The Virginia Beach schools Office of Academy Programs has scheduled its annual Academies and Advanced Academic Programs Night for Wednesday, October 22, 2008. The event will be held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., and offers current eighth-grade students and their parents the opportunity to preview the division’s high school Academy Programs and Advanced Academic Programs.

The program will feature superintendent Dr. James G. Merrill, who will welcome attendees, followed by Dr. Kelly A. Hedrick, director of the Office of Academy Programs, giving an overview of the scheduled activities. She will also introduce the academy and advanced academic program coordinators. A video about the programs will run continuously in the ballroom. Breakout sessions featuring each academy program and advanced academic program will be presented on the half hour, continuously until 9 p.m. Program coordinators, students, and teachers will be on hand to answer questions.

The Global Studies and World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School, Health Sciences Academy at Bayside High School, the International Baccalaureate Program at Princess Anne High School, the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School, the Mathematics and Science Academy at Ocean Lakes High School, the Technology Academy at Landstown High School, and the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School are among the programs to be featured. Each academy/advanced academic program functions as a school-within-a-school, with a student body drawn from secondary schools across the city. Students must apply to an academy program or advanced academic program for admission and be accepted in order to attend. Each academy program and advanced academic program typically holds an open house in December or January for students and their parents to have the opportunity to see the school’s facilities and learn more about the program in greater depth. Schedules for information nights can be found on the VBCPS Web site, vbschools.com.

Academy program and advanced academic program applications will be available at middle and high school guidance departments. They can also be found at vbschools.com. Completed applications are due to students’ guidance offices by Monday, February 2, 2009. For more information, please contact any middle or high school guidance office or the Office of Academy Programs at 757.263.1405.

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