Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences

Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences is a private school in Wilmington, North Carolina that focuses on education for academically gifted students in grades 4-8.HistoryWilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences was established in 1997 and was founded by Patti Defendal. Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences is the first school in Wilmington, North Carolina to concentrate on advanced academics. At WAAS (Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences) there is a 4-5th grade classroom and there are 6-8th grades. WAAS concentrates on Science, Mathematics, Language Arts, Social Studies, Spanish, and Explorations.AlumniAmong notable people that went to WAAS is Sam Spaulding who attends Yale University and was a finalist on the college Jeopardy! tournament. Out of the six high schools in Wilmington, North Carolina, three have either valedictorians or salutorians that are former WAAS students. The valedictorians of the Hoggard High School classes of '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, and '14 have all been WAAS graduates.Administration and facultyWAAS is currently headed up by Beth Upton, a veteran of the New Hanover County AIG program. Current faculty includes: Director: Beth UptonSocial Studies Teacher: Allyson KeatingMath Teacher: Jesse SimonScience Teacher: Lisa GiacomelliLanguage Arts Teacher: Melissa Puritis-PulleySpanish Teacher: Stephanne MarshExplorations/P.E. Teacher: Sandy Errante4/5 Teacher: Katie HamiltonExtracurriclular activitiesWAAS offers many extracurricular activities. The clubs and groups are run by parents and teachers. Chess clubRunning ClubYearbookGirls Tennis: allowed by Echo Farms Country ClubBoys TennisMath CountsStudent Government AssociationArt clubRock BandBoys BasketballGirls BasketballScience OlympiadLego RoboticsTheater Club