate.org