SullinsAcademy Inspiration for a Lifetime
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I am ready for my future.
“ A good teacher explains. A superior teacher demonstrates. A great teacher inspires.” –unknown SullinsBooklet_Final.indd 2
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Our Mission
To ensure success for our children in the global community, the mission of Sullins Academy is to provide a positive educational environment, fostering academic excellence while maintaining a commitment to the core values of integrity, honesty, respect, responsibility and service to others. We develop minds and character.
Inspired
To Create Inspiration — the hallmark of a Sullins Academy education.
Sullins Academy’s board, administration, faculty, and staff believe that each child has an innate desire to learn and that this is best accomplished in a positive, inviting and stimulating environment. Quality instruction takes a student beyond the obvious, responds to individual needs, cultivates curiosity and nurtures creativity. At Sullins, our goals are to prepare students to thrive academically and to develop exemplary character.
History Since 1966, Sullins Academy has had a rich history and an impressive legacy of service in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. Accredited by national and state agencies, our school is defined by a continued commitment to independent education, thereby giving administrators the freedom to identify needs and the opportunity to determine curriculum and activities.
Campus Situated on a 32-acre campus in Bristol, Virginia, Sullins features a state-licensed preschool, classrooms equipped with televisions and Internet capabilities, a computer lab, a science lab, a spacious library and rooms dedicated to art, music and foreign language. The facilities also
include a gymnasium, cafeteria, quarter-mile track, regulation tennis courts and ample space for outdoor play. Sullins also offers a Children’s Center for after school and summer child care.
• Holiday Celebrations
Traditions
• Drama Productions
Traditions are an important part of the school’s history. Each week at Sullins Academy begins with Monday morning assembly — a time when the school community gathers to celebrate achievements, enjoy skits and other grade level performances, learn from guest speakers, and share in eighth grade student speeches. Additional events in the Sullins experience include:
• Costume Parades
• Back-to-School Picnic
Through all the years, one Sullins tradition remains constant – a devotion to excellence in all endeavors.
• Grandparents’ Day
• Student Television Broadcasts • Art Show • Science Fair
• Talent Show • Annual Pancake Breakfast • Spring Concert • Field Day • Graduations – Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten and 8th grade
“ Sullins is a place where families are an intricate part of the learning environment, and teachers are dedicated to the business of shaping minds and spirits.” –parent of 3rd grade student
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I’m going to find the cure.
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Inspired
To Achieve Instruction and Course of Study
Academic excellence is central to Sullins Academy and serves as the guiding principle to educate, inspire and challenge our students. The curriculum is designed to exceed all state standards in both Tennessee and Virginia. Small classes permit individual attention so that a child’s success becomes a personal interest of the teacher, thereby positively impacting each student’s self-esteem and confidence. In a warm, family-centered atmosphere, body and spirit are nurtured while minds are engaged in critical thinking and intellectual inquiry.
Primary School Discovery begins with the Primary Division, consisting of Preschool, Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten. In the first years, open-ended activities in centers and groups orient students to the classroom environment. Concepts of sharing, using one’s words, socialization with different individuals and hands-on learning are developed. Emphasis is placed on activities that foster growth cognitively, creatively, and emotionally, with an additional focus on developing fine and gross motor skills in a happy, safe environment. By Kindergarten, basics such as letter and sound recognition, counting, and sight words are well established, and students move into reading, writing in journals, and using math manipulatives, supported by Accelerated Math. Core academics are complemented with special area classes as all Primary students participate weekly in Spanish, music, physical education, art, technology and library visits.
Lower School In Lower School, grades 1 through 3, education becomes more sequential and structured with
increased responsibility and higher expectations. The emphasis is on focused learning and completion of assignments and homework. Classroom instruction varies from whole group and guided small groups to independent assignments and projects. By third grade, students move from learning to read to reading to learn. Emphasis is placed on developing independence, managing an assignment planner and writing in earnest, often for classroom presentations.
Intermediate School Intermediate School, grades 4 and 5, builds upon the basic skills and knowledge gained in Primary and Lower Schools. Responsibility, time management and organization are cultivated along with more rigorous challenges in academics. In order to prepare for the transition to Middle School, students change teachers during the school day. Instruction is given in language arts, mathematics, social studies and science, along with special area classes in music, art, computer, library, physical education and foreign language.
Middle School Students in Middle School, grades 6 through 8, are encouraged to think beyond themselves and to inquire about the world around them. They show initiative in exploring their own interests and abilities, as well as developing leadership skills. Students participate in core academic courses, electives such as Latin and public speaking, enrichment opportunities and advisory groups. Maturity and self-discipline are reinforced to ensure that Sullins Academy students enter high school confidently and academically prepared. Teachers know these pupils well. The faculty knows their strengths and weaknesses, their possibilities and their challenges. Middle School faculty members understand the particular needs of this age group and encourage independent thought. As students become excited about their own academic and personal progress, they are guided to contribute to the larger community.
“ The moment you step into the building of Sullins Academy you realize that it is a very special place. We are truly a family in every sense of the word.” –lower school teacher
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I am going to help others.
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Inspired
To Participate Community Service — an invaluable component of a Sullins education. Students gain confidence and a sense of identity when they realize they can have a positive influence on others. Likewise, parental participation strengthens the mission of the school and supports student volunteer efforts.
Service Projects Age-appropriate service opportunities are created for students throughout the academic year within the school’s walls and beyond. The entire school participates in some initiatives while others are grade level specific including: • Preschool and Kindergarten children collect soda can tabs for a Ronald McDonald House • Preschool holds a Trike-a-Thon for St. Jude • Lower School Student Council leads a Fun Run for children fighting cancer • Lower and Middle School Student Councils sponsor food drives and coordinate projects for those in need, such as Haven of Rest, Children’s Advocacy Center, and animal shelters • Middle School students serve as Book Buddies to Kindergarten children and assume the responsibilities of Safety Patrol and Bookstore workers
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• Seventh grade students prepare lesson plans and serve as Spanish instructors for local preschool children • Eighth graders help at a community soup kitchen • All grades participate in Jump Rope for Heart, benefiting the American Heart Association, and Cupcakes for the Cure, benefiting the American Cancer Society Modeling civic and social responsibility is an essential part of the Sullins educational experience.
Parent Involvement Frequent communication with parents is a vital part of the academic process at Sullins Academy. Through electronic messaging and personal interaction, a student’s progress is monitored and commended. The Sullins Parents Associa-
“ There is nothing we would change with our experience at Sullins Academy. We would choose no other school for our children…” –parent of kindergartner
tion (SPA) assumes leadership roles in volunteer opportunities and fund raising events within the school. Parents serve in various capacities from field trip chaperones and classroom helpers to school ambassadors and school governance leaders. At Sullins Academy, parents’ voices are heard and respected.
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Inspired
To Discover
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“ Our kayaking trip was kind of symbolic of life. Sometimes you have to keep going despite what’s happening around you. Perseverance is often the key.” –middle school student
At Sullins Academy, each child’s gifts are fostered in and out of the classroom. School trips intersect with academic disciplines to help students understand and connect with the world around them. Off-campus activities complement the curriculum and encourage students to discover, dream and imagine.
Enrichment Sullins Academy’s location affords a variety of opportunities for experiences beyond the classroom. Field trips begin with Preschool-3 classes, as they explore the wonders of a local farm or choose their own pumpkin from a patch. Lower School students visit a one-room school in period dress and watch professional actors perform at the state theatre of Virginia. Intermediate School students explore history through trips to Williamsburg and Washington, D.C. Middle School opportunities include Space Camp in Alabama, a marine biology and environmental science adventure off the Georgia coast, and an arts and cultural experience in New York City.
Sports In our sports programs, participants enjoy a healthy blend of teamwork, individual challenge, and athletic competition. Opportunities to play for the Sullins Eagles begin in the sixth grade and include: • Volleyball • Basketball
• Cross Country • Tennis
• Swimming • Golf
• Cheerleading
School of Music Students who are interested in playing music will find stimulating sessions at the Sullins Academy School of Music. Experienced teachers provide weekly lessons in piano, voice, violin and guitar. Recitals and performances at school events give these pupils a stage for showcasing their talents.
Other Academic Activities Sullins offers extracurricular activities that challenge students, encourage exploration, promote academics and develop leadership skills. • Lego Robotics • Spelling Bee • Geography Bee • DAR essay contest • National Junior Honor Society • National Junior Beta Club • Lower and Intermediate School Student Councils Regardless of the activity, Sullins students are challenged to give their best effort, win and lose with grace and discover the joy of participation, teamwork and competition.
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Inspired
For Life Alumni depart with a strong foundation in both academics and character development. Graduates move forward to achieve many honors inside and outside the classroom. These students emerge as leaders in academics, community service, athletics and eventually the workplace. Former students often return to Sullins as parents who have chosen to send their children to the school that provided them with tools needed to succeed in life. The Sullins Academy experience remains with our alumni throughout their lives and their future endeavors. Our graduates are equipped with Inspiration for a Lifetime.
“Don’t be afraid to do difficult things. Sullins prepares you to do difficult things.” –2008 Sullins alumna
I’m going to make a positive impact.
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Photography by Dante Buerano SullinsBooklet_Final.indd 11
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22218 Sullins Academy Drive, Bristol, Virginia 24202 • 276.669.4101 • www.sullinsacademy.org Fully Accredited with VAIS & NAIS SullinsBooklet_Final.indd 12
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