Valwood School is an independent,

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

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. ...

located outside of

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had ...

, United States. It offers programs from pre-kindergarten through

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. There were 511 students enrolled in the 2015–2016 school year.

History

Valwood School was founded as a segregation academy by local

white people White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

in response to the federally mandated racial desegregation of public schools. Valwood's first classes were inaugurated in September 1969, in the old Central Elementary School building in Valdosta. Classes were offered to white students for grades 1-10, with

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

and eleventh grade programs being added in 1970. The first full graduation exercise was held in June, 1972, and the school moved to Gornto Road in the fall of that year. A

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...

program was added in 1982. Various improvements to the physical plant were completed over the years, including a

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

nasium/ cafeteria complex in 1973 and an athletic field in 1989. In 2000, the school received a gift of of

pecan The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...

grove from the Howard Dasher Company as a relocation site. The school opened its new campus at the location, two miles (3 km) north of Valdosta on Old US Hwy 41, on August 26, 2002.

Accreditation and memberships

* The National Association of Independent Schools * The Southern Association of Independent Schools * The National Association for College Admission Counseling * The Southern Association for College Admission Counseling * The Georgia Independent School Association * Quality by the Georgia Accrediting Commission Member

Libraries

The students and faculty at Valwood are served by two libraries. The Corker Giles Library, which is located in the Crane Hall administration building serves the school's Middle and Upper School students in a variety of capacities: as a library, a classroom, a meeting space, and a computer lab. College recruiters and guest speakers use the Corker Giles library when visiting the school, and guest authors use Skype to share their books with the students. Corker Giles library underwent a massive reconfiguration under the guidance of Dr. Darren Pascavage, who had a vision of a Learning Commons for the school. The Turner Library, located in Foy Anderson Hall, serves the school's Lower School population, which encompasses Pre-K through Fifth grade. Library curriculum includes GALILEO research, Keyboarding, Google apps as well as themed based literature units. The Lower School students participate in the Georgia Book Award program each year, as well as an activity filled Read Across America Week each March. Turner Library is also used as a meeting space for groups such as Odyssey of the Mind, as well as individual tutoring.

Athletics

Valwood is a member of the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) and currently competes in region 3-AAA. The Valiants football team were the GISA Class A Champions in 1985, 1986, 1999, GISA Class AA Champions in 2012, and GISA Class AAA Champions in 2015 and 2017. The men's tennis team has won four GISA titles: 1992, 2000, 2001, and 2002. The women's tennis team has won four GISA titles: 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2014.

References

External links

Valwood School official website
{{authority control Private high schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Educational institutions established in 1969 Schools in Lowndes County, Georgia Private middle schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Private elementary schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Preparatory schools in Georgia (U.S. state) 1969 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Segregation academies in Georgia