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A Global Perspective on Education with the Feel of Home
By Carolyn S. Peterson

With each advancement in technology, the world gets a little smaller.  Communication half way around the globe can happen in an instant, and understanding the global perspective on various issues from other countries is needed in today’s marketplace.  Preparing the young women of today for the tomorrow that awaits them is the responsibility and mission that Salem Academy, the private, all-girls’ school in Winston-Salem, NC, has taken with pride for 238 years.

Making the Most of a Special Time in Life
“Your high school years are a stage of life when you are developing as a person.  Attending an all-girls’ school has helped me to focus on what is important: my academics and the friends that I make.  The outside pressures that can come in a co-ed, traditional high school setting are not part of the high school experience at Salem Academy,” said Anna Mullen, a junior day student from High Point.  For Mullen and the 159 other girls at Salem Academy, the contrasts between an all-girls’ school and a co-ed school make a world of difference.  With a rigorous and challenging academic curriculum, students at Salem Academy have much required of them, but the atmosphere in which they learn sets their high school years apart. “Recent studies from the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools have shown many girls cannot achieve their full potential in a coeducational school setting.  Peer pressure, their perceived need to conform to popular opinion and thinking, and a desire to be accepted are just a few reasons many girls suppress their own personality and individuality in a traditional academic setting.  At Salem Academy, girls aren’t inhibited in any area of academics, arts, or sports.  They are able to see what their gifts are, become self assured and be themselves,” stated Karl Sjolund, Head of School.

A Foundation of Leadership
For students at Salem Academy a part of becoming all that they can be in their community and their world begins with taking on leadership roles.  Lucia Uldrick, Director of Admissions for Salem Academy noted that, “The opportunities abound at Salem Academy for our students.  If a girl joins a team, there is no sitting on the bench; being a member of a club or organization means you will have responsibilities.  Students learn valuable lessons about leadership through academics, as well as extra-curricular activities.”  Students take an active role each year in local charities such as Habitat for Humanity, Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, hosted by Salem Academy and College.  As students walk the halls of Salem Academy, they are surrounded by a history of leadership. From the founding of the school in 1772 by early Moravian settlers, who held fast to the belief that girls deserved an education comparable to that of boys, to the teachers in each classroom, the role models and mentors for these women leaders of tomorrow are present at every turn on the campus.  “Our teachers understand girls and the way they learn. They encourage our students to go beyond what they may have thought they could do.  There is interconnectedness between the students and the teachers.  The class sizes keep the girls from becoming a number. Each student is an individual with many choices and possibilities ahead of them,” stated Sjolund.

‘Go to School with the World’
In a typical classroom at Salem Academy, there may be students from around the South, around the world, or just around the corner.  “We currently have six countries and 13 states represented at Salem Academy.  There is no other educational opportunity in the area where students can go to school with the world.  Gaining an understanding that we are no longer isolated, but are part of a global society, is imperative.  One way of achieving this is by sharing classrooms, dorms, and time outside of school with students from other countries.  Each country has its own perspective on world issues, politics, and the importance of subjects such as math.  By educating our students cross culturally, they have a better understanding of how to view the world and how they are viewed by the world,” said Sjolund.  Learning from a global perspective not only occurs through connecting and building friendships with students from other countries, but by a special experience called “January Term.”  January Term is a three week period when juniors and seniors participate in an internship through organizations like hospitals, government offices, or businesses.  Some students even choose to intern abroad – one student even worked with an attorney in India to address child labor issues in the slums of India.  “These three weeks are invaluable to students. When they return, they share their experiences with the entire student body,” commented Uldrick.  During those three weeks, 9^th and 10^th graders take special classes of interest to them, which are not offered on a regular basis.
As a junior, Juree Sun, a native of South Korea, has not only grown as a student at Salem Academy, but also as a young woman.  “One aspect of Salem Academy that impressed me when I enrolled as a freshman was the importance placed on the honor code.  Each student signs the honor pledge during a ceremony in the beginning of the year and I see the honor code as a self reflection, like looking in a mirror and knowing you are upholding a commitment.  Being honest with yourself and others is a trait that I will take with me throughout life,” stated Juree Sun.

The Important Things in Life: Cookie Break and Boys!
Every day between 3^rd and 4^th period, the student body and staff gather for “cookie break.” “Having  time in the day to take a break, share upcoming events, and have a warm chocolate chip cookie makes each day a little better,” said Jacqueline McBride, Director of Communications for Salem Academy and College.  But where do boys come in?  A girl can’t live on cookies alone. “Salem Academy provides social events for both boarding and day students with other all-boys’ schools.  The girls go to dances, mixers, football games, concerts, and other events, so they have plenty of interaction with the opposite sex,” commented Sjolund.  In addition, trips are scheduled to shopping centers and cultural events.

Preparing for the Next Four Years and Beyond
“A student at Salem Academy soon realizes that she is responsible for important decisions, such as properly managing her time.  Our boarding students also need to learn to get along in a dorm setting.  There is no one prodding them to get to class on time; they take the initiative and realize they get out of their education exactly what they want, a fact they take with them to college,” commented Uldrick.
Salem Academy junior Madelyn Stone of Pinnacle, NC, said, “In my three years at Salem Academy, I have become more focused on academics without worrying about the pressures to conform to someone else’s ideas.  I feel that I am well prepared to deal with the years in college and beyond.”  Stone hopes to attend Boston College, or perhaps Boston University, to continue her education.

Salem Academy is steeped in tradition, from Opening Chapel in which letters from alumnae are shared on the first day of school, to Smoosh Cake, to Purple and Gold Day, to theatrical productions, to the final walk through the May Dell for graduation.  Salem Academy continues its centuries-long tradition of educating extraordinary women who will make a meaningful contribution to their communities, and leave the world a better place than they found it.
For more information on Salem Academy, visit www.salemacademy.com or call 721-2643 or 877-407-2536.  Salem Academy is located at 500 Salem Avenue in Winston-Salem, NC.