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Welcome to the American School's blog.  You will see our last thirty blog posts on this page.  View the ten most recent blog posts here.  View some of our favorite blog posts from the past decade here.

  • American School Closed Monday, January 18 - American School will be closed Monday, January 18, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.  We will reopen with regular business hours on Tuesday, January 19.  Today, January 15, is Dr. King’s actual birthday, and so we encourage you to visit the web sites of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park... Read More
  • Terra American School Students Abroad Science and Engineering Fair - Today’s blog contains information about the Terra American School Students Abroad Science and Engineering Fair.  As the name implies, this fair is open to American students who are studying abroad and do not have access to a traditional science fair in their hometowns.  Click the link for more details.  We are happy to share information... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: The National Geographic Society - It’s January 13, and the National Geographic Society was founded on this date in 1888.   The National Geographic Society is interested in far more than finding places on a map.  In fact, it has many programs in place to explore the entire planet and care for its overall well-being.  You can learn more about the... Read More
  • Common App Launches Mobile Application - Recently Common App launched a new mobile application which makes applying to college easier than ever.  The new app might be particularly useful for students in our college preparatory program when they apply to the college or university of their choice.  Please know that students who earn our online high school diploma or correspondence high... Read More
  • About commonapp.org - Today's blog is about CommonApp.org, which is a great resource if you are thinking about applying to college.  Our college preparatory program is designed for students who are thinking of attending a four-year college or university, while our general high school program can be done to earn a high school diploma at home if you... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points - It’s January 8, and on this date in 1918, President Woodrow Wilson presented his Fourteen Points which paved the way to peace after World War 1.  When it comes to points on your exams in our online high school courses, online middle school courses, paper-based high school courses or paper-based middle school courses, you should... Read More
  • Testimonial Thursday - It’s the first Thursday of 2021, which makes it the perfect time for the first Testimonial Thursday of the new year.   Although we’re always happy to serve students in the United States, sometimes we wish to remind you that we are internationally relevant and serve students in more than 65 countries around the world.  One... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: The Four Freedoms Speech - It’s January 6, and on this date in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his Four Freedoms Speech.  FDR’s four freedoms were freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear.  That quartet got us thinking about a quartet of our own.  We call them our Four C’s, and they are... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: The Eight-Hour Workday - It’s January 5, and on this date in 1914, the Ford Motor Company instituted the eight-hour workday.   The eight-hour workday might seem commonplace to us now, but more than a century ago, labor laws were not always friendly to employees.  Very long shifts of up to 10 or 12 or even 16 hours were the... Read More
  • 2021 Preview - It’s January 4, the first day American School is open in 2021.  Many people make resolutions at the start of a new year, so this first blog of the new year is a good time for us to tell you our four resolutions for the coming year.  We resolve to offer our students print and... Read More
  • 2020 Review - It’s New Year’s Eve, and so today is an appropriate time to look back at everything that happened in 2020.  Certainly it’s been a challenging year on many levels with the pandemic, the fight for racial and social justice and a contentious presidential election just to name three, but we hope you’ve been able to... Read More
  • American School Closed Friday, January 1 - American School will be closed Friday, January 1.  We will reopen with regular business hours on Monday, January 4.  Thank you for understanding, and please make sure to read our blog tomorrow.  We'll review 2020 and what we've done in the past year to help students earn a high school diploma at home.  Thank you... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: Texas - It’s December 29, and Texas became a state on this date in 1845.  You may have heard the phrase “everything is bigger in Texas” and that is true in many situations.  In fact, Texas might very well be our biggest convention state considering we’ve attended events near Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston many times over... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: Iowa - It’s December 28, and Iowa became a state on this date in 1846.  If you’re a regular blog reader, you know that we try to visit neighboring states often when travel is possible, but we’ve neglected Iowa.  When travel resumes, we’ll do our best to attend a convention in the Hawkeye State.  Some of you... Read More
  • American School Closed December 24-25 - American School will be closed Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25, as we give our employees time to be with their families.  We will reopen with regular business hours on Monday, December 28, and will be available to assist you with your accredited high school courses or accredited middle school courses at that time. ... Read More
  • Winter Spectacular Offer Coming Soon - American School is helping students in our accredited middle school program or accredited high school program start 2021 in style by offering a WINTER SPECTACULAR OFFER through January 31, 2021.  The WINTER SPECTACULAR OFFER is simply this:  Send two (2) regular monthly payments–one for February and one for March–by January 31, 2021, and we will... Read More
  • Today’s Special Occasion: The First Day of Winter - It’s December 21, and today is the first day of winter.  People often associate winter with cold and snow, but not having an accredited high school diploma can freeze you out of having the life you’ve always wanted for yourself and your family.  Thankfully American School can help you earn a high school diploma at... Read More
  • Writing to One Email Address - Today's blog is about writing to one email address when you contact us.  We are grateful that you made us your distance education middle school or distance education high school, and we want to provide you with quick service whenever you ask us for help.  Writing to multiple email addresses, however, can slow down that... Read More
  • American School Celebrates 123rd Anniversary - It’s December 17, and today American School is celebrating its 123rd anniversary.  Our charter is dated December 17, 1897 and comes from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts because R.T. Miller and his friends founded American School near Boston.  We were based in Massachusetts for a few years before moving to Chicago in the early 1900s.  The... Read More
  • American School Closing Early on December 17 - American School will close at 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 17, for a staff event.  We will reopen with regular business hours on Friday, December 18.  Thank you for understanding.  We are happy you made us your distance education high school or middle school and are happy to assist you with your accredited high school... Read More
  • Youth Innovation Forum Information - Today's blog is about the Youth Innovation Forum.  The Youth Innovation Forum is an online conference series that helps connect students with scholars from top universities and leaders in the business world.  Please visit the web site above for more information or register here to participate in an online meeting on January 19, 2021.  We... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: Alabama - It’s December 14, and Alabama became a state on this date in 1819.  More than a century later, Rosa Parks made one of the most significant stands in American history when she refused to give up her seat on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama.  This display of strength led to her being called the... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: Indiana - It's December 11, and Indiana became a state on this date in 1816.  Because our office in the far south suburbs of Chicago is so close to Indiana, many American School employees live across the state line in Indiana.  That proximity got us thinking about the home states of American School staff over the years. ... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: Mississippi - It's December 10, and Mississippi became a state on this date in 1817.  To our knowledge we have never visited Mississippi for a convention, but we are happy to serve students and schools in the Magnolia State.  Some students enroll in our general high school or college preparatory program to earn a high school diploma... Read More
  • New Pre-Algebra Course Available - American School is pleased to announce that a new paper-based Pre-Algebra course is now available.  The course is perfect for students in our accredited middle school program if they are on an accelerated math track, and it is also acceptable for students in our accredited high school program who might need additional time to prepare... Read More
  • Remembering Pearl Harbor - It’s December 8, and if you picked up a newspaper on this date in 1941, you’d see a headline referring to the attack on Pearl Harbor that occurred the previous day.  December 7, 1941 was a day that will live in infamy, and if you’re ever in Hawaii, we strongly recommend you visiting the USS... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: Delaware - It's December 7, and Delaware became the first state of the United States on this date in 1787.  We don't know for sure if American School is the first distance education high school in the United States, but we do know that we were the first to receive regional accreditation.  That accreditation is part of... Read More
  • Illinois EPA Poster and Poetry/Prose Contest - Today’s blog has information about the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s annual Statewide Poster and Poetry/Prose Exhibit.  Details are available in the link above.  Please note that the contest is open only to Illinois residents in fifth or sixth grades, and entries must be received by February 1.  The contest would be perfect for sixth graders... Read More
  • Today’s Anniversary: Illinois - It's December 3, and Illinois became a state on this date in 1818.  Although we are proud to serve students in all 50 states, we have a special place in our heart for Illinois since it has been our home state since the early 1900s.  Over the years, millions of exams in high school correspondence... Read More
  • Winter Weather Reminder - The calendar has flipped to December, which means that winter weather is now a possibility.  Should American School be closed or have a delayed opening, we will post information on our Facebook page and on our phone system.  Some of our instructors who teach online high school courses and online middle school courses may choose... Read More