Salisbury Academy

SALISBURY  – With every new school year comes new opportunity for growth, and Salisbury Academy is leveraging the upcoming year’s opportunity to light a spark.

In August, the school will open the Spark Center, a combination of science labs, art room and a new makerspace.

Repurposed from what is currently the junior kindergarten and kindergarten building, the Spark Center will be a place where students are free to invent, solve problems, and explore while discovering their interests and a lifelong love of learning.

“Whether through coding, woodworking or artistic expression, we’re thrilled about the opportunities for collaboration and confidence-building that the space will provide for our students,” said Salisbury Academy board Chairman Paul Bardinas.

As another benefit of the Spark Center, a refreshed campus arrangement will strengthen the junior kindergarten through eighth-grade community. Students in junior kindergarten and kindergarten will join their first- through eighth-grade peers in the main building of the school.

“This new configuration will allow even more opportunity for mentorship, shared learning and community connectedness – all of which are central to the Salisbury Academy experience,” said Beverly Fowler, head of school.

Salisbury Academy will continue to expand its outdoor learning and play space. In addition to building an amphitheater and butterfly garden this summer, the school will create an enclosed early-education garden with a bike and running track, log climbing structure, sand pit and additional play equipment.

Sparks are also being lit in the 2018-19 co-curricular areas of school offerings for both school-day and after-school programming. In partnership with Catawba College, Salisbury Academy will offer a band program along with expanded private lessons for band instruments and voice. Additional program enhancements will include a theater program and beginning dance and movement.

To support both the Spark Lab and co-curricular additions, Salisbury Academy will expand its staff to include an educational technology and computer science specialist as well as a co-curricular program director.

“Our passion has always been igniting curiosity and innovation in young minds,” said Fowler. “These next steps in our strategic plan are exciting ones, and so beautifully support the Salisbury Academy mission of inspiring a lifelong love of learning in our students.”