View Charlotte Latin Through Our Eyes
During a typical day at Charlotte Latin, our students progress in an orderly fashion from one activity to another. Younger students are closely shepherded by their teachers, while older students follow their own schedules, pausing to greet teachers, who respond to them by name. On sunny days, classes may be seen meeting under the canopy of trees surrounding the campus, and informal study halls form amid the gardens and works of sculpture. At least one teacher has chosen a quiet corner to share a personal conversation with a student, and parents move easily about the campus, organizing and attending special events, sharing lunch with their children in the Founders' Hall/Dining Hall, or serving on the numerous committees that support family life.
A walk through the Lower School reveals samples of the students' hard work and creativity proudly displayed on the walls, which are decorated with class projects and brightly colored artwork. Along the Middle and Upper School hallways bookbags, coats, and other personal items stand unattended, waiting for their owners to re-appear. Bound by the School's Honor Code, students agree to respect one another, and locks are not needed. Self-discipline, self-respect, and civility toward others are common values shared by students of diverse backgrounds, races, religions, and nationalities.
In Upper School classrooms, students discuss global issues in their International Studies classes, and an exchange student from Argentina shares stories of home with her American classmates. Students in a political science class listen as the Mayor of Charlotte answers questions about their city. Other dignitaries will visit during the year, sharing their views of world affairs with Charlotte Latin's students and families, such as previous visitors President George Bush, humanitarian Elie Wiesel, Chinese dissident poet Bao Din, and Dith Pran, the inspiration for the book and movie, The Killing Fields.
Down a short path, Middle School science students are taking water samples, and checking the condition of the native flora and fauna around the campus' two-acre pond. Part of the science curriculum in every grade, students enjoy the outdoor classroom, which typifies the participatory, hands-on learning experience favored at Charlotte Latin. The water is in good condition, thanks to student and faculty volunteers who have initiated a pond reclamation project to save the threatened pond from pollution generated by nearby development. The students embrace stewardship of their environment at a young age, and their pond reclamation project has become a national model for others working to save their habitat.
After they leave the pond, these Middle School students will dress for Intramurals, a combination of athletics and games that fosters participation and sportsmanship over competition and self-importance. Students organize their teams within their advisory groups, and develop positive peer relationships as they challenge their minds and bodies.
Across the campus, strains of music float from the vocal and instrumental music classes. The lights in Thies Auditorium are probably turned low, as practice for the annual Grandparents' Day performance or spring musical is underway. Excitement builds among the cast members, and parents will soon be entertained by their budding stars.
As the school day draws to an end, cars line up side-by-side with the School's shiny white buses. Some students head home, while others run to the gym to practice for one of Latin's 65 athletic teams. Other students attend club meetings, from chess to Student Council, while a committed group of Upper School students leaves to volunteer with children at a school near Charlotte's uptown center. At every grade level, students participate in organized, age-appropriate community service projects that extend their grasp of the issues and needs of the world around them.
Early evening finds Moms and Dads coming to the School from work and home to watch a tennis match or lacrosse game, or to cheer the Hawks basketball or football teams to victory. They greet one another, many Latin alumni themselves, and share anecdotes and stories about their children and jobs. As dark descends, families leave the campus for the final time that day. In their homes that night, located across the city, they will conduct their private lives, knowing that their connection to Latin forges lifelong ties with one another.