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2016 SESSION

16103733D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 199
Offered January 21, 2016
Commending Nansemond-Suffolk Academy.
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Patrons-- Jones and Lindsey
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WHEREAS, in 2016, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy celebrates its 50th anniversary of providing a highly regarded college preparatory education for boys and girls from Suffolk and the surrounding Hampton Roads area; and

WHEREAS, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy opened in 1966 as a private elementary school in Suffolk for children in first through seventh grades; four years later, in 1970, the school moved to a 50-acre site west of downtown as it had outgrown its original facilities in Suffolk; and

WHEREAS, the mission of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy is to provide an academically rigorous college preparatory education in an atmosphere fostering moral character, respect, responsibility, and compassion; the school has a commitment to honor above all and also seeks to develop and inspire leaders who value diversity, creativity, scholastic excellence, and community service; and

WHEREAS, by 1971, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy had built a lower school and an upper school to accommodate the rapid growth of the student body; the school proudly marked its first graduation in 1972; and

WHEREAS, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy has a diverse student body and strong extra-curricular programs in athletics and the arts; the school also features campus-wide wireless and Apple estate technology and offers SMART Boards, a 1:1 computer notebook program for sixth-grade through eighth-grade students, and other interactive technologies; and

WHEREAS, class sizes are small at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, with an average of 11 to 15 students per class; before-school and after-school programs are provided, and many students also take advantage of a variety of summer experiences on the school’s expanded 100-acre campus; and

WHEREAS, since its founding, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy has been ably led by six accomplished leaders; currently, Deborah B. Russell is head of the school, which enrolls 730 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade; she leads a dedicated staff of 165 people, more than half of whom hold advanced degrees; and

WHEREAS, in 2016, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy plans to open its Harbour View Campus for pupils in pre-kindergarten through third grade; the state-of-the-art facility will have the latest technological advances and features an enhanced science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum, Spanish instruction, art, physical education, and after-school programs; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Nansemond-Suffolk Academy on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 2016; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Head of School Deborah B. Russell as an expression of the General Assembly’s congratulations and admiration for the outstanding education that Nansemond-Suffolk Academy has provided during the last 50 years and best wishes for a bright future.