Tidewater Academy is a

private 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 ...

Wakefield, Virginia Wakefield is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 729. Wakefield is widely known for the Virginia Diner, the Airfield Conference and 4-H Educational Center, and the National We ...

which was founded in 1964 as a

segregation academy Segregation academies are private schools in the Southern United States that were founded in the mid-20th century by white parents to avoid having their children attend desegregated public schools. They were founded between 1954, when the U.S. ...

. It serves students in preschool through grade 12 and is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools.

History

In the summer of 1964, ground work was laid to organize a

in Wakefield as part of Virginia's campaign of

massive resistance Massive resistance was a strategy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd Sr. of Virginia and his brother-in-law James M. Thomson, who represented Alexandria in the Virginia General Assembly, to get the state's white politicians to pass laws and p ...

against the integration of public schools required by the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

decision

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregat ...

. Successful efforts and plans to keep a high school in town were realized when the first Board of Directors, and administration, faculty and staff for Tidewater Academy were chosen that year. On March 24, 1964, under the provisions of Chapter 2 of Title 13.1 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, Tidewater Academy became incorporated. The school was one of a network of segregated private schools established by the Virginia Education Fund in response the racial integration of public schools. As defined in 1964, the goals of Tidewater Academy were to "provide a thorough academic education with emphasis on preparation for college; to build an understanding of local cultural heritage and respect for learning; and to create in each student a sense of responsibility for effective leadership, good moral character, and an appreciation of spiritual values." In the second academic year, a lower school program was added to provide a system of twelve grades. In the early years, classes were housed wherever space was available. Subsequently, buildings were completed by volunteers at what is now the Upper School Campus on Church Street in Wakefield. In 1977 facilities for students in kindergarten through grade six were provided. Since the completion of the new lower school building, all grades are now located at the Wakefield campus. Tidewater Academy is a member school of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. Tidewater Academy currently employs a total of 38 full and part-time faculty (14 alumni) and staff members. Twenty one years after Tidewater Academy opened its doors, it admitted its first African-American student.

References

External links

Tidewater Academy
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1964 Private high schools in Virginia Schools in Sussex County, Virginia Private middle schools in Virginia Private elementary schools in Virginia Segregation academies in Virginia 1964 establishments in Virginia