Fountain Valley School
Description of Fountain Valley School
- Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
- Students age: 14-18 years old
- Total number of students: 240 people (72% are at the hostel)
- Type of studying: mixed
- Type of accommodation: residence (boarding house)
- Language of instruction: English.
The Fountain Valley School is a private preparatory school for students who are 14-18 years old (9-12 grades), helping them to effectively complete the secondary education course and prepare for enrolling in the chosen university. The curricula harmoniously combine the academic, sporting, creative and personal components: here they bring up self-confident, tolerant and loving, open and curious personalities capable of becoming a new world elite.
The school was founded by Elizabeth Sage Hare in 1930: the founding company sought to combine traditional, proven educational standards and innovative progressive ideas - the school has been following this principle for more than 80 years. There is always a benevolent, comfortable atmosphere that helps children to reveal themselves, to show their best character traits and strengths of a person. The institution is accredited by the Association of Colorado Independent Schools: the standards of this organization have been recognized by the State Board of Education of the State of Colorado.
Fountain Valley School is always glad to learn from other countries: today students from Germany, Great Britain, Russia, Australia, Bulgaria, Japan, Hungary, Spain and other countries study here. Foreign students are helped to learn in a new academic and linguistic, cultural environment, to prepare for enrolling in American universities, colleges and higher schools. Classes include up to 12 people, so that teachers can give each student a maximum of personal attention, practice an individual approach, closely monitor its progress and success.
In total, the school teaches more than 90 subjects, including 21 disciplines at the advanced Advanced Placement (AP) level. Great attention is paid to linguistic education: English, French, Spanish, Chinese (adverb mandarin), classical Latin, English as a foreign language (ESL). Language programs on average last during the year: students not only learn grammar and vocabulary, but also get acquainted with the culture and history of the chosen country, its geographical features and traditions. This makes it possible to really deeply understand the national identity of each state, the influence of culture and history on the language, on its development.
Programs and prices, tuition fees in Fountain Valley School
Advance Placement (AP)
A traditional American course is designed for high school students, which makes it possible to effectively complete the course of secondary education and prepare for admission to the chosen university or higher school. The subjects at the AP level are studied in-depth, on a more complex, almost university level: thanks to this, some of them can even be credited to the first year of the chosen faculty. In general, AP-certificate is recognized throughout the world (more than 50 countries), but is most common in the US and Canada.
The list of subjects available for an in-depth study is quite extensive - each student will be able to focus on the priority area of ​​knowledge:
- Computer science
- Chemistry
- The World History
- English Language and Literature (+ essay)
- Art-design (2D and 3D)
- French language and culture
- Biology
- Microeconomics
- Chinese language and culture
- Macroeconomics
- Spanish language and culture, etc.
English Courses - English as a Second Language (ESL)
A special intensive language program is designed for foreign students who want to effectively improve all key skills in a short time:
- Grammar
- Reading
- Auditing (listening comprehension)
- Vocabulary
- Written speech
- Oral speech (spoken English)
- Phonetics (correct pronunciation, accent correction)
- Improve communication skills.
Students will also acquire and consolidate the academic skills necessary for full-fledged education along with other students. The program is complementary: it is offered in conjunction with the basic educational course.
Accommodation, meals, prices
On the school campus there are 10 Residential Houses (half for boys, half for girls): each is designed for 16-20 students, as well as a small number of mentors, educators. During extra-curricular hours, students can gather in the spacious, cozy common living room of each House: upholstered furniture, fireplaces and functional student kitchen will make you feel at home, feel part of a single family, relax.
Subjects, specialties
Activities Fountain Valley School
Interesting activities and entertainments for students in the school take place almost every day: it can be like a home joint movie screening with pizza, and a trip to the ski resort Buena Vista.
The sports direction is developed - there are 33 sections and clubs in the school:
- Golf
- Field hockey
- Basketball
- Rock climbing
- Equestrian sport
- Tennis
- Running
- Skiing
- Mountain biking
- Volleyball
- Swimming and etc.
Sports are divided into seasons (spring, autumn and winter), some types are also divided into male and female teams. Since the 1930s the teams have been working under the name Great Danes (often referred to simply as Danes), and since 2012 they have received their own mascot - the dog Duke, who actively use fans and support groups during team games, matches and competitions.
A great place in school life has always been occupied by art: visual, acting and theatrical, music (singing in the choir, playing musical instruments, participation in musical groups and ensembles), choreography. The program on art seeks to develop a sense of aesthetic taste and literacy among students, to reveal the creative potential of the student - thanks to this approach, many graduates make a career in this area. The school also offers such non-standard directions as ceramics, art forging for metal, film production, art design (2D or 3D), photography.
In 2010, the school established a special Guild of Arts, which annually awards the best creative students. Regularly since 1967, the Dominic Dunn Film Festival is held here: it is the first competition in the country for young filmmakers established by the secondary school (its name was given in honor of the school graduate in 1977).
Facilities and equipment at Fountain Valley School
The school is located in the city of Colorado Springs, and consists of two buildings: the main one is located practically at the foot of the majestic Rocky Mountains (an area of ​​1100 acres), and the second one - in the resort town of Buena Vista (area of 40 acres). All year round students are surrounded by magnificent picturesque landscapes, which serve as a source of inspiration for achieving personal and academic goals.
Admission dates and extra charges
The list of following services is paid additionally:
- Registration fee and necessary fees (including rent of sports equipment, deposit for accommodation, laundry services, etc.)
- Lessons Riding
- Skiing h (does not include equipment rental and ski-pass)
- Hockey in the team
- Mountain biking
- Course Outdoor Education
- Tutorials, books and materials
- Deposit confirming the place on the course
- Examination Boards
- Additional academic and language classes (optional)
- Additional leisure activities and excursions (optional)
- Roundtrip air tickets
- Transfer in both directions
- Mandatory health insurance
- Personal pocket expenses
- Visa fees and services, translation and certification of documents
- Consular fee (payable at the Embassy).
Extras:
- Registration fee (for a programme/course) 2300 USD
- Study materials 1000 USD
- Medical insurance 1500 USD
Entry requirements, how to apply, what is required to enrol
In general, students enter the school in the age of 14 years. Each of them must pass a personal interview (personally or by Skype), provide a completed application form and application, as well as the following documents:
- Report card from the previous school (grades for the last 2 years)
- Recommendations from teachers (in the priority of the teacher of mathematics and English), the director and the class teacher
- Certificate of sufficient level of English (in the US this is traditionally TOEFL).
Usually documents are accepted up to 1st February (main stream).
Institution on the map
Residence permits, citizenship and other services
- Guardianship services during the studies
- Student supervision
Review about Fountain Valley School
Recommendations on when to apply
| Language courses, schools and children's language camps | Primary and secondary education - private schools | Preparation programmes for entering universities - higher education | Higher education (after completing accredited programs A-level, IB, High School) - Bachelor, Master, MBA |
| - we recommend to apply 6-9 months before the start of the course (some camps and schools offer discounts for early booking or for lengthy study programs) - there are some very popular and high demand children's camps, where the applications need to be submitted 1 year in advance (in particular Switzerland , Great Britain , USA , Canada , Austria) | - we recommend to apply one year before the start of the training program, - some schools have a specific time frame (September-November - please specify an individual school) - some schools require tests in several stages (UKISET, internal tests of the school: English, mathematics, logics, subjects, interview, some require a personal visit) | - we recommend to apply one year before the start of the program, - for Foundation and Pathway programs, IELTS and TOEFL certificates are usually required, respectively | - recommended submission one year before the start of the program, - the deadline normally closes in January, for TOP HEIs and, as a rule, in March in other universities - for a bachelor, a Foundation or Pathway preparatory program a completed A-level, IB, High School + IELTS / TOEFL are required - for Masters you need a graduated higher education, in some cases you need a pre-Masters program - MBA requires completed higher education, work experience preferably at least 2-3 years, etc. |
