PHILOSOPHY
We at NHASA offer a unique and inspiring education to students who never fail to be
energized and motivated when our teachers place primary value on their habits of mind
and ability to think deeply and broadly. Additionally, we provide students with a more
engaging and rich academic atmosphere that enables them to complete all their work
within the school day and still achieve more than most students do in both public and
many private schools. Our 7:1 student – teacher ratio allows our students to excel at a
faster pace than at other schools and it allows our students to gain a much deeper
appreciation and understanding for the subjects they learn. Our students, therefore,
achieve excellence in their academic pursuits and our unique schedule affords them the
ample time they need to be highly successful in their athletic and/or artistic pursuits.
Schools are more and more focused on preparing students for federally and state
mandated tests which too often direct educators to focus their efforts on getting kids
to memorize a prescribed and increasingly narrow body of “facts” and perform a certain set of skills. NHASA, on the other hand, recognizes the importance of learning information but places a great deal of emphasis on getting students to be strong critically deliberative thinkers. Technology is advancing so rapidly that many of the so called “facts” of today and even much of the technology skills of today will be outdated by the time the students graduate from high school. We believe that students need to learn how to seek information, reflect on it from a broad range of perspectives, engage in critical inquiry with peers and teachers, and develop beliefs based on intelligent, well-informed, open-minded analysis of all available evidence, reasons, and arguments. In short, students need to learn to be informed, compassionate, and intelligent decision makers so they can achieve personal success while being mindful of the impact their choices have on the world around them.
Non-Discrimination Policy
NHASA admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Our Past and Future
A brief history …
Two of our directors, Barbara Peterson and Lou Datilio, started talking about their mutual dream of creating a school that would enable students to get a top quality, college preparatory education while having the time to fully engage in other endeavors. They felt that students should not have to choose between an outstanding academic education and superior training in such areas as athletics and the arts. A fully educated child, they claim, is one who develops in mind, body and spirit. This, they believe, is best achieved by providing students with a superior academic education with a schedule that affords all students the time to be with friends and family, and seriously pursue their interests in sports, the arts, job/career, and any other area upon which they plan to build their futures.
They began talking over their ideas in the early months of 2007. Within a year, their ideas became clear, succinct goals and thoroughly laid out plans. At the end of that year, they had completed a full market analysis and had written out a detailed business plan. In addition, Dr. Peterson crafted a full curriculum which included a thorough description of all the courses both she and Mr. Datilio wished and felt confident in being able to offer. In the beginning of 2008, they began to share their ideas and plans with parents of students at New Hampshire’s Academy of Artistic Gymnastics. Within only a couple of months, there was a group of dedicated parents working hard to turn what began as ideas and plans into a reality. The result is what you see here and we are all very proud of the school we have created; we are excited to continue living out our dream of providing students with a top-notch, college preparatory academic program that leads the seacoast area in nurturing students’ academic capacities as well as their interests and talents in such pursuits as athletics, the arts, and any other future-oriented goals they wish to achieve.
A vision of our future …
We are currently located in a beautiful building suite in North Hampton with approximately 2500 square feet of space including classrooms, a spacious reading/media room, a lunch/kitchen area, an office, a music room, and a student locker room. This space is able to comfortably accommodate up to 35 students. Thus, in our first years, we plan to grow steadily to that 35 student capacity. Our long-term goal is to stay quite small with no more than 40 students, 2 full-time faculty, and 7 part-time faculty. We believe that smaller is better: better social environment where all students are kind, considerate and supportive toward one another; better academic environment where each student receives a tremendous amount of individual instruction and guidance; finally, a better and more flexible schedule where each student's needs are catered to and met. Staying small affords NHASA students a great deal of one-on-one attention that is needed for them to excel in their academics and achieve their dreams for the future. Thus, our size allows us to maintain our highest standards of academic excellence and our commitment to developing fully educated persons.
We at NHASA offer a unique and inspiring education to students who never fail to be
energized and motivated when our teachers place primary value on their habits of mind
and ability to think deeply and broadly. Additionally, we provide students with a more
engaging and rich academic atmosphere that enables them to complete all their work
within the school day and still achieve more than most students do in both public and
many private schools. Our 7:1 student – teacher ratio allows our students to excel at a
faster pace than at other schools and it allows our students to gain a much deeper
appreciation and understanding for the subjects they learn. Our students, therefore,
achieve excellence in their academic pursuits and our unique schedule affords them the
ample time they need to be highly successful in their athletic and/or artistic pursuits.
Schools are more and more focused on preparing students for federally and state
mandated tests which too often direct educators to focus their efforts on getting kids
to memorize a prescribed and increasingly narrow body of “facts” and perform a certain set of skills. NHASA, on the other hand, recognizes the importance of learning information but places a great deal of emphasis on getting students to be strong critically deliberative thinkers. Technology is advancing so rapidly that many of the so called “facts” of today and even much of the technology skills of today will be outdated by the time the students graduate from high school. We believe that students need to learn how to seek information, reflect on it from a broad range of perspectives, engage in critical inquiry with peers and teachers, and develop beliefs based on intelligent, well-informed, open-minded analysis of all available evidence, reasons, and arguments. In short, students need to learn to be informed, compassionate, and intelligent decision makers so they can achieve personal success while being mindful of the impact their choices have on the world around them.
Non-Discrimination Policy
NHASA admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Our Past and Future
A brief history …
Two of our directors, Barbara Peterson and Lou Datilio, started talking about their mutual dream of creating a school that would enable students to get a top quality, college preparatory education while having the time to fully engage in other endeavors. They felt that students should not have to choose between an outstanding academic education and superior training in such areas as athletics and the arts. A fully educated child, they claim, is one who develops in mind, body and spirit. This, they believe, is best achieved by providing students with a superior academic education with a schedule that affords all students the time to be with friends and family, and seriously pursue their interests in sports, the arts, job/career, and any other area upon which they plan to build their futures.
They began talking over their ideas in the early months of 2007. Within a year, their ideas became clear, succinct goals and thoroughly laid out plans. At the end of that year, they had completed a full market analysis and had written out a detailed business plan. In addition, Dr. Peterson crafted a full curriculum which included a thorough description of all the courses both she and Mr. Datilio wished and felt confident in being able to offer. In the beginning of 2008, they began to share their ideas and plans with parents of students at New Hampshire’s Academy of Artistic Gymnastics. Within only a couple of months, there was a group of dedicated parents working hard to turn what began as ideas and plans into a reality. The result is what you see here and we are all very proud of the school we have created; we are excited to continue living out our dream of providing students with a top-notch, college preparatory academic program that leads the seacoast area in nurturing students’ academic capacities as well as their interests and talents in such pursuits as athletics, the arts, and any other future-oriented goals they wish to achieve.
A vision of our future …
We are currently located in a beautiful building suite in North Hampton with approximately 2500 square feet of space including classrooms, a spacious reading/media room, a lunch/kitchen area, an office, a music room, and a student locker room. This space is able to comfortably accommodate up to 35 students. Thus, in our first years, we plan to grow steadily to that 35 student capacity. Our long-term goal is to stay quite small with no more than 40 students, 2 full-time faculty, and 7 part-time faculty. We believe that smaller is better: better social environment where all students are kind, considerate and supportive toward one another; better academic environment where each student receives a tremendous amount of individual instruction and guidance; finally, a better and more flexible schedule where each student's needs are catered to and met. Staying small affords NHASA students a great deal of one-on-one attention that is needed for them to excel in their academics and achieve their dreams for the future. Thus, our size allows us to maintain our highest standards of academic excellence and our commitment to developing fully educated persons.
