Literacy: Understanding that skills in reading and writing are crucial for empowered and responsible citizens, the program serves to advance literacy as a way to break cycles of poverty in Hampton Roads and beyond. Fellows work to develop their own writing ability, while collaborating with outside organizations and communities to gain knowledge of the far-reaching implications of literacy.
All students in the Fellows Programs participate in the Leadership Lab as rising juniors; it is an experiential program in partnership with Calleva, a Washington, D. C.-based organization, which designs innovative outdoor education that promotes personal growth, group cooperation, and leadership skills. The Leadership Lab is also open to students who are not in the Fellows Programs.
MEDICAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM: Upper School students have the opportunity to participate in a series of medical education programs and internships in the private M. D./ hospital industry. The program, a joint effort among community physicians, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Sentara Healthcare, and Norfolk Academy, inspires students to consider an array of careers in healthcare.
International Programs
GLOBAL CLASSROOM PROGRAMS
Odyssey in Italy: A group of rising 9th graders travel to Sicily and Southern Italy for 10 days in June. Guided by their background in Latin during the first 2 years of Middle School, the students continue the conversation with antiquity which has shaped the Western World.
Archaeology in Portugal: The program offers students the opportunity to spend 3 weeks during the summer working on a Roman excavation.
STUDENT-TO-STUDENT LANGUAGE EXCHANGES These programs are closely aligned with the Upper School language curricula in German, Spanish, and French. N. A. students and their families host students from partner schools, and then travel abroad to share in that same hospitality. While most of the exchanges are for 2 – 3 weeks, opportunities exist for students to spend 9 – 10 weeks overseas.
French: Our exchange with Saint Dominique in Neuilly-sur-Seine( Paris) offers both a short( 2-week) and longer-term exchange( 9-week).
German: Our exchange with Copernicus Gymnasium in Löningen is entering its forty-fourth year, and we believe it is the oldest, continuously-running high school exchange between our countries. We typically host students from Copernicus Gymnasium for 2 – 3 weeks in April, and we travel to Germany for 3 weeks in June.
Spanish: The exchange with Colegio Europeo de Madrid includes a visit from the Spanish students in September; Norfolk Academy students travel to Spain for 2 weeks( including spring break). Students may also apply for a 4 – 5 week exchange with a student attending St. George’ s College in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentinian student visits in winter, while the N. A. student travels in the summer.
LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN CHINA: This three-week summer trip to China combines a student-tostudent exchange with Beijing 101, a leading academic institution in China’ s capital, and, in partnership with Where There Be Dragons, a leadership / global citizenship experience incorporating service learning and a homestay in a rural village.