First things first, our students get a little dirty from time to time. Sometimes learning is a dirty business and we're ok with that. We like to be outside and so do our students. It's not unusual to find our environmental upper school science class down in the wetlands placing coverboards, or perhaps you'll find our lower school students playing in the ever-popular "Nature Club" wooded area during their lunch break. Did we mention our students are avid gardeners? Our middle and lower school students tend to their own plot throughout the year and host seedling sales and garden salsa parties. We value the importance of outdoor learning just as much as our parents value the importance of good detergent.

Take a look around...

Woods Patio

The Patio joins the Red Barn and Woods Hall. It's a place our students eat, study, relax, and just hang out on. It's surrounded by a peaceful wooded backdrop.

The Lodge and Amphitheater

The Lodge is complete with a kitchen and eating space for the students. VanBuren houses two art classrooms, two additional classrooms and bathrooms. In the foreground is the amphitheater that encompasses the soccer field.

Original Campus Sign

The story goes like this: during original construction of Woodlawn School, a teacher pulled this piece of wood out of the dumpster and hand-painted the original Woodlawn School logo on the boards. It's now placed in the back of Stinson Hall.

Woods Hall

It's typical to find our seniors' lockers decorated the last week of school in Woods Hall.

Gardens

Students in all grades take advantage of our garden plots located just to the west of the Carriage House. They grow a variety of lettuces, vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Woodlawn's gardens are certified by the National Wildlife Federation as providing habitat for birds, bees and other wildlife.

Wooded Areas

Just about everywhere you look and everywhere you go, you'll find wooded areas sprinkled throughout campus.

Spirit Rock

The Class of 2015 gave this spirit rock to Woodlawn as its class gift. They inaugurated it with their class symbol and year. The rock is now up for grabs for special paintings!

Nature Club

Who knew a patch of pine forest on the campus could be brought to life by our lower school students and turned into the popular "Nature Club". Fort building, tree climbing, and endless imagination are found in this small patch of pines trees.

The Clock Tower

Forget your watch? No problem! The clock tower looms in the distance at just about every vantage point of our campus. We have very punctual students! Unknown about the tower: it houses a large water tank.

Putting Green

Thanks to John O'Connell '14, Woodlawn has its own putting green. John, a varsity golf standout, installed the green as part of his senior capstone project.

Owls

As you walk through the wooded walkway from the parking lot to Stinson Hall, look up! You're likely to see our resident owl looking down at you.

Ga-Ga Pit

In the Fall of 2014, a group of upper school students (also known as the Woodlawn Grounds Crew) built the Ga-Ga pit, a popular upper school hangout during lunch.

Our Master Plan

In 2002, Woodlawn partnered with MBAJ Architecture to create a master site plan for the campus. In 2006 and again in 2012, we updated this plan with architects from Adams and Associates in Mooresville. We most recently revised the plan in 2018 with assistance from WGM Design of Charlotte. The plan includes multiple classroom buildings, amphitheater, gymnasium, and a performing arts center. Woodlawn takes pride in maintaining its historic buildings and grounds. Our campus is one of the key differentiating points of the Woodlawn experience, and we are committed to retaining our natural surroundings and historical legacy as we grow.

Historic Woodlawn

The main house on the Woodlawn campus is a 2-story Planter's home built in 1836. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The architectural details are common to the transitional Federal - Greek Revival style often built in the Piedmont area of North Carolina at that time. It was built by Dr. George Washington Stinson, a planter and trustee of Davidson College. The original structure consisted of 8 rooms (each with its own fireplace and mantle) on 2 levels off center hallways. The two-and-a-half story staircase features a walnut, spiral-turned handrail believed imported from Charleston.

Tradition relates that Dr. Stinson's home was popular among the Davidson students, not only because he had several eligible daughters, but also because he permitted square dancing, which was strongly discouraged by the Presbyterians of the day. Stinson was a member of Centre Presbyterian Church, where he and his wife are buried. Their son, Edgar Burett Stinson, graduated from Davidson in 1856, fought in the Civil War, and then returned to the family home where he later died. The house remained in the Stinson family until the twentieth century.

The barn on the eastern edge of the property is believed to have been built around 1910. During the mid-1900s, it housed several mules that were used in farming the fields.

In 1981, an upstairs bathroom was installed, heat pumps were placed into service, and the front porch was restored. In 1985, a significant, architecturally compatible addition was made to the back of the house. This included a kitchen and breakfast area, bathroom, and wraparound deck. The carriage house was also constructed at this time, and the nearby potting shed was finished in the early 1990s. In 2003, the house was renovated for use by the school, and was dedicated as Stinson Hall, in honor of its builder.