Landing Hero Green
Durham Academy Newsroom
The Latest:
Moral, Happy, Productive Lives in Action
In each of Durham Academy’s divisions, future generations of writers are finding their purpose and audience — all the while becoming lifelong readers, debaters and thinkers. Come take a look inside DA’s language arts classrooms, the second of our Subject Spotlights that we’re sharing in News & Notes this school year.
Peterson is well aware of the tropes of perfectionism: an endless need for validation, a steadfast belief that there’s only one path to success, a persistent fear that any stumble will thwart success forever. She lived it as an undergrad at Duke University, where a series of health setbacks — disordered eating, anxiety attacks, a depressive episode — were all the result of trying to be perfect without appearing overwhelmed. She shared her story Wednesday in a visit with DA Upper Schoolers and faculty, as well as parents and caregivers, to put a name to the pervasive feeling that so many young people experience in middle and high school: the need for effortless perfection.
Durham Academy Magazine
DA Marketing & Communications Team
Leslie King
Director of Marketing & Communications
C: 678-613-6707
P: 919-287-1729
Kate Auger
Digital Content Specialist
Melody Guyton Butts
Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications
Dylan Howlett
Writer & Content Strategist
Jesse Paddock
Videographer
Victoria Price
Creative Services Manager
Durham Academy’s magazine was first published in 1974. The annual publication features articles written by various members of the DA community, including faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and students.
It’s been a year of milestones at Durham Academy: the graduation of the biggest senior class in DA history, including the most future college student-athletes ever; the opening of the largest building on all of DA’s campuses, completing a major phase in the plan to reimagine the Middle School campus; the announcement of a new, rigorous, flexible curriculum in the Upper School; and a deepening commitment to both sustainability efforts and diversity, equity and inclusion.
These are but a few of the examples of how DA is flourishing and evolving to prepare students for moral, happy, productive lives.
Mission-Driven
Mission-Driven is Durham Academy’s blog about everyday examples of the moral, happy, productive lives of our students, faculty, staff, families and alumni. There’s something special about the DA experience, and we’ll share it with you here — defining who we are through our traditions, our hopes and our dreams for the future.
Last week, a group of Durham Academy faculty, staff and students traveled to St. Louis to join other independent schools at two of this year’s NAIS Conferences: 13 faculty and staff participated in the People of Color Conference (PoCC), and six Upper School students attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). For Bonnie Wang, attending the PoCC was a continuation of her unceasing work toward helping her students along their journey of self-realization.
Elizabeth Wong '23 was among eight Upper Schoolers who explored interests at the first-ever TEDxDA event.
In 2022–2023, sustainability efforts gained official status through an Innovation Journey Fund grant. We established a Sustainability Leadership Team and contracted with the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education and GreenPlaces.
Faculty members have written personal notes for each member of the class for the last nine years.
Upper School computer science teacher Julian Cochran tackles the adventure of a lifetime through Durham Academy's faculty sabbatical program.
DA partnered with the Triangle Nonprofit and Volunteer Leadership Center for the fall 2021 Senior Service Project.