For nearly three-quarters of a century, Ware Academy has developed the young minds of the Middle Peninsula’s children, allowing them to reach their fullest potential.
Founded in 1949, the academy’s pre-K though eighth-grade curriculum focuses not only on rigorous academics but includes a strong character-building component and emphasis on building community, all
designed to serve graduates no matter what route they pursue once they move on from the Gloucester campus.
“It’s what stood out to me as a parent,” said Dawn Fleet, whose son, Hill, graduated from Ware in 2009. “He left here with a strong sense of self. He was accepted for who he was and able to enter high school confidently, both academically and socially.”
Fleet, a lifelong educator, was appointed as Ware Academy’s Head of School in November 2019. Prior to that, she served as an academic dean and spent 30 years in the classroom, nearly all at Ware.
While she admits to missing the classroom, Fleet is dedicated to the school and concentrating on what makes the institution unique: the familial atmosphere, the development of character and the strong emphasis on academics.
A SMALL COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS
While larger public schools have faced massive changes in response to the pandemic, often requiring virtual learning from home, students at Ware Academy have successfully and safely returned to in-person instruction by following guidelines like social distancing, mask wearing, and hygiene. With anywhere from 125 to 147 students per year and small class sizes, it certainly facilitates that process. More area parents seem to be seeking out the close-knit learning environment for their children. The school currently has a wait list of more than 50 students for pre-K through fifth grades.
Small class sizes also allow instruction to be individualized, taking into account different learning styles or levels of achievement. Like all other schools in the state, Ware Academy instruction went completely online last spring, providing technology to students that teachers continue to use as part of their in-person instruction today.
The curriculum is not just about traditional academics. Physical education is also an important element, where depending on grade, students will have three to five days
of instruction, along with dance, art, music, or a foreign language.
It’s not just classroom learning that is emphasized. Learning at Ware also includes recess and kids just being kids. There is value in making up games or hanging out and talking to friends. It goes a long way toward building a community and it helps students relax, making them better students when they return to the classroom.
Connecting with the larger community outside the school grounds is also an important element of Ware Academy’s curriculum. Though like just about everything, it has been affected by the pandemic; the school completes community service projects every year.
Student-led teams submit project ideas to Fleet and programs are designed around them. Past projects have included food drives, visiting Gloucester House or Sanders Retirement Village or making cards for the residents, and raising money for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters and Ronald McDonald House Norfolk.
ADAPTING TRADITIONS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Some things, like the need for developing empathy, tenacity and citizenship, are timeless. But the remaining curriculum at Ware Academy is ever evolving to meet the needs of twenty-first century learners. Textbooks are a reference and stepping-off point to exploring subject matter. Mastering project-based learning and collaborative work, in addition to the technology, develops the skills necessary for students to be successful regardless of the path they choose after graduating.
And just as students are encouraged and expected to become life-long learners, the faculty at Ware Academy is also constantly keeping up with their profession and education in order to find methods to best meet the individual needs of students.
Dawn Fleet, Ware Academy’s Head of School
WARE WELCOMES ALL
A familial feeling — That was what first drew Dawn Fleet to Ware Academy as a parent and teacher. It’s what continues through to this day. From supporting learning in a nurturing environment to keeping students and staff healthy through a pandemic, a sense of commitment to the work and each other is what Ware Academy is all about.
If you think a program like this might be financially out of reach for your family, think again. Variable tuition and grants are available to make their programs more accessible to students in the Middle Peninsula and to encourage economic diversity, which enriches the school community. To find out more about their programs, you are encouraged to explore their website: wareacademy.org. Then call 804-693-3825 to schedule a tour and begin the admission process.