Frequently Asked Questions
Art
Jane Skafte has been teaching art to all grades, elementary through university and community colleges for over 25 years. She is primarily a watercolor painter and is also known for a series of drawings concerning climate change, which has been exhibited locally and in New York and has won awards. She has a MFA from Syracuse University and BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has a studio at McGuffey Art Center.
Susan Patrick graduated from college in Harrisonburg, Virginia, majoring in art with a certification to teach and later attended graduate school and received an M.A. in painting. After teaching elementary and secondary art for thirty four years and painting and exhibiting continuously, Susan is residing in Charlottesville, Virginia. Presently she teaches a wide variety of art classes in adult programs and privately. Much of her time is spent in the studio where she paints reflections of personal events. She is a member of McGuffey Art Center and has exhibited widely throughout the state. She was awarded a residential fellowship at Virginia Center of Creative Arts. Her work has been purchased by private collectors as well as Capital One and The University of Virginia Health System.
Drama
Our Drama teacher is Melissa Charles. She is a member of the Actors Equity Association (AEA) and SAG-AFTRA and has worked as an actor in theatre, film, and television in NYC, LA and in regional theaters throughout the country. She has taught workshops, classes, and coached actors for the International Thespian Festival, Union Street Theatre, Live Arts, Lighthouse Studios, Chautauqua Institution, Charlottesville High School, Tandem Friends, Peabody School, and more. She has also produced, directed and choreographed over 60 productions. She is the Artistic Director of DMR Adventures and the Founder/President of the Belmont Arts Collaborative. Melissa also serves on the Virginia Theatre Association (VTA) Board.
Music
A native of Charlottesville, Brooke Mahanes taught her first private music lesson in 1999. She has maintained a private studio ever since, and now has a studio in Crozet, where she teaches violin, viola, cello, bass, and piano to people of all ages and skill levels. Currently, she also teaches orchestra at The Village School. Brooke has degrees in music from James Madison University, Shenandoah Conservatory, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a freelance performing musician on violin and viola, playing for weddings and other events, and with orchestras in Virginia and North Carolina. She is a passionate advocate for music education and music as a healing therapy.
Cellist Ethan Wagner directs our beginners' orchestra. He performs as a chamber musician in the DC, Baltimore, and central Virginia areas. He has toured nationally and internationally with the Reba Ensemble and Amit Peled’s Peabody Cello Gang. His trio was the first chamber ensemble selected to perform for the late Leon Fleisher’s acclaimed series of masterclasses. As an orchestral musician, Ethan has performed as a member of the Huntington and Waynesboro symphonies, and has served as principal cellist for the Peabody Chamber Orchestra, Blue Hills Chamber Orchestra, James Madison Symphony, and University of Tennessee Symphony. Ethan earned his Masters degree in cello performance and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, under the primary instruction of Amit Peled, while also studying Baroque cello with John Moran and orchestral repertoire with Alan Stepansky.
Our Music Appreciation teacher is Mariana Bell. She is an award-winning singer/songwriter and Charlottesville native. She graduated with honors from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU with a BA in theater and has since toured both the US and internationally with her own music. She has produced 6 studio albums while living in NYC and Los Angeles and performed and written with many renowned artists. She's taught at Stella Adler Studio in New York as well as private voice lessons.
Physical Education
Physical Education and development are stressed at Village School.
Our P.E. teacher is Meg Laughlin. Meg Laughlin graduated from the University of Virginia School of Architecture in 2014. During her time at UVA, she worked as a Lifetime of Physical Activity Instructor, teaching Volleyball and Basketball for 2-1/2 years and competed on UVA’s club volleyball team. Meg has been coaching in the community for the past 7 years, is the Head Varsity Volleyball Coach and an Assistant Athletic Director at Monticello High School, and began teaching PE at Village School in 2019. When Meg isn’t involved in the athletics community, she works as a carpenter for a local construction remodeling company.
Dance
Our dance teachers are Ike Anderson and Ruth Sherman. Ike Anderson is a Charlottesville native that comes to us by way of the Music Resource Center with over 15 years of experience in Hip Hop dance and musical theater. Ruth Olga Sherman has been performing professionally all over the world for the past fifteen years. She has a masters in Dance Pedagogy and Composition. She is very passionate about helping students discover and hone life-skills and emotional intelligence through the joy of dance.Athletics
Village School girls participate in a wide range of athletics including inter-grade field hockey and lacrosse through AGLL and basketball through the VABA recreational league. Our girls are among the founding members of the Cutaway Girls Mountain Bike Team and race together on the Village School cross-country team.
Currently, each student is assigned a Chromebook to use while at school. Students become comfortable using technology as a tool to express their curiosity and creativity. Our students learn to type and use the G Suite of programs available on Chromebooks. Several classes are equipped with document cameras and LCD projectors to facilitate immediate student sharing. While it is part of our mission to give the students the necessary skills to succeed in the 21st Century, time away from screens is equally as important for a deeper understanding of the world around us. Village School girls employ modern technology as a conduit to help them find their voices as learners.
Research indicates that children who dedicate time to helping others develop an enhanced sense of self esteem and self-confidence. We believe strongly in the advantages gained through an awareness and understanding of others. Consequently, community service is an integral part of our school, and being downtown provides us many community service opportunities. Every week Village School students help a downtown church with its soup kitchen. Our students are also involved in a number of special projects. Students have knitted and distributed scarves to cancer patients at the Martha Jefferson Hospital; they also visit periodically with children at local preschools. Each year, we hold a canned food drive for the Emergency Food Bank, and Village School students donate to charity a percentage of funds earned at our annual Middle School Girls Holiday Craft Fair. Our eighth grade curriculum includes a wide range of service projects that our girls independently research, design and carry through.
Tuition for the 23-24 school year is $19,948.00. There is a $1000 deposit due in spring of 2023. Remaining tuition can be paid in full or in three installments due August 1, 2023, November 1, 2023, and February 1, 2024.
Yes. Applicants interested in financial aid are required to submit an application through FACTS. The application deadline is January 12, 2024. Financial aid is awarded based on need and has no bearing on admissions decisions. Please feel free to call the school office if you have any questions. Click here to apply.