Academy of American Studies
Encyclopedia
The Academy of American Studies is a selective public high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in Long Island City, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

, New York, which was founded in 1996 by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History With roughly 620 students according to Insideschools.org, this
is one of the smallest high schools in New York City. Located just east of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

 and at the very tip of Queens, this school normally attracts students from either of these two boroughs. This school is not to be confused with the High School of American Studies at Lehman College
High School of American Studies at Lehman College
Ranked 19th best in country by .The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education. It receives supplementary funding from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History....

, a specialized high school in the Bronx. Though both are similar in curriculum, the selection processes vary greatly. The Academy of American Studies does not select teachers based on seniority, instead choosing to have teachers from the respective departments interview prospective teachers.

History and Background

The Academy of American Studies was developed by way of a collaborative effort between the Gilder Lehrman Institute and the Queens High School superintendent. They believed that preparing students by teaching them about the past would lead to inevitable success. This school is the first history school in the United States, which is why it is called the Flagship School of the Gilder Lehrman Institute. The first principal of the Academy of American Studies was Mr. Michael Serber, who currently works for the Gilder Lehrman Institute. The second and recent principal, Ms. Ellen Sherman, used to go to Long Island City High School when it was in that very building, so one can see how history really is a huge part of this school's role as a college prep school. Nine years since its opening, the school has grown into a "community". Now with a campus (a "south building" and a "north building"; the latter is shared with Newcomers High School), this preparatory school has a "college feel" like it never has before. Due to the academy's success, the Institute has founded 44 other schools across the nation and the Academy is the model for all of those schools.

In the year 2005, as a result of a collaborative effort between the administration, parents, and some students, the Academy of American Studies boosted security by adding crosswalks to the street where students are in most danger.

October 12, 2006 was a significant day for the Academy. First of all, that day was its 10th anniversary celebration. Secondly, it marked the grand opening of its student-run history research center that contains many primary sources that were donated by the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Thirdly, a Proclamation that was signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg was presented in the Academy's ceremony to publicly announce that October 12 was going to be celebrated in New York City as The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Day.

The Academy of American Studies (via Gilder Lehrman) offers summer 1-3 summer scholarships to outstanding freshman each year. In order to be eligible to compete for this scholarship, freshman must rank in the top 10% of their class, as of the end of their December report card. After being notified of such, they must write an essay, and if their essay makes "the cut", they can go on to the interview round. From the interview, 1-3 stellar students are selected, and get to go to Cambridge University in England. The school also offers 1-2 summer scholarships to juniors each year. In order to be eligible, each junior must write an essay about why s/he would benefit from a trip to China, and must then be interviewed.

Trips are key parts of the educational process at the school. All freshmen are invited to Philadelphia in the fall and Boston in the spring. Sophomores go to historic lower Manhattan in the fall and spend an overnight in Gettysburg in the spring. Juniors take a college tour in the fall and visit Plymouth with a whale watching cruise in the spring. The seniors used to spend 3 days & 2 nights in Washington, D.C. and in the fall and have a self-chosen senior trip in the spring but to due rising prices seniors receive one trip which is 4 days and 3 nights to DC for 400 dollars. The academic trips are offered at a discount due to our relationship with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. No trip prior to the senior spring trip is above $100!

Curriculum

Students take four years of history (including senior thesis & economics senior year, law&government junior year). They also take a required Research & Writing course freshman year, in which they learn how to use the MLA format for citing and writing bibliographies.

Math at the school ends at Pre-calculus /AP Calculus AB. An average student, however, will end with Math B in their senior year. Students who have slightly better grades at the end of the 8th grade are placed in the 1.5 year Math A/B course. These students are then invited to take either precalculus or AP Calculus their senior year. Students need not take precalculus in order to take AP Calculus. One can easily go into AP Calc without taking the other, granted the grades are high enough.

English at the school ends with a Conflict in Literature course senior year, in which students read rather controversial books (Brave New World, Frankenstein). AP English students are at a slightly faster pace, but usually learn many of the same things as their classmates.

Science at the school is limited (physics is taken with Newcomers High School), but it is still offered. Any student interested in physics is placed in physics. The sciences students have to choose from are: living environment, earth science, environmental science, AP biology, physics, and chemistry, so rarely does anyone have a problem finding his/her niche.

Languages end at the AP level. With intensive curricula in both French and Spanish, it is not at all uncommon that students are invited to AP French/Spanish immediately after completing the regents course.

AP courses are offered in many subjects. The school recently decided to reinstate AP European History as an option. Due to a lack of motivated and apt students back in the 2002-2003 school year, the school had to cut the program. Because the Class of 2006 and the Class of 2007 were not offered the course their sophomore years, both are getting the option of taking it their senior years with sophomores. AP courses offered are: AP Calculus, AP Biology, AP US History, AP European History, AP English Literature, AP French Language, AP Spanish Language, and AP Law & Government (juniors only).

Extracurricular activities

Aside from the rigorous academic agenda, the Academy is home to seven PSAL sports teams, several ethnic and interest clubs, the Academy Gazette (along with other publications), a Digital Design class, a Technology Team, Eagles in the Morning Radio Show and an active Student Government.

Student Government

The Student Government is the center of planning all events and activities, as well as providing a voice for the student population in making progressive changes to the "culture and climate" of the school environment.
Since the opening of the school, the members of Student Government ran as unified Congressional body, with no elections or hierarchy. Selection was based upon a written essay and occasional interview judged by the Coordinator of Student Activities (the faculty position). In 2005, the Student Government decided on a major structural change establishing a school-wide elected Executive Board and other appointed cabinet positions for leading different committees (similar to US Government). Uniquely, this Executive Board consisted of two Co-Presidents, a Treasurer, and Secretary. In 2008, the Student Government Organization voted on an amendment to modify the executive board. It was decided that there would be one elected President and an elected Vice-President. The positions of Committee chairs were instituted in order to simplify the internal organization of events in the school. The treasurer, secretary and Class officers remained intact.

Planning and running school events and activities are this organization's chief duties. They annually plan two Talent Shows and two Pep Rallies along with several spirit days and other fun-unique events. For policy changes, four Student Government Representatives sit on the Principal's Council which is a monthly meeting with the Principal to discuss current issues. Also, two Representatives sit on a city-council board for educational policy and two Representatives sit on a PTA council.
Annually, several members of the Academy Student Government go on a three day trip to represent city high schools at the New York State Leadership Conference. Member from all parts of the state interact to share their ideas and to bring back new ones to their respective high schools.

Past Executive Boards

2005-2006

Co-Presidents: Tanvir Hossain and Heidi Chow

Secretary: Mark McCormack

Treasurer: Gloria Choi

2006-2007

Co-Presidents: Amanda Fox and Philips Loh

Secretary: Omar Khedr

Treasurer: Gloria Choi

2007-2008

Co-Presidents: Ashu Kapoor and Chennelle Harris

Secretary: Lucy Papaseraphim

Treasurer: Rebecca Cushman

2008-2009

President and Vice President: Hajat Avdovic and Pooja Sahani

Secretary: Lucy Papaseraphim

Treasurer: Rebecca Cushman

2009-2010

President and Vice President: Muhammad Musah and Terrence Kim

Secretary: Annie Chu

Treasurer: Rebecca Cushman

Eagles in the Morning

Eagles in the Morning is the Academy "Radio Show" that takes place in both campus' before lunch. It's held though the PA system, not an actual radio station. It's hosted by students and serves the purpose of updating all members of the school community on school-wide news and events. Also, the hosts try and entertain their audience by including different segments of interest during the 15 minute show. Music is played and songs can be requested via a request form. Birthdays and other shoutouts are made, further reflecting the value of a small school environment.

The Academy Gazette

Funded by the Gilder Lehrman Institute, The Academy Gazette is the school newspaper which is published on a seasonal basis. Students with an interest in journalism and photography are encouraged to write for the newspaper which features special interest sections as well as a sports and editorial section.

PSAL
PSAL
The Public Schools Athletic League, known by the acronym PSAL, is an organization that promotes student athletics in the public schools of New York City. It was founded in 1903 to provide and maintain a sports program for students enrolled in New York City public schools. The PSAL serves both boys...

 Sports


The Academy features seven sports teams part of the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL
PSAL
The Public Schools Athletic League, known by the acronym PSAL, is an organization that promotes student athletics in the public schools of New York City. It was founded in 1903 to provide and maintain a sports program for students enrolled in New York City public schools. The PSAL serves both boys...

).

- Boys Baseball Varsity Eagles

- Boys Basketball Varsity Eagles

- Boys Varsity Bowling Eagles (Co-ed) (Girls can join).

-Made first playoff (2008). also 09-10 and 10-11
- Boys Volleyball Varsity Eagles

- Girls Basketball Varsity Lady Eagles

-won 2007 PSAL Queens B Division
-went to final eight.
-won 2008 PSAL Queens B Division
-went on undefeated season including playoffs (31-0) (2008)
-became PSAL "B" Champions (2008)
-first appearance in New York State Federation Championship (NYSFSSAA) for class b (2008).

- Girls Softball Varsity Lady Eagles

- Girls Volleyball Varsity Lady Eagles

-appeared in city championship (2001).
-won 2007 PSAL Division title.

Ethic and Interest Clubs

Debate Team, Amnesty International, Literary Magazine, Academy Gazette (school newspaper), Multicultural Club, National History Club, Improvisational Theatre Club, Model UN, Digital Design course that prepares students for digital publications, National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

, SADD, Senior Committee, Step Team, Food Club, Dance Team, Environmental Concerns (ECO) club, and Pilates club. Through the National Hostory club, students are able to enter New York City's annual National History Day Competition. There is also a yearly musical ever since the year 2008 with the production of "You're a Good Man,Charlie Brown." In 2009, the musical was "Working."

Enrollment and Alumni

The Academy of American Studies consists 620 students, who all applied using the normal NYC Public High School application. Students apply to either the screened program, the Ed Opt program, or both. In order to be eligible for the screened program, students must have fewer than 8 absences, must have grades of 90+ in humanities classes and 85+ in math and science. The Ed Opt program is selective, and anyone who ranks within the top 2% of the 7th grade test takers (98th percentile+) is automatically accepted. The Ed Opt program, however, must also accept the bottom 16% of applicants. Therefore, a student with a score of 1 on the exam has a better chance of getting in than a student with a 3 or a 4, since there are so many more of the latter applying. It is encouraged that students with test scores below the 98th percentile, but stellar grades, apply for the Intensive Academic Humanities program.

Students at this school prove that they are capable of success, even after high school. Students have gotten into and attended such schools as: American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...

, Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...

, Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...

, Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...

, Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...

, Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...

, Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...

, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...

, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

, Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...

, University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...

, Babson College
Babson College
Babson College is a private business school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts near Boston.- History :Babson College was founded by Roger Babson on September 3, 1919, as the Babson Institute. It was renamed "Babson College" in 1969...

, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

, Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...

, Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...

, Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...

, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

, CUNYs, CUNY Honors, Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...

, Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...

, Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...

, Georgetown University
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Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

, Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...

 George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...

, Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...

, Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...

, Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...

, Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...

, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

, Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...

, Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...

, Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...

, Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

, School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...

, SUNY
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...

s, Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...

, Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...

 and University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

.

See also

Some of the information here was taken from: http://academyofamericanstudies.com/academyinfo.shtml, http://academyofamericanstudies.com/admissions.shtml
, http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/history2.html, http://www.insideschools.org/fs/school_profile.php?id=1099, http://schools.nyc.gov/OurSchools/Region4/Q575/default.htm, http://academyofamericanstudies.com/students/
Former location of the original Long Island High School.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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