Upper Columbia Academy
Encyclopedia
Upper Columbia Academy is a 9-12 boarding
high school
located in Spangle, Washington
, about 20 miles (32 km) south of Spokane
. It is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church
.
. That original school closed due to lack of space and physical plant problems - walls were held together by metal cables mounted on both sides of the rooms. The school had to find a bigger place and Pastor Mote was empowered by the church leadership to spend no more than $100,000 for a school. Pastor Mote came to the auction for the old poor farm in Spangle, but the minimum opening bid was over his limit. He told the auctioneer that he couldn't bid, so minimum opening bid was lowered to $100,000. Pastor Mote's was the only bid and the property was purchased, along with 15 hogs that they sold for $1500 to provide operating capital for the first year of school.
at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. About 275 students attended UCA in 2005-2006. During this notable school year, UCA won the prestigious Academy Award of Excellence for being the top high school in the United States out of some 100 full-program Adventist high schools (citation: http://www.alumniawards.com/awards-grants/academy-awards).
The current enrollment (2009–10) is 265 with a senior class of about 90.
Students who attend UCA have access to scholarships from the UCA Foundation a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded for the benefit of providing financial support to students.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Spangle, Washington
Spangle, Washington
Spangle is a town in Spokane County, Washington, United States. The population was 240 at the 2000 census. The name is from William Spangle, early pioneer.- History :Spangle was first settled in 1872 by William Spangle...
, about 20 miles (32 km) south of Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. It is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist education
The Seventh-day Adventist educational system is the second-largest Christian school system in the world, after the Roman Catholic system ....
.
History
Upper Columbia Academy was originally established in 1921 as Yakima Valley AcademyYakima Valley Academy
Yakima Valley Academy was a Seventh-day Adventist elementary school and co-educational boarding high school located in Granger, WA and operated from 1921-1945. The handsome brick, three-story building that housed the academy was purchased in 1920 for $14,000 by the Upper Columbia Conference of...
. That original school closed due to lack of space and physical plant problems - walls were held together by metal cables mounted on both sides of the rooms. The school had to find a bigger place and Pastor Mote was empowered by the church leadership to spend no more than $100,000 for a school. Pastor Mote came to the auction for the old poor farm in Spangle, but the minimum opening bid was over his limit. He told the auctioneer that he couldn't bid, so minimum opening bid was lowered to $100,000. Pastor Mote's was the only bid and the property was purchased, along with 15 hogs that they sold for $1500 to provide operating capital for the first year of school.
Academics
Upper Columbia Academy graduated 82 seniorsStudent
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. About 275 students attended UCA in 2005-2006. During this notable school year, UCA won the prestigious Academy Award of Excellence for being the top high school in the United States out of some 100 full-program Adventist high schools (citation: http://www.alumniawards.com/awards-grants/academy-awards).
The current enrollment (2009–10) is 265 with a senior class of about 90.
Student life
Students at UCA have jobs, attend classes, and participate in community service. Elective classes from CAD to metalworking to desktop publishing are available, as well as extracurricular activities -- snow skiing in winter, camping, town trips, banquets, drama club, science club, etc. Athletics are done through a partnership with the nearby public school Liberty High School.External Support
Upper Columbia Academy is owned and operated by the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.Students who attend UCA have access to scholarships from the UCA Foundation a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded for the benefit of providing financial support to students.
Accreditation
- The State of Washington
- The Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
- Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities, Inc.
See also
- List of Seventh-day Adventist secondary and elementary schools
- Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...