Charlotte Latin School is an independent, coeducational, non-sectarian, college-preparatory day school, founded in 1970, serving 1,406 students in transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade and located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. In 1977, Charlotte Latin was the youngest school in the nation to be granted a Cum Laude Society charter, and has been named three times as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education. The school is jointly accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Southern Association of Independent Schools, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
| Charlotte Latin School | |
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| Address | |
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9502 Providence Road , United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Motto | Inlustrate Orbem |
| Established | 1970 |
| Headmaster | Arch N. McIntosh, Jr. |
| Faculty | 200+ |
| Number of students | 1,406 |
| Color(s) | Blue & white |
| Athletics conference | NCISAA |
| Mascot | Hawks |
| Information | (704) 846–1100 |
| Website | http://www.charlottelatin.org/ |
Charlotte Latin's mission is "to encourage individual development and civility in our students by inspiring them to learn, by encouraging them to serve others, and by offering them many growth-promoting opportunities." Charlotte Latin is committed to nurturing the whole child by providing a balanced learning environment that promotes the growth of each student's mind, body, and spirit.
History
In 1969, a group of Charlotte parents decided to found a new school, modeled on New England's seventeenth century "Latin" schools. These parents wanted to make sure their children received a strong, traditional academic foundation, which they felt was being sacrificed by the public schools in favor of largely unproven teaching fads. The school was founded in the shadow of the Federal Court case Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education which challenged the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education's lack of a desegregation plan and which lead to court mandated busing. In September 1970, Charlotte Latin School opened its doors for the first time with 425 students in grades one through nine. The 50-acre (200,000 m2) campus consisted of two buildings: today's Lower School Building and the Administrative Building, which is now Fennebresque Hall. The campus continued to grow with the construction of the 100/200 building, the library (which is now Founders' Hall), and Belk Gymnasium in 1972 and 1973.
Latin graduated its first senior class in 1974. During 1974–75, an addition to the Lower School was built and the football field was completed.
Latin was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 1975, and in 1976–77, Latin was honored as the youngest school in the nation to receive a Cum Laude Society chapter. It was during the 1976–77 school year that the Middle School building also was completed.
During 1980–81, the school expanded with the addition of 42 acres (170,000 m2), which makes up the South Campus. In 1988, Latin's Upper School received the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award from the United States Department of Education.
The Mecklenburg Aquatic Club (MAC) opened on the Latin campus in 1990. This 22-lane natatorium is operated by MAC, as it is called, but also serves as Latin's pool. MAC has produced several Olympians, and has enabled Latin to win numerous swimming titles.
In 1998, Charlotte Latin won the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award a second time, this time for the Lower School.
During the 1999–2000 school year, Latin purchased an additional 30 acres (120,000 m2), bringing the campus to 122 acres (0.49 km2). It is during this time that the Middle School also won the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award.
The Science, Art and Technology Building and the Beck Student Activities Center opened during the 2000–01 school year. At the conclusion of the 2000–01 school year, Dr. Edward J. Fox, Jr. retired after serving 25 years as the school's headmaster. Mr. Arch N. McIntosh, Jr. was named as Latin's new headmaster. Mr. Mark Tayloe is Head of the Lower School; Mrs. Debbie Lamm is Head of the Middle School; and Mr. Lawrence Wall is Head of the Upper School.
Honor Code
Honor is an uncompromised standard at Charlotte Latin School. The Honor System, implemented and monitored by the students and faculty, reflects Latin's emphasis on personal integrity, trust, and respect for one another. The principle of honor is sustained throughout the School community by encouraging honorable behavior through example and by the School's willingness to acknowledge and promote that commitment among its peers. Students adhere to the School's Honor Pledge as a condition of enrollment.
The Honor Code reads: “As a member of the Charlotte Latin Community, I am responsible for upholding and promoting honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and justice in all venues of School life. To maintain personal integrity, I will not cheat, lie, steal, or plagiarize. I will do my best to raise awareness of the importance of honor for the purpose of making Latin a better place to learn and work. I understand the Charlotte Latin School Honor Code and will uphold my HONOR ABOVE ALL.”[1]
Academics
Charlotte Latin subscribes to an educational approach that is traditional in design yet progressive in implementation. The average pupil-teacher ratio is 10 to 1. The teachers at Charlotte Latin are very strictly chosen ensuring students the best quality teaching possible.
One hundred and twenty-nine Latin students have been named National Merit Finalists since 1989.
Nineteen Latin students have been named Morehead Scholars in the school's 42-year history.
Among the prestigious scholarships Latin's students have been offered are the AXA Achievement Scholarship, the Park Scholarship at NC State University, the Morehead-Cain and Pogue Scholarships at UNC-Chapel Hill, the Reynolds and Poteat Scholarships at Wake Forest University, the Jefferson Scholarship at the University of Virginia, the Belk and Bryan Scholarships at Davidson College, the Benjamin N. Duke Scholarship at Duke University, the Danforth Scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis, the Chancellor's and Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarships at Vanderbilt University, the Woodruff Scholarship at Emory University, and the Robertson Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University.
Typically, between sixty to eighty-five percent of the seventh grade class qualifies for the Duke University Talent Identification Program on the basis of standardized test scores.
The Lower School's standardized test scores are some of the highest in the nation among both public and private schools.
Charlotte Latin maintains sister school relationships with schools in Argentina, China, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa and Spain.
The U.S. Department of Education has three times named Charlotte Latin a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. In 1977, Charlotte Latin also became the youngest school to have received a Cum Laude Society charter.
Fine and Performing Arts
Artwork by Latin students is continually exhibited throughout the school's campus, as well as in the Charlotte community, including exhibits at The Mint Museum of Art, The Children's Theatre of Charlotte, and the McColl Center. Over the past 24 years, Latin students have received more than 1,600 regional honors and 36 national awards in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and Congressional Art competitions. In the last 10 years, Latin students have won nine American Vision Awards and 23 Best in Category Awards. Seven pieces of art by Latin students have been featured in a national magazine and other national publications.
More than 30% of the Upper School students perform with the CLS Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, or Orchestra. More than 300 students in fifth through eighth grades participate in performance-based music ensembles. Latin's ensembles regularly receive superior ratings in district festivals. Latin's music students have participated in goodwill music tours to China and Russia, and have performed at Carnegie Hall.
Latin students refine their acting and production talents by presenting quality stage works, such as the annual student directed one-act festival and mid-year musicals, which feature orchestral accompaniment and professional choreography, costumes, and sets. At the Lower School level, the school sponsors a drama club and visits by traveling theater companies as well as a Broadway workshop, while the Middle School presents two plays and a musical each year. The Upper School theater program is rich and varied, including plays, a musical, and theater classes that focus on theater craft, both on and behind the stage. In 2012, the Upper School presented "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which involved a company of 70 performers including 11 fourth and fifth grade students including David Bender, 70 performers, and 20 backstage workers who managed lights, sound, sets, props, and costumes. The production won a Blumey Award for Best Ensemble. Six seniors directed their peers in "Simply Hilarious," a student-produced, one-act festival. More than 60 students participated in the Middle School productions of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Willy Wonka Jr." More than 60 fourth and fifth grade students sang, danced, and acted in "Aladdin Kids."
In 2013 Charlotte Latin lower school students played in Pirates the musical. One of those lead roles was played by David Bender. Upper School students also participated in Les Miserables. One Lower School student named Jackson Edwards played Gavroshe.
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The Friends of Music and the Friends of Theater Arts support the performing arts programs. The Latin Arts Association serves as an umbrella organization and supports the School's fine and performing arts programs.
Athletics
Latin athletic teams continue to enhance the school's winning record, which includes 145 state championships and recognition four times as runner-up and 16 times as winner of the Wachovia Cup, which the school most recently won in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
In 2008, Latin's football team was recognized as the "Sweet 16" champions by The Charlotte Observer. The team received this recognition primarily because of its undefeated 2007 football season. The 2007 championship was the team's third consecutive state championship.
Thirteen members of Latin's Class of 2012 will participate in athletics at the following colleges and universities: Davidson College, Denison University, Georgetown University, James Madison University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Oglethorpe University, Purdue University, Rhodes College, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The University of Richmond and The University of the South (Sewanee).
Notable alumni
- Chris Canty, NFL Defensive End for the New York Giants
- Kathy Guadagnino, Professional Golfer (retired from LPGA Tour)
- Gene Hoffman, Co-Founder of eMusic, Vindicia, and the Calguns Foundation
- Howard R. Levine, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Family Dollar
- Anthony Morrow,[2] NBA Shooting Guard for the Atlanta Hawks
- Jim Rash, Actor and Oscar-winning Screenwriter, currently stars in NBC's "Community"
- Mia Sable, Award-winning Singer/Songwriter