Newbury Academy was an alternative

private high school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

serving students in grades 9-12 that opened in September 2001, based in Dumont,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. From 2008–2009, Newbury Academy was a

virtual school An online school (virtual school or e-school or cyber-school) teaches students entirely or primarily online or through the Internet. It has been defined as "education that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are se ...

. All classes were conducted online, with teachers making weekly visits to the students' homes.

History and profile

The school was created to provide a safe, attentive environment for students who experience difficulties in traditional school settings. It was founded in 2001 by faculty member Jane E. McKinley, daughter of Graham C. Newbury and Jane Cunningham Newbury, for whom the school was named. From 2001–2003, the school was located in

Teaneck Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) fr ...

, New Jersey, and moved to Dumont for the start of the 2003 academic year. Classes at Newbury Academy were based on

state

core curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

, and limited to a maximum class size of three. The school catered to individual student needs. All students were accepted, including those with

neurological disorders A neurological disorder is any disorder of the nervous system. Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord or other nerves can result in a range of symptoms. Examples of symptoms include paralysis, muscle weakness ...

, school

phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avo ...

attention deficit disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise Development ...

, mild

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

, or various

learning disabilities Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...

. The education at Newbury Academy included regular excursions to historical sites and other local areas of interest. Classes were held at 344 Washington Avenue in Dumont until the end of the 2007–2008 academic year. From September 2008-June 2009, all classes were conducted online.

Faculty

The teachers at Newbury Academy were experienced, trained teachers, and met all requirements to teach their courses in the state of New Jersey. Full-time teachers included: * Mrs. Dori Williams had been teaching in New Jersey since 1995 in a number of different capacities. She was serving as the director of the school and handles all administrative procedures. She taught

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

and Digital Media and facilitated the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

independent studies. * Mrs. McKinley started teaching in 1965 and has since helped nurture the education of thousands of students, especially those with learning disabilities. She taught

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. * Mr. McKinley received national honors during his time at Newbury Academy, having scored in the highest 15% of all-time for examinees of the

Praxis test {{Education in the U.S. A Praxis test is one of a series of American teacher certification exams written and administered by the Educational Testing Service. Various Praxis tests are usually required before, during, and after teacher training cou ...

for secondary social studies teachers. He taught

US History The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

and

Algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary a ...

. Part-time teachers: * Ms. Carter (music) is a critically acclaimed musician who has played in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

.Elise Carter Bio She taught piano and flute and offered voice lessons. * Ms. Gribbon (art) is a textile artist who has been commissioned for numerous murals and has had work displayed in several galleries.

Additional information

* The first graduating class was in 2005. Of the graduates, two went on to study at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

(later completing higher degrees in business law, and the other in psychology), one completed his assistant pharmacist certification and went on to have his PhD funded by a local

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

, and another became a

teaching assistant A teaching assistant or teacher's aide (TA) or education assistant (EA) or team teacher (TT) is an individual who assists a teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include ''graduate teaching assistants'' (GTAs), who are graduate school ...

at Newbury Academy. * In May 2006, Newbury Academy accepted its first student granted with out-of-district placement.

Tuition Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...

was paid by the sending school district. * Newbury Academy officially closed in 2009 with the retirement of faculty members, Mr. and Mrs. McKinley.

References

External links

Newbury Academyfamilies.comData for Newbury Academy

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

{{authority control 2001 establishments in New Jersey Dumont, New Jersey Educational institutions established in 2001 Private high schools in Bergen County, New Jersey