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= Gaston Day School =

Founded in 1967, Gaston Day School is a nonsecretarian, college-preparatory school for grades pre-kindergarten through 12 with approximately 500 students and 65 full and part-time faculty and staff. Located in Gastonia, NC, Gaston Day attracts students from a five county area including Gaston, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Cleveland, and York and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is also a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Southern Association of Independent Schools, and the North Carolina Association of Independent schools and approved by the North Carolina Department of Education.

History
Originally located in Belmont, North Carolina, Gaston Day began with 131 students in grades one through nine under the leadership of Mr. J.B. “Bill” Davis as headmaster. The school served families from Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, and Cleveland counties in North Carolina as well as York County in South Carolina.

From its earliest years to the present, Gaston Day School has provided local families of all faiths, races, and walks of life with a well-rounded, college-preparatory education.

In response to increasing enrollment and the need for larger facilities, the school moved to its present location in Gastonia in September of 1970. The original building, which is now the William S. Henry Family Academic Center, contained the entire school. The first graduating class in 1971 began a tradition of acceptance to many fine colleges and universities across the country, and enrollment grew.

The athletic program was strong from the outset and included the following varsity sports: girls and boys basketball and tennis, girls volleyball, football, golf and track. In the mid 1970’s, the girls varsity basketball team won the state championship three years in a row,and the boys varsity basketball team was one of the strongest in the region.

By 1980 enrollment had grown to over 500 students as Gaston Day had earned a reputation of academic excellence. In the early 1990s, the W. Duke Kimbrell Classroom Building was constructed. In 1995, Ms. Julia Wall became Head of School and initiated significant technology and building programs. In 1999, the state-of-the-art Pamela Kimbrell Warlick Visual and Performing Arts Center was built. As a result, the fine arts—visual arts, band, chorus, and drama—have become an integral part of a Gaston Day School education. The next year, the James H. Henry Student Activity Center was added.

Dr. Richard Rankin, a 1975 Gaston Day School graduate, became Head of School in 2001. In the years since, academic programs have produced rising standardized test scores; recognition in local, regional, and national academic contests; and admissions to some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation.

In 2003, Gaston Day embarked on its first capital campaign in more than a decade. The results were remarkable and transformative. Mr. W. Duke Kimbrell gave the school $6.5 million to completely eliminate its debt. An additional $3 million was raised for capital improvements, including a renovation of the original building, renamed the William S. Henry Family Academic Center.

Today, academic excellence has become the school’s hallmark: the Lower and Middle Schools score in the top half of the nation’s independent schools on standardized tests; SAT scores on critical reading and math are consistently Gaston County’s highest; and our AP test pass rate is over 80%. With general academic excellence in all upper school subjects, the writing and fine arts programs regularly win regional and national awards. Athletics and the Fine Arts remain integral to the comprehensive education that the school provides, and enrollment continues to top 500 students. Gaston Day School has a rich history and looks forward to a bright future of continued growth and academic excellence.

Vision, Mission, Community Values, & Core Beliefs
Vision: To be the finest independent day school in the southeastern United States.

Mission: To educate our students and prepare them for academic success and responsible productive lives.

Community Values:
 * Integrity
 * Excellence
 * Curiosity and Creativity
 * Service and Generosity
 * Responsibility and Self-Discipline
 * Confidence and Courage
 * Respect for Self and Others

Core Beliefs:
 * Student Centered - The student is at the center of everything we do; the growth of the student is our foremost consideration.
 * Teaching Excellence - The faculty will be highly qualified, professional, and care deeply about each students's academic success and personal growth. The school is committed to developing our faculty and academic administrators into leaders in independent school education.
 * Challenging and Relevant Curriculum - The curriculum will be inspiring, dynamic, and promote academic excellence, critical thinking, creative application, physical development and personal integrity. Further, it will reflect the best educational theory and practice, entertain innovation, and prepare our middle and upper school students to compete successfully in local, regional, and national competitions.
 * Safe and Nurturing Community - The school must be a place that keeps students safe physically and emotionally, and one that promotes our community values.

Lower School Philosophy (Pre-K-4th grade)
Discovery and challenge are the hallmarks of the Pre-School and Lower School program at Gaston Day. The students and teachers work together to discover new concepts, master skills, learn important facts, and weave them all together into an exciting "tapestry of knowledge."

The children are encouraged to become effective communicators and critical thinkers. Every task is designed to help the children take intellectual risks and become confident, knowledgeable, reflective, and open-minded. Our language arts and mathematics programs provide the basic structure for the academic day.

Blocks of uninterrupted time are scheduled for instruction in these areas. This time is used for a myriad of activities allowing for individual, small group, or whole class instruction. Because children love to explore and embrace the world using all their senses, instruction extends beyond the classroom walls. Frequent field trips, special guest speakers, and virtual tours give students firsthand experiences that bring classroom lessons to life.

Our multisensory approach to education extends to the world of fine arts, where lessons in music, art and drama are coordinated with units of study in the classroom. Through a deliberate program of character education, we encourage our students to become caring and empathetic toward their peers, the community in which they live, and their global neighbors.

Middle School Philosophy (5th-8th grade)
Middle school is a time of growth, change, and discovery. Our goal is to foster the development of healthy, happy, responsible, and productive adolescents. Students in grades 5 and 6 have the opportunity to change classes and choose electives while students in grades 7 and 8 continue to see their options grow.

They have a new freedom and independence that is accompanied by support and guidance from teachers. Organizational, communication, and social skills are honed through classroom and homework assignments, grade level projects, and social and athletic opportunities.

Academic abilities and interests are challenged through rigorous course work. During these years, our children become adolescents. They have the opportunity to take risks, discover talents, and stretch themselves in the comfort of a wholesome, nurturing environment.

Upper School Philosophy (9th-12th grade)
Upper School is a time of focus, self-exploration, and achievement. Our goal is to challenge students to discover who they are and who they want to be – and then to partner with them and develop a plan that enables them to get there.

Strong faculty advisors, honors, AP, elective courses, independent studies, and a plethora of opportunities in athletics, clubs, leadership, and the arts provide a framework for student success.

Individualized college placement counseling complements the process, helping students to select and prepare for institutions of higher learning that fit their individual interests, abilities, and goals.

The Learning Academy at Gaston Day School
The Learning Academy is a program of students, teachers, administrators, and parents working together to nurture and encourage the academic potential in every student. The Learning Academy offers a student-centered atmosphere that provides remediation and academic support based on each student's individual strengths and weaknesses. The staff of the Learning Academy is comprised on qualified teachers and specialists devoted to supporting the academic environment and education mission at Gaston Day School, while meeting the individual needs of students in the Learning Academy.

Drama
Theatre Arts engages students in the process of drama, enabling them to develop more dynamic communication skills, expand their critical and creative thinking abilities, and work with their peers toward a common purpose. All students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of dramatic productions, whether on stage, as a stage manager or crew, or in set design, sound or lighting design. Drama classes begin as early as the second grade and culminate in two major productions, including our heralded spring musical. Our students perform in the Pamela Kimbrell Warlick Center, a state-of-the-art performance hall featuring 550-seats, modern lighting and sound systems as well as a professional dance studio. For more information, visit Gaston Day's Actors' Conservatory Theatre website.

Music
Students come to Gaston Day with a wide range of musical interests, talents, and aspirations. The music curriculum is designed to expose students to the study and practice of music. As such, our students are trained in the foundations of singing, movement, improvisation, reading, writing, and performing. In the middle school, students have the opportunity to play in an instrumental ensemble, which includes woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, and guitar. Private lessons are also available from professional musicians who are contracted through the school. Students may also choose to sing in the Middle School Chorus or the Upper School Vocal Performance Ensemble. Over the past six years, our chorus students have been recognized as "superior" in regional adjudications and have earned entrance into the North Carolina School of the Arts as well as Governor's School. The Gaston Day chorus has performed at St. Mary Le Bow, Canterbury Cathedral, and participated in a joint concert with the Westminster Youth Orchestra.

Visual
At every level, art instruction is committed to teaching students how to manipulate a broad range of media in keeping with the developmental abilities of students, as well as with the focus of the curriculum. Upper School students who choose to continue with art are trained in drawing, painting, sculpting, and portfolio development. As such, Gaston Day art students have earned numerous Scholastic and Pinnix Prize art awards.

Athletics
Around 70% of GDS students participate in one or more sports. Whether students work out in our multi-million dollar sports complex, or cheer the Spartans to victory at our homecoming game, everyone is a true blue fan! From our boys and girls state championship basketball teams to our regionally ranked soccer teams, we have a competitive athletics program. If sports are your passion, GDS offers a wide range of opportunities to participate in a sport or to cheer for your team. The Gaston Day Spartans offer sports teams for grades 6-12.