Dara Academy (), is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

al Christian school in

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. It currently serves 6,000 students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12.

History

Dara Academy was founded in 1878 by Presbyterian missionaries Rev. Dr. Daniel McGilvary and Sophie McGilvery. Originally established as an all-girls school, it was intended to equal the education available to boys from monks at

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temples. The school was originally called “Phra Racha Chaya Girls School” after Phra Racha Chaya Chao

Dara Rasmi Dara Rasmi (; ; , , , August 26, 1873 – December 9, 1933), was a princess of Chiang Mai and Siam (later Thailand) and the daughter of King Inthawichayanon, Inthawichayanon of Chiang Mai and Queen Thip Keson of Chiang Mai descended from the ...

, and was simplified to Dara Academy in 1923. The school is led by the Church of Christ in Thailand.

Royal visits

* 1925: His Majesty King

Prajadhipok Prajadhipok (8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941) was the seventh king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VII. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and social changes during the 1932 Siamese revolution. He i ...

(Rama VII, ''Phra Pokklao Chaoyuhua'') and Queen

Ramphaiphanni Rambai Barni (, , ), formerly Rambai Barni Svastivatana (, ; born 20 December 1904 – 22 May 1984), was Queen of Siam as the wife of King Prajadhipok of Siam. Early life Princess Rambai Barni Svastivatana was born on 20 December 1904, ...

* 1949: Queen Ramphaiphanni (''Somdej Phra Nangchao Ramphaiphanni Phra Boromarajininat'' - สมเด็จพระนางเจ้ารำไพพรรณี พระบรมราชินี) * 1958: His Majesty the King,

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

Native-Speaker Program

Dara employs over 37

native speakers A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...

for its

foreign language A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a specific country. Native speakers from that country usually need to acquire it through conscious learning, such as through language lessons at schoo ...

program (called NP), teaching

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

. Dara Academy's English NP is a specialized English language course. Classes are taught by Native English speakers four or five times a week. The program is offered to all students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. Classes sizes are kept under 35 students (compared to regular class sizes that contain up to 55 students). Students learn in air-conditioned rooms which are equipped with modern technology including audio / video, smart T.V.s, and computers, depending on grade level. Teachers focus on speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Students participate i
field tripsEnglish CampsNP Fair
and school play, and annual newspaper
The Dara Star

Address

196 Kaewnawarat Rd, T. Wat Ket, A. Muang,

50000

Address (

Thai language Thai,In or Central Thai (historically Siamese;Although "Thai" and "Central Thai" have become more common, the older term, "Siamese", is still used by linguists, especially when it is being distinguished from other Tai languages (Diller 2008:6 ...

): 196 ถ.แก้วนวรัฐ ต.วัดเกต อ.เมือง จ.เชียงใหม่. 50000

External links

Dara AcademyDara Academy Native Speaker Program
{{coord, 18.7980118, N, 99.0126944, E, source:thwiki_region:TH, format=dms, display=title Christian schools in Thailand Schools in Chiang Mai Presbyterian schools in Asia Educational institutions established in 1878 1878 establishments in Siam