Education - A Foundation of Excellence
The Farmville Area is fortunate to have excellent public and private schools. In addition, Longwood University, Hampden-Sydney College, and Southside Virginia Community College offer the best in higher education.
Prince Edward County Public Schools
The Prince Edward Public Schools educate 2,770 pre-kindergarten to twelfth-grade students from Farmville and throughout the 357-square-mile county. Located on a 135-acre campus just south of Farmville, the Prince Edward Public Schools include ten buildings that house an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.
Prince Edward County Elementary School encompasses grades pre-K through 4 in a campus-style facility. The elementary school focuses on language arts, science, math, and social studies. The school has four computer labs and computers in each classroom.
Prince Edward County Middle School serves grades 5 through 8. The school features three computer labs and a library-media center. The middle school provides outstanding classes in band, chorus, and art. After-school tutoring is available.
Prince Edward County High School boasts a library media center, three computer labs, and computers in all classrooms. The schools offer 24 dual enrollment courses, ranging from calculus to electronics. The Career and Technical Education Center offers a wide range of classes in business and information technology, computer assisted drafting, auto servicing, electronics, health and medical sciences, family and consumer sciences, building trades, agriculture, and horticulture. Through the Southside Regional Technology Consortium, the CTE Center houses a two-way audio-video instructional classroom.
Each year, a large percentage of juniors and seniors earn dual enrollment credit (high school honors classes and community college classes), and 12 students participate in the Governor’s School for Global Economics and Technology, just a few minutes away at Longwood University. Hampden-Sydney College also permits Prince Edward High School students to take courses on its campus free of charge. Approximately 70 percent of the graduates go on to college, and 80 percent of the graduates complete a career-technical program.
Prince Edward is unique among the 134 school divisions in Virginia with its school year of 184 days, instead of 180 days. Several innovative programs also offer students an additional month of instruction during the summer. Prince Edward also has a high level of student participation in after-school activities, which include athletics, tutoring, Academic Challenge and Battle of the Brains, drama, and Future Business Leaders of America. Beginning in fifth grade, students may take band. Each year during the spring and again prior to the beginning of school students in Kindergarten, fifth, and ninth grades are invited, along with parents, to extensive orientation sessions.
Prince Edward Schools employ 450 people, of whom 259 are faculty and administrators. Forty-one percent of the faculty members have earned graduate degrees. Teachers take advantage of numerous professional development opportunities, including classes from Longwood University and the University of Virginia and workshops and conferences in their teaching specialties.
Parents are encouraged to volunteer in the schools, join their children on field trips, and participate in the parent-teacher organizations and booster clubs. An updated phone system provides parents with access to their child’s teachers by way of teacher “mailboxes” and information lines.
Cumberland County Public Schools
The Cumberland Public School System has a student population of 1,400 students and strives to afford each student the opportunity for a first-class education in a safe academic learning environment. Over 115 classroom teachers, media specialists, guidance counselors, and other teaching personnel work together to meet the educational needs of the children. The faculty and staff members of Cumberland County School System are dedicated to the education of each student and are proud of the fact that they assist each student in developing his or her potential. Cumberland Schools strive to meet the academic, physical, and social needs of their students through course selections and various extra-curricular activities offered throughout the year. We believe that each student should receive a first-class education that will allow them access to higher education and future employment. The curriculum is designed to be challenging and motivating for the students who will be entering a global technological age of information.
Cumberland County Public Schools is a progressive school division that is on the cutting edge of technology with computer network labs, hand held computers, school web pages, etc. We believe that each student should have access to a rigorous curriculum that will stimulate thinking and produce new skills. Our school division is working toward preparing students for tomorrow’s world as demonstrated by the Senior Project and by providing each high school student with a laptop.
Dual Enrollment classes are offered in conjunction with Southside Virginia Community College for college credit. Advanced Placement classes are available as well as Virginia Satellite Education Network courses. Each year students are selected to attend the Governor’s School for Global Economics and Technology at Longwood University. These offerings are in addition to a full spectrum of courses available in academic and vocational areas. Longwood students and members of the community provide tutorial services. Community members and parents are involved in the schools with participation in several areas, including the mentor program, the PTA, and the reading buddies program.
Cumberland County Public Schools welcomes individuals to a student-centered academic learning environment designed to prepare students for world citizens.
Fuqua School
Fuqua School, a PK-12, college preparatory, independent day school, strives to serve as a model of educational excellence for rural America. Endowed by J. B. Fuqua, a nationally known businessman and philanthropist, the school serves well over 500 students from 13 counties. A strong curriculum, high expectations for academic achievement and behavior, and a nurturing learning environment foster the development of individual potential, character, and a sense of self-worth. 98% of Fuqua School’s graduates go on to college, and, for the past five years, each graduating class (average 45 students) has been offered collectively from 1.5 to 2 million dollars in college scholarships.
Located on a 60-acre campus, Fuqua School facilities include: an 18,000 square foot lower school Commons with gymnasium, library, and offices; the Wall Memorial Building with gymnasium and stage; the Gee-Price Activity Center; 2 library media centers; 4 computer labs; 2 science labs and a nature trail; 2 music centers, 2 art centers and a studio theater; an applied industrial technology workshop; and extensive athletic fields, including tennis courts, a weight room, a swimming pool complex, and a quarter-mile track.
Fuqua School’s instructional program is based on the concept of “continuous progress.” Each student advances at his/her own rate of learning without pre-determined limits to that advancement. The school has a technology-rich environment with a student to computer ratio of 2:1 (which includes 5 computers in every lower school classroom, 4 computer labs, and 2 automated media centers, all connected through a network).
The lower school (grades PK-5) is multi-aged. Classes consist of two grade levels, and students typically remain with the same teacher for two years, increasing continuity of learning. Art, music, media, computer, and physical education classes are provided weekly by specially trained teachers. In addition, students visit the science lab weekly for hands-on experiences under the guidance of a science lab coordinator. The average class size is 18 students with a full-time teacher assistant in each PK-3 classroom and a part-time assistant in each classroom for grades 4 and 5.
At the middle school level (grades 6-8), instruction is delivered through planning teams in order to monitor both learning and social/emotional well-being, as well as to allow flexible scheduling for maximum instructional time. In addition to the core subjects, students are required to take courses in multi-media and Latin (grade 7) and to explore a range of elective offerings. The average class size is 20.
At the upper school level (grades 9-12), students complete a traditional year course in one semester by taking only four classes each semester rather than seven. Class periods last approximately 85 minutes, providing increased instructional flexibility. A wide range of advanced courses, including “Advanced Placement” and “Dual Enrollment”, is available, as well as courses at Hampden-Sydney College and Longwood University. Class sizes range from 3 to 24, with the average size being 17.
Fuqua School students participate in a wide range of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. The visual and performing arts program features an award-winning band, the Fuqua Players (theater), strong studio art offerings, and piano lessons at the lower school. Students are involved with the publication of the school’s yearbook and with numerous clubs, such as the Student Cooperative Association, Future Business Leaders of America, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Youth for Christ, Technology Club, Ecology Club, and Model General Assembly. In addition, the school offers a wide range of athletic options ranging from football and basketball to swimming and tennis.
Fuqua School maintains a clear “open door” policy to ensure constructive, ongoing dialogue among all members of the school community. Adult education opportunities are available on campus in such areas as computer use, and the academic program is available to home-schooled children on a course by course basis. Fuqua School also offers a variety of summer programs which are open to the public, including a summer day camp and a community pool.
Fuqua School is fully accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). For further information, call 434-392-4131.
New Life Christian Academy
New Life Christian Academy is a K-4 through High School Christ-centered educational experience which equips students to participate in academic, social, physical and vocational realms in a competitive manner as each level strives for excellence.
A credentialed teaching staff led by a Doctor of Ministry professor offers instruction according to the Virginia State Department of Education guidelines in a multi-age setting. At the high school level, students receive instruction in all required subjects including English, history, physics, geometry, algebra, chemistry, trigonometry, Spanish I, II, II, art and music to name a few. In addition chapel services are held weekly on Thursdays for all students. Students participate in a school newspaper and yearbook publications.
The elementary school houses its own library made possible by Target Stores’ gift of $10,000, while the high school library offers computer tracking of the advanced reader program. A computer lab assists students with access to the internet resources.
New Life Christian Academy participates in Christian Conference Volleyball, Junior Varsity Basketball for boys, a team for varsity girls as well as a team for varsity boys. Both teams have led the conference in first place play.
The most recent graduating class had an 88% college enrollment tare. Graduates have entered nursing, ministry and medical courses in college.
The Academy views itself as an extension of the Christian home, reinforcing the ideals, social norms and beliefs of the Christian family. New Life provides services, policies, and programs necessary to accomplish this task and expects students to incorporate Christian beliefs in their academic, social, physical and vocational realms. For further information, call (434) 392-6236 or access our web page with applications.
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney College is a private, selective liberal arts college for men, enrolling just over 1,000 students. The 660-acre campus is a true academic village, mingling professors’ houses with academic buildings; broad lawns and historic buildings complement a state-of–the-art science center, an active research library with 230,000 volumes and 3100 periodicals, an electronic communications center, an optical fiber computer network, wireless classrooms, and an astronomical observatory. It offers 26 majors and many special programs for pre-medicine, pre-law, pre-business, pre-engineering, and pre-ministerial studies, as well as internships and study abroad. The faculty-student ratio is 1:12; students often work closely with their professors to conduct—and publish—independent research. The natural sciences and many other disciplines emphasize real-life conditions for learning (economics students, for example, manage a segment of the College’s endowment). Three of its sports teams are routinely nationally-ranked, and the athletics program is designed to offer every student a chance to compete. The Princeton Review ranks Hampden-Sydney among the top schools in the nation in academics, student political involvement, quality of life, availability of professors, and town-gown relationships.
Since 1775, Hampden-Sydney has produced leaders in every field of endeavor. One alumnus in ten is owner, president, or CEO of a company; another one in ten is a lawyer, doctor, or similar professional. On the basis if the success of its graduates, the College remains committed to the belief that a liberal arts education provides the best foundation not only for a professional career, but also for the moral and intellectual challenges of life. The college’s student-enforced honor code upholds the atmosphere of trust and mutual respect essential to an academic community. Here our students learn that the pursuit of truth is a lifelong endeavor, requiring clarity and objectivity of thought, a sensitive moral conscience, consideration for others, and dedication to responsible citizenship.
Longwood University
Longwood University is a coeducational, comprehensive public institution offering 100 majors, minors, and concentrations to over 4300 students. Founded in 1839, Longwood offers undergraduate programs in business administration, education and human services, the arts and sciences, plus graduate programs in education, environmental science, English, and sociology. Longwood is committed to developing citizen leaders and provides a meaningful learning environment where students learn skills, knowledge and theory and then translate learning into action by doing research, internships, fieldwork, and community service. Longwood requires that every freshman have a laptop computer, and the college integrates technology throughout the learning process. Longwood is also one of the few institutions nationwide to require all students to have an internship or some form of experiential learning prior to graduation.
The Longwood learning environment is enriched by the Greenwood Library that holds 245,000 book titles, 2,100 print journal subscriptions, and some 100 electronic databases including access to 11,000 full-text electronic journals and provides state-of-the-art technology for information retrieval from libraries throughout the world, as well as satellite reception of foreign programs and web access.
Longwood provides leadership and services in the region and the state through the Longwood Small Business Development Center and the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts.
Additionally, Longwood University has a tremendous economic and cultural impact on Farmville and the surrounding communities. A recent study conducted by the Longwood Small Business Development Center estimates that university employees, students, and visitors spent over $100 million in 2001–with 54 percent of that amount being spent in Farmville and the eight surrounding counties.
Longwood is one of the most engaging universities in the country, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement. Based upon ratings from Longwood seniors in 2000, Longwood ranked at the 80th percentile on Academic Challenge, Active & Collaborative Learning, Student Interactions with Faculty, Enriching Educational Experiences, Supportive Campus Environment, Development of Work-related Knowledge and Skills, Engagement with Technology, Engagement with Civic Virtue, and Engagement with Co-curricular Activities. Freshmen rated Longwood at the 70th percentile or higher on all but two of these measures.
For the seventh year in a row, Longwood is ranked among the top regional public schools in the South in the 2005 U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” Guide.
Southside Virginia Community College
Southside Virginia Community College, a comprehensive community college, has been providing quality education to the people of Southside Virginia for nearly thirty five years, through a wide range of post-secondary programs, which include university parallel, technical, vocational, and community service programs. Recognized throughout the Commonwealth for the leadership it has provided in the development of innovative programs, the college takes pride in its community-based education approach to meeting the needs of service area constituents. It is proud of the quality instruction it can provide to a very diverse constituency in both traditional classroom environments and through distance education options. Southside Virginia Community College works with its outstanding faculty to develop its most precious resource-the human resource.
