Stepping into the World

January Term is when we really shake things up! It takes place the 2 weeks following winter break, and it’s all about learning through exploration.

“During Jan Term, I did volunteer work at a local elementary school. Giving back to the community is really important to me. I felt like it was a blessing to me as much as to them.”

Jeanine Ikekhua A’20

Jan Term includes

• Fun, hands-on courses & activities for freshmen and sophomores on campus
• Internships for juniors and seniors
• School-sponsored trips abroad, open to all students

On-Campus Explorations: Freshmen & Sophomores

Ninth and tenth grade students participate in hands-on, interest-based, short term classes; a book discussion, and community service.

This upcoming Jan Term, Salem Academy will explore the fascinating story of the "Radium Girls", women working in factories in the early 20th century who, unbeknownst to them, were exposed to radioactive materials as part of their work painting watch dials. Their story provides a glimpse into the intersection of women's labor history, 20th-century science, and the effects of radioactive material on the human body. As told by Kate Moore in the 2017 book The Radium Girls, Salem students will discover the incredible story of these women's experience and how they eventually fought for, and won, recognition of the danger to which they were exposed. 

This text and our daily discussions will present numerous opportunities to explore this story through the lenses of science, history, ethics, law, and art. 

Off-Campus Opportunities: Juniors & Seniors

These opportunities include internships and travel!

Jan Term Internships, give juniors and seniors the opportunity to explore a career of interest. Students work with a field advisor to secure a location, develop goals, write and present about the experience at Jan Term Sharing Day.

"I interned in the film industry with a Salem alumna, Andrea Passafiume A’88. I worked with her at Docs in Progress, an NGO for documentary filmmaking, and on Tribeca Film Festival's programming. I also worked with her husband, Tom, with the Discovery Channel. I had an amazing opportunity working with editors and production managers there.”

Maiya Barsky A’17

Academy students recently interned at:

• Paralyzed Veterans of America, Washington DC
• Crossnore School & Children's Home, Winston-Salem
• A nursing home in Seville, Spain
• Bell, Davis, & Pitt Law Firm, Winston-Salem
• Docs in Progress, an organization for documentary filmmaking
• Arts Council of Winston-Salem
• The Mount Airy News, Mount Airy
• Smith Reynolds Airport, Winston-Salem
• Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida
• Mount Vernon Historic Home
• Smith Farm Elementary School, Winston-Salem

Travel: Open to all students

Each year one of Salem’s academic departments sponsors an international trip. The adventure is designed to be fun, educational, and mind-opening.

Upcoming Travel

• Travel will resume in Summer 2022