Welcome to the American School Blog!
Since 2006, the American School Blog has kept students, parents and school officials up to date on what’s happening at American School. Below are our most recent blog posts. Visit the American School Blog Archive to read noteworthy blogs from over the years.
Today’s Anniversary: Alcatraz
It’s March 21, and on this date in 1963, the Alcaraz Federal Penitentiary closed. Today this facility is a museum in San Francisco, but its closing got us thinking about how American School might serve prisoners today. Sometimes we receive communication from prison...
The First Day of Spring 2025
It’s March 20, and today is the first day of spring. Of the four seasons, none is more closely associated with new beginnings than spring. Birds start chirping, plants start budding, and temperatures start rising, all indications that something new and exciting is...
Today’s Anniversary: The Standard Time Act
It’s March 19, and on this date in 1918 Congress passed the Standard Time Act which defined five time zones for the continental United States. It’s a good day to remind you that American School is located in the Central Time Zone, so we follow Central Standard Time...
2025 Convention #1: Missouri Homeschool Convention
American School’s first convention appearance of 2025 will occur next week at the Missouri Homeschool Convention in St. Charles, Missouri. Visit us in booth 912 at the St. Charles Convention Center on Thursday, March 27, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; on Friday, March 28,...
St. Patrick’s Day 2025
It’s March 17, and today is St. Patrick’s Day. The color most associated with St. Patrick’s Day is green, and so today’s blog is going to focus on a certain kind of green—money. American School believes that no student should be denied an education for financial...
Pi Day 2025
It’s March 14, and today is Pi Day. It’s celebrated annually on March 14 because the mathematical constant pi is approximately 3.14 and today is often abbreviated as 3-14 or 3/14. Pi appears in several of our math courses which may be taken as part of an accredited...
Testimonial Thursday
It’s Thursday, so let’s hear from another of our students. Katrina from Ohio writes, “I found everything to be satisfactory! I would greatly recommend this wonderful school to anyone else who is interested in homeschooling!” We thank Katrina for those words. It is...
Today’s Anniversary: Fireside Chats
It’s March 12, and on this date in 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered the first of his fireside chats to the American people. They were a series of radio addresses that FDR used to speak to citizens about national matters such as the Great...
Tax Letters
It’s March 11, and this is the time of year when people start thinking about filing taxes. If you are the parent or guardian of a student who took our homeschool courses in 2024 and need documentation for your taxes, please let us know by contacting our Accounting...
American School Nominated for 2025 Practical Homeschooling Reader Award
American School was recently nominated for a Practical Homeschooling Reader Award in the Best High School Curriculum category. We are grateful for this recognition which proves that many homeschool families across the country value our accredited high school program...
International Women’s Day 2025
It’s March 7, and tomorrow is International Women’s Day. Since we are closed on Saturday we are celebrating a day early. Women have had major roles in American School’s 128-year history. We think of our current president, Valerie Riley, who became the first woman...
Today’s Anniversary: The Periodic Table of Elements
It’s March 6, and on this date in 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev presented the very first periodic table of elements to the Russian Chemical Society. Today the periodic table of elements, updated over the years to include newly-discovered elements, is accepted by scientists...
Reviewing American School’s Convention Appearances in 2024
We are a few short weeks away from our first convention appearance of 2025, but before we get back on the road, let's review where we went last year. By our count we attended 15 different conventions in 2024. Some were homeschooling conventions at which we promoted...
Today’s Anniversary: Vermont
It’s March 4, and Vermont became a state on this date in 1791. Vermont’s motto is Freedom and Unity, and so today’s blog is going to talk about both of those things. When homeschool students enroll with American School they have the freedom to work on their...
Today’s Anniversary: Florida
It’s March 3, and Florida became a state on this date in 1845. Florida is home to one of the biggest homeschool conventions in the country, and so today is the perfect day to announce that American School will begin its 2025 convention schedule later this month. As...
Black History Month 2025
Black History Month concludes today, and so it is a fitting day to remind you that American School happily accepts students of all races and ethnic backgrounds into our accredited middle school program, accredited high school program and independent study program. ...
Testimonial Thursday
It’s a Thursday, so let’s hear a testimonial from one of our students. Katie from Illinois writes, “The study guides really helped me on the exams. Doing the self-check test questions really does pay off.” We thank Katie for her words and for her advice. Our...
Today’s Anniversary: Grand Canyon National Park
It’s February 26, and Grand Canyon National Park was established on this date in 1919. While the Grand Canyon is one of the most majestic natural wonders in the United States, today’s anniversary also got us thinking about the immense size of some real and...
American School Receives Several Homeschool.com Best Educational Websites Nominations
American School is proud to receive several nominations in Homeschool.com’s 2025 Best Educational Websites for Kids program. American School was nominated in the multiple subjects, language arts, mathematics, foreign language, science, computer science and coding,...
Celebrating R.T. Miller
Today’s blog is going to celebrate American School founder R.T. Miller, who was born on February 23, 1867. American School’s 100th anniversary book says “R.T. was an educational pioneer of his day. In an age when a college education was primarily for the wealthy,...
Today’s Anniversary: The Telephone Directory
It’s February 21, and the first telephone directory was published in New Haven, Connecticut on this date in 1878. This event got us thinking about our telephone directory here at American School. We have an internal directory that employees use to contact each other...
Today’s Anniversary: The Postal Service Act
It’s February 20, and the Postal Service Act was signed into law by George Washington on this date in 1792. The Postal Service Act established the United States Postal Service, and so today’s blog is going to talk about mail. Today many homeschooling students take...
18th Annual Create a Greeting Card Scholarship
If you ever wanted to design a greeting card—and possibly receive $10,000 for it—now is your chance. The Gallery Collection is sponsoring a Create a Greeting Card Scholarship. Now in its 18th year, the competition is open to students ages 14 and older who are...
Today’s Birthday: Alessandro Volta
It’s February 18, and Alessandro Volta was born on this date in 1745. He was an Italian physicist who invented the electric battery. You might be familiar with part of his name because the volt, a unit used to measure electric potential and often associated with...
Today’s Anniversaries: Oregon and Arizona
It’s February 14, and two states are celebrating statehood anniversaries today. Oregon became a state on this date in 1859, and Arizona became a state on this date in 1912. These anniversaries got us thinking about American School’s presence on the west coast. As...