Beyond the Classroom

Battle of the Books is a reading program for students in grades 6-8. Participating students read from a list of 25-30 books and compete to answer questions based on those books. Members read 10 to 12 books each. A competition team of 6-12 students will be selected to participate in the final competition held locally. Winning teams will then advance to statewide competitions.

The Bible Study group meets weekly during club period to study Scripture, discuss passages from God's Word, to consider application to everyday life situations, and to grow in a relationship with God. The group prays together and supports one another. Members work on Scripture memory, group projects, and other Bible-based, service-oriented activities. 

The APA Chamber Orchestra is devoted to enhancing each student's musical experience in string instruments. Students perform for a variety of functions throughout the year in addition to playing in concerts and drama productions. Chamber Orchestra members are eligible for various chamber competitions and the All-State Orchestra competition.

Modelled after Phi Beta Kappa, the Cum Laude Society is a prestigious academic honor society that recognizes APA juniors and seniors who have achieved a superior academic record in a very challenging course load.

The APA Dance Ensemble offers students the opportunity to perform in a unified dance group at school and community functions. Not only will the students perform teacher-choreographed pieces but will also have the opportunity to perform student-choreographed works. This is an opportunity for continued development of movement skills, creative processing, and critical thinking skills.

The team will participate in Lincoln-Douglass debate competition (one-on-one) and Public Form debate competition (two-on-two) in its first year. Plans are to attend two – four debate competitions during the school year to gain experience for the team. The focus this year will be on learning the fundamentals of debate. Practices will be during club periods, location to be determined, but there may be a few after-school practices the week of competitions.

The Honors Chorus offers students the opportunity to perform in a vocal ensemble. The vocal ensemble performs standard choral, madrigal, and show choir selections. Students perform at school and community functions.

The International Thespian Society is an honor society which is part of the Educational Theatre Association. Its purposes are to promote excellence in school theatre and to maintain the advancement of standards in theatre arts.

Le Cercle Francais is comprised of students from all levels of French study who are interested in working to spread French culture and language, raise funds to supplement the Academy's French program, and add enjoyment to the study of French. Club activities include fund-raisers, peer teaching, and spreading Francophone culture within the "French community" at APA and among all students. The club functions through committees. In addition to officers, each French class level has a representative.

MathMania is a program designed to increase interest in mathematics and understanding of high-level mathematical concepts. Talented math students in 6th through 8th grades who express an interest in competitive math may seek membership. Criteria for selection include written evaluations, previous math performance, and evidence of dependability. Students are selected to practice for and compete in various school, regional, and sometimes national competitions.

The Math Team is comprised of a group of students who represent APA at the ECU Math Contest and other competitions. The Math team is comprised of individual teams in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and a Comprehensive team that covers both Advanced Math and Calculus. During competitions, individual team members compete by taking written tests. Both individual scores and composite team scores are used in determining competitive ranking.

The Middle School Council is the representative body for students in the Middle School. It is comprised of nine elected members: three from each grade. The president and other officers are elected by the council members. The Middle School Council promotes unity and community service among students in the Middle School. It also sponsors fall and spring dances in grades six through eight.

NAHS provides leadership in the arts, promotes the arts in the school and the community, and functions as a service organization utilizing the visual arts. Members participate in a variety of fund-raising activities and provide all required signs and graphic arts for school functions. An annual induction ceremony features a guest speaker from an art career field.

The National Junior Honor Society recognizes outstanding students in grades 7-9 who display the ideals of scholarship, leadership, service, character and citizenship. First semester seventh graders, eighth graders and ninth graders who have a 93 average are eligible for membership. Students will apply to become members after initially being invited to join and will adhere to club attendance and participation standards to maintain membership. Members may be placed on a one-semester probation if their academic averages fall below 93 or if the Head of School feels they have displayed attitudes or behaviors unbecoming to a NJHS member. A student who transfers to APA and was inducted into an honor society at a previous school continues his membership at APA and has one semester to meet APA’s membership requirements.

The National Honor Society for Dance Arts recognizes outstanding artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement in students studying dance at Parrott Academy. Induction into the NHSDA is earned through the accumulation 30 points awarded for dance activities, such as dance classes, rehearsals, performances, research, workshops, or community service activities, along with a GPA of at least 3.0.

The National Honor Society recognizes outstanding students in grades 10-12 who display the ideals of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. First semester sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have a 4.0 weighted GPA or above in academic courses are eligible for membership. Students will apply to become members after initially being invited to join and will adhere to club attendance and participation standards to maintain membership. Members may be placed on a one-semester probation if their academic averages fall below 4.00 weighted GPA, or the Head of School feels they have displayed attitudes or behaviors unbecoming to an NHS member. A student who transfers to APA and was inducted into an honor society at a previous school continues his membership at APA and has one semester to meet APA’s membership requirements.

The Patriot is the Academy's yearbook. It is produced by students enrolled in Yearbook class. Students are responsible for gathering information, writing stories, typing and laying out the yearbook. Additionally, students are required to sell advertising. The Patriot editor is a rising senior selected by the advisers.

Quill and Scroll chapters consist of students who have excelled in editorial, literary, photography, and business roles within their high school media, and whose academic performance places them among the top levels of their respective classes. To qualify for membership in the Society, students must maintain an overall B average, complete two or more semesters of journalism with an A average, make significant contributions to a school publication, and receive a recommendation for induction from a publication advisor.

The APA Quiz Bowl Team is dedicated to representing the Academy with distinction in a variety of academic question-and-answer competitions. Each year, the Quiz Bowl participates in the N.C. Public Library Quiz Bowl competition, and various scrimmages and regional invitational competitions as they become available.

SERV is an honor society for service. SERV stands for "Students Effectively Realizing their Value". Students work closely with a Serv advisor to find individual and group opportunities to participate in service in their community.

The Spanish Club functions as a service organization to assist Spanish speaking people in the community. Club members participate in fund-raisers and volunteer opportunities, such as a penny drive to help purchase books and resource materials for Spanish speaking parents and students in the local area. Spanish Club also hosts occasional speakers to inform students about the growing Hispanic community in eastern North Carolina.

Spectrum is the literary journal of Arendell Parrott Academy published annually in the spring. It features poetry, stories, essays, and artwork by students in grades 1 - 12 from the current school year. The Spectrum staff is comprised of students who volunteer to work on the journal along with a faculty advisor.

SGA is the governing body for the Academy's Upper School. Its purpose is to represent students and provide leadership in improving the school community. Class officers elected at the beginning of each school year for the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades are automatically representatives in SGA. The president, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian are elected during the spring for the next school year.

Tri-M is a national music honor society for gifted and dedicated student musicians at the Upper School level. Eligible students must meet criteria for scholarship, character, cooperation, leadership, and service. Activities include fund-raisers, such as bake sales and donations to community service projects. Each spring, a Tri-M induction ceremony is held.