Above & Beyond:
Allen Academy
Article & Photos Courtesy of | Allen Academy
Founded in 1886 as a coeducational day school, Allen Academy continues to be the preeminent independent school in the Bryan-College Station area serving 340 students from Brazos and surrounding counties. From Pre-K to 12th grade, the learning opportunities are endless for every student. Whether dissecting squid in Kindergarten, participating in wetland conservation in Middle School, or competing with the Mock Trial team in Upper School, Allen Academy provides a safe environment that allows risk taking, views obstacles as opportunities, and champions a growth mindset in students of all ages.
More importantly, we are a school where meaningful relationships are developed because we believe they are essential for students to thrive. Within our school community, families participate actively, faculty engages passionately, and students are challenged intellectually. With a commitment to low teacher/student ratios, Allen Academy’s ability to differentiate and seize teachable moments allows for more meaningful learning. Science teacher, Stephanie Hanover, notes, “What makes Allen Academy special is our kids and the fact that this is more like a family than a school. Our kids are bright, curious, and motivated to learn and to do things, and we have the freedom to foster those creativities and turn them into realities.” Mrs. Hanover’s Middle and Upper School Rocketry Teams demonstrated this as they soared to new heights last spring, traveling to Washington, D.C. to compete at the National level of the Team America Rocketry Challenge.
In addition to academic excellence, Allen Academy offers a wide variety of athletics, fine arts, and several robust student life programs throughout the year. Drama students from Middle School brought a dual-language production of ¡Bocón! by Lisa Loomer to the PSIA competition stage last spring, while Upper School art, drama, and music students presented their artwork and performance pieces at the ISAS Arts Festival in Dallas, Texas. This participation was possible because of the school’s accreditation by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS). The school’s status as a Member School allows students and teachers to benefit from being part of an expanded community of learners, and partner with other high-achieving and goal-oriented students in independent schools throughout the region.
There is also a school-wide focus on emotional intelligence and cultivating adaptive expertise. Adaptive expertise is best described as a merging of skillset and mindset in an iterative process that welcomes and champions the concept of learning from failure to build the mindset necessary to be an adaptive expert. The two areas are brought together through an intentional process of reflection and communication, through either written or oral expression, such as test corrections including an explanation of how/why the problem was missed and what went wrong, student led conferences, self assessment that requires evidence for specific ratings, or end-of-unit reflections on both achievements and habits of mind.
Paul Dyson, an Allen alum and parent, is a proponent of the school’s focus on adaptive expertise. “One of the big things that has sold me on Allen, especially through the years, is their attention to teaching how to learn and not necessarily teaching a certain subject. One of my favorite quotes from our son was when he came home one day and he said, “Did you know PK2 are problem solvers?” It was a key word to us, because that’s exactly how you want your kids to leave a school, thinking that they can solve any problem that they’re going to face.”
Allen Academy invites you to come see the difference an independent school can make in the life of your child. Visit AllenAcademy.org, “Like” us on Facebook (@AllenAcademyTX), or schedule a campus tour by calling (979) 776-0731.