Located in Wheeling, West Virginia, The Linsly School is a private, independent day and boarding school for students in grades 5 through 12. It is accredited by the Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS) and is also a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS).
“We at The Linsly School aspire to prepare well-rounded, responsible global citizens who excel throughout their academic studies, professional careers, and civic involvement,” shares Mr. Justin Zimmerman, Head of School.
Backed by a Rich History
The Linsly School has a proud and rich history of over 200 years. It dates back to 1814, when a visionary young lawyer, Noah Linsly, left instructions and the resources to construct a school for the young people of Wheeling. Chartered as a Lancastrian Academy, the school occupied two sites, on 13th Chapline Streets and 15th Eoff Street. At that time, admission was limited to boys.
By 1877, the academy was known as Linsly Military Institute, adopting a military school’s dress and discipline. However, it was Linsly students, through their academic and athletic achievements, who generated the enthusiasm of its leaders to continually expand the Linsly facilities. Owing to this, the school changed from a military structure to a traditional boys’ college preparatory school to finally a coeducational school. In 2014, The Linsly School celebrated its 200th Anniversary and continued to fulfill its founder’s words, “Forward and no retreat.”
A Strong College Preparatory Curriculum
The Linsly School offers a college preparatory curriculum for students in grades 5 through 12 that combines the traditional values of hard work, respect, honor, honesty, and self-discipline within a challenging academic program designed to unlock the potential of each student. Likewise, it is the expectation that all Linsly students strive for excellence in seven academic performances such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, technological literacy, creativity, inquiry, and leadership. This unique combination of character performance and college preparatory courses sets the foundation for a Linsly graduate to prepare to lead and succeed in college and beyond.
In addition, The Linsly School recently established the James F. Companion Leadership Institute, a grade 9-12 leadership development curriculum for all students. This program emphasizes leadership development, college counseling, career planning, and preparing Linsly students to be well-rounded and confident service-oriented leaders throughout their life. Moreover, to encourage creativity and innovation in students, Linsly uses the Understanding by Design (UbD) Curriculum Planning Framework, incorporating middle school portfolio reviews, regular PBL projects, and authentic assessments through its Middle School STEAM (Science Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Program.
Promoting Small Class Sizes & Individualized Learning
At Linsly, the student-to-teacher ratio is 1:7, and small class sizes with an average of 12 students per class. Regarding the educational approach, the school provides individualized education to help its students reach their full potential. If a student needs extra help, the faculty is available to offer individual support and one-on-one instruction before and after school hours. Likewise, Linsly offers a peer tutoring program and a unique academic support program known as the Aviator Program for those students who need additional guidance.
A Well Experienced & Highly Qualified Faculty
The Linsly teachers are experts in their subject content area and well-versed in teaching and learning methods and pedagogy. They not only bring curriculum plans and objectives to life but are also interested in the overall development of their students. To make this happen, the faculty creates a supportive environment where students feel comfortable taking risks and challenging themselves.
Alternatively, The Linsly School offers professional development opportunities annually based on well-researched best practices and provides extensive funding for faculty members to participate in off-campus workshops, conferences, graduate work, or other training programs.
What Sets The Linsly School Apart from Others?
The Linsly School nurtures a family-like atmosphere that helps students to grow and develop under the guidance of faculty members who know them by name and care about their future. Academic excellence and character development are woven through all dimensions of a Linsly education to foster the whole person—intellectually, ethically, and physically. With 100% college placement, Linsly’s record as an excellent college preparatory academy speaks for itself.
As a result, every day, Linsly students develop a love of learning; lead in times of challenge, and live purposeful lives. This engaging experience makes education at Linsy truly unique.
Involving Parents in their Child’s Learning Journey
“As teachers, coaches, advisors, club leaders, theatre directors, and dorm parents, we welcome the opportunity to get to know our parents and their children both inside and outside of the classroom,” shares Mr. Zimmerman. Together, as partners in their education, the Linsly faculty works with parents and students to help them discover their strengths and weaknesses and to nurture students through their educational journey. He further adds, “In a constantly changing world where we are uncertain about what the future holds for our students, we are committed to challenging our students to work hard academically and also to practice the skills they will need for success in college and beyond.”
Additionally, Linsly has an engaged Linsly Parent Association (LPA) where parents often volunteer to help day and boarding students have memorable experiences throughout the year. The school also takes great pride in weekly communicating with parents through the Linsly Ties Newsletter and regular videos and other social media posts.
A Vibrant Campus Where Learning Never Stops
The Linsly School’s scenic 57-acre campus offers an ideal setting for a safe and vibrant learning community. Furthermore, Linsly’s newly renovated Banes Hall serves as the school’s primary academic building, housing twenty-seven classrooms, modern science laboratories, continually upgraded computer centers, a technology-rich library, music room, swimming pool, and cafeteria. In addition, the Williams Visual Arts Center provides top-quality studio, classroom, and gallery space, while the Hess Center offers equipment for students interested in woodworking. The Dlesk Conference Center is a unique place for meetings or simply searching the Linsly history archives.
Apart from these, Linsly’s Stifel Field House is the home facility for Linsly athletics and has modern and newly renovated locker rooms, a performance weight room, an athletic training room, and indoor practice and competition space for basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and cheering. The school also has an all-natural grass football/lacrosse field, tennis courts, and a baseball and softball field on campus.
A Student-Focused Approach Taken During the Pandemic
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Linsly School prioritized a student-first approach that helped students worldwide. The Head of the School, Mr. Zimmerman, shares that the school never closed its dorms and had boarding students residing on campus even while the government officials forced the school to shift to remote instruction. When the Governor of West Virginia forced all public, private, and parochial schools to shift to remote instruction, Linsly boarding students had a tremendous advantage. First, they could remain at school, and although classes were being taught virtually for a period, they had daily access to their instructors who resided on campus. In addition, Linsly instructors were very well-versed in using online tools to teach ‘live’ synchronous classes, unlike other schools.
Consequently, boarding students from Linsly never stopped learning and remained engaged. In addition, boarding students who could not return due to the pandemic for the fall of 2021 had a 100% virtual option with classes being taught by Linsly teachers. This kept them engaged and prevented them from missing significant learning opportunities.
Planning Ahead
The Linsly School is guided by its bold strategic plan, Forward Together! Enhancing Excellence and Innovation. This plan guides improvements in program excellence and innovation, new residential, athletic, and performing arts facilities, and enhanced endowment support for financial aid and faculty support. Moreover, the school is planning to break ground on a new 48-bed dormitory which will also have faculty apartments for four full-time faculty/staff and their families by this fall.
For More Info: https://www.linsly.org/