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Dear Prospective Parent,
Welcome to Alexandria Academy: The Washington Latin School in the City of Alexandria. The Academy will open its doors on September 7, 2010, offering an exceptional education in the liberal arts and sciences to students in grades five through eight.
The Academy will be a "new" school built upon very old foundations. In 1785, a small group of Alexandria’s leading citizens, led by Dr. William Brown, a physician trained at the University of Edinburgh, established the original Alexandria Academy. George Washington himself became one of the original “Managers” of the school, noting that “Nothing is of more importance than the education of youth.” Before it closed in 1824, it counted two of George Washington’s stepsons and future General Robert E. Lee among its alumni. As we reestablish this historic school, we are mindful that we walk in the footsteps of giants.
As a classical college preparatory academy, Alexandria Academy seeks to revitalize an educational regimen that, for hundreds of years, was nearly universally accepted as the foundation of learning itself in the western tradition. Only in the last century, with the wave of new media that has bombarded our children with the constant temptation of instant gratification, has the study of classical antiquity waned in the United States. To counter this trend, the Academy, in all that it does, seeks vigorously to support the study of the Classics and to reassert that a thorough understanding of the great Greek and Roman civilizations is the basis of formal education.
Alexandria Academy is all about excellence. In the classroom, the athletic field, the concert hall, lectern, studio and stage, student will experience the satisfaction that comes from hard work, fair play and real achievement. On the day "Latin" opens its doors it will be competitive with the nation’s finest private academies. In fact, the General Graduation Requirements (GGR) of The New Classics® curriculum are higher than those of any school in region—public or private.
Inspired by the life and character of America’s first President, George Washington, Latin is an academy for Citizen-Leaders. Guided by the Academy's motto, Virtus Sola Nobilitat (Virtue Alone Ennobles), Academy students are prepared “to serve the world through their character and leadership.” The Academy’s entire culture is informed by the Standards of Conduct & Civility, enforced through an Honor Code and connected to the real life context of contemporary society through the Citizen Leader Community Service requirement.
On behalf of the Fund for Classical Education and the Academy’s founding group, I invite you to learn more about the newest choice in independent schools in Northern Virginia. Peruse these pages for an abundance of information about the Academy, its curriculum and its distinctive school culture. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me personally.
Best Regards,
Thomas A. Soule
Headmaster
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