Blog

It's May 15, and on this date in 1905, the city of Las Vegas was established.  The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions or visits this Nevada metropolis is gambling, but you shouldn't roll the dice when it comes to your high school education.  Many online schools are riskier than going all in at the blackjack or poker table.  That's why going with the American School is your best bet.  We offer outstanding customer service, innovative curriculum and impeccable credibility all for a very reasonable cost.  You won't be dealt a better hand anywhere else, so enroll today! 

The American School is pleased to announce the hiring of Rene Villalva as the School's new Principal.  Rene comes to the American School with many years of experience as a middle school teacher and assistant principal, as a high school teacher and department chair, and as an online university instructor.  His educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in special education, a Master's degree in adult education and distance learning, his principal certification, and additional coursework toward a Doctor of Education degree in administrative leadership.  The School's most recent Principal, Marie Limback, is currently transitioning into the Curriculum department, where she will become Curriculum Director after the retirement of Roberta Allen this summer.  In their current positions, Roberta and Marie have had great impacts on the lives of thousands of American School students, and we are confident Rene will have a similar positive impact for many years to come.       

The American School is proud to announce that we have been nominated for a Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.  The awards, sponsored by the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois, spotlight companies that exemplify ethical business practices.  We are proud of our nearly eight decade affiliation with the BBB and very proud that the BBB consistently recognizes us by giving us their highest rating, which is A+.  Visit  http://www.bbb.org/chicago/business-reviews/schools-academic-colleges-and-universities/american-school-in-lansing-il-4189 to learn more about the BBB and our excellent rating.

The American School will exhibit at the Chicago Homeschool Expo later this week.  This event was previously held in Schaumburg during the summer, but this year the event is in the spring in the newly-expanded Tinley Park Convention Center, which is located just off I-80 at the Harlem Avenue exit.  We'll be in booth 307 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Stop by and learn more about the American School, and visit www.chicagohomeschoolexpo.com to learn more about the convention itself.  We look forward to seeing you later this week!

Today is the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week, which is a great opportunity to recognize the more than 100 full-time and part-time instructors who grade our students' exams.  All of them have at least 24 hours of college credit in the subjects they grade, and many of them have advanced degrees.  Even though it's rare that our students and instructors ever meet face-to-face, we do our best to make instruction as personal as possible.  Our instructors call students by name when they grade exams.  They write detailed, constructive feedback on every exam.  Nothing in our print courses is graded by machine, and even most of the examinations in our online courses are graded by an instructor rather than graded automatically by a computer.  We are grateful to have so many dedicated instructors on staff, and we hope our students enjoy the comments they leave as much as our instructors enjoy reading your work and learning about you!

It's May 4, the day before the first Saturday in May.  Tomorrow we have the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby, and if you tune into the telecast or see highlights, you know that we could do a whole blog about Derby fashion and hats and how they relate to our Clothing course.  That's tempting, but instead we're going to focus on something relevant to both horses and American School students, and that's pace.  Pace in horse racing is very important.  Some horses prefer a quick pace.  They'll go right to the lead and try to win wire-to-wire.  Others prefer to lurk in the background and make a late charge.  Because the Derby has a crowded field of 20 horses, it's very likely some horses won't get the pace they want.  They'll get stuck in traffic at some point, and their jockey will have to change strategy on the fly.  If the jockey makes the wrong call, the horse probably won't win the race.  The good news for you as an American School student is that you work entirely at your own pace.  You can work quickly on a subject.  You can work slowly on a subject.  It's entirely up to you.  You won't get stuck in traffic, so to speak, in a classroom of students who are going either too fast or too slow for you.  You set the right pace for yourself.  If you haven't done so already, enroll today, and one day you'll find yourself in the winner's circle with an accredited high school diploma.

It's that time of year when many American School students take final exams.  School counselors can download these final exams by logging into the Online Counselor Office, but there are a couple things to keep in mind if you try to access final exams while using a Mac instead of a PC.  First, please use the latest version of Safari as your browser.  This will provide the optimal browsing experience.  Second, please use the latest version of Adobe Reader to view the final exams.  This will ensure that all signs and symbols embedded in the exam appear properly.  Thank you for your cooperation and for choosing the American School for your students. 

This week the American School is attending the United States Distance Learning Association National Conference in St. Louis.  The USDLA Conference is an opportunity for our delegates to share ideas and learn about the latest distance learning programs and products.  Many of these latest advancements in distance education will be incorporated in our new online courses, in addition to helping make our current print courses even better.  The American School is proud to be a Friend of the Conference, and you can learn more about the conference and its sessions by visiting http://www.usdla.org/2012_national_conference/program.html. 

Today Gary R. Masterton is celebrating 25 consecutive years of employment with the American School, including the last six as president.  He is part of a select group of employees who comprise the Double Decade Club.  Those employees have worked for the American School for a minimum of 20 consecutive years.  Many of them have been with the American School even longer than that, sometimes even 40 or 50 years!  Their dedication to our students is matched, and we are grateful for their many years of loyal service.