Loudoun Academy of Science

Academies of Loudoun
Location
42075 Academy Drive Leesburg, VA 20175
Coordinates	39°02′33″N 77°33′01″W / 39.042637°N 77.550348°W / 39.042637; -77.550348
Information
Type	Magnet school
Motto	Explore, Research, Collaborate, Innovate
Established	2005
School district	Loudoun County Public Schools
Grades	9-12
Number of students	400-600
Color(s)	Blue, Turquoise and Green
Athletics	None
Mascot	Raptors
Information	571-252-1980
Principal of Academies	Tinell Priddy
Website	Official Webpage

The Academy of Science is a STEM program for high school students enrolled in Loudoun County Public Schools. The program was located at the campus of Dominion High School at 21326 Augusta Drive in Sterling, an area in unincorporated Loudoun County, Virginia. During the summer of 2018, the Academy of Science became a division of the , located at 42075 Academy Drive in Leesburg, VA. The Academies of Loudoun includes the , the Academy of Science program, and the .

History and structure[]

The Academy of Science program was established in 2005 as a magnet program of science and technology for Loudoun County students. The purpose of the curriculum is to provide advanced academic math and science courses for students interested in STEM. These courses include Advanced Placement courses, as well as classes devoted purely towards scientific research.

Admissions[]

The admissions process is managed through the Academies of Loudoun admissions office (see school website for information).

Extracurricular activities and athletics[]

All students who attend the Academies of Loudoun every other school day where they take courses in math, science, and research. On alternating days, Academy students attend their home school, where they take courses in English, Social Studies, and other electives. The Loudoun County High Schools try to coordinate their schedules to allow Academy students to take extra curricular classes at the home school, but scheduling conflicts often arise. Students who attend the Academies of Loudoun are concurrently enrolled in both their home school and the Academies of Loudoun.

Academy students who are on athletic teams play for their home schools and their respective conferences.

Research[]

Most of the Academy of Science curriculum is based on a junior/senior year research project. After a topic is chosen and approved, students work with a large spectrum of different lab devices and their mentor to further develop this research project. Students also are given the option to apply for a collaboration project with students of Hwa Chong Institution in Singapore, or Daegu Science High School in South Korea. Participants in this program are then presented the opportunity to travel to Singapore/Korea for a research competition.

In past years, students have developed numerous research projects that have been exceptionally successful—some of these had research papers were published, while others went on to place in many large science competitions such as the Siemens Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition, the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and the Intel ISEF competition. Many other science olympiad competitions were held as well, and the acceptance rate for this school is very low.

Expansion[]

The Academy of Science program was originally at Dominion High School in Sterling. In the summer of 2018, the program became part of the at 42075 Loudoun Academy Drive, Leesburg. The principal of the Academies of Loudoun is Tinell Priddy,^[1].

The mission of the Academies of Loudoun is to empower students to explore, research, collaborate, and innovate, and to make meaningful contributions to the world in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics."^[2]

Coordinates: 39°1′33.4″N 77°22′26.4″W / 39.025944°N 77.374000°W / 39.025944; -77.374000

References[]