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.
American School Holds 126th Annual Meeting
It’s October 23, and today American School is holding its 126th annual meeting of trustees and corporate members. The annual meeting is a yearly chance to review the challenges and opportunities of the past year and to plan for an even better future. For the first...
Today’s Anniversary: The Sydney Opera House
It’s October 20, and the famous Sydney Opera House opened in Australia 50 years ago today. The opera house is best known for its unique architectural design, but it’s also been the home of some amazing musical performances in the last 50 years. This famous...
Testimonial Thursday
It’s Thursday, so we have a testimonial from one of our students. Hannah from Arkansas writes, “Everything is easy to understand. I think you can’t get much better with a homeschooling program. It is very flexible and can work for just about anyone.” We thank...
Today’s Anniversary: Moby-Dick
It’s October 18, and Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick was published on this date in 1851. Herman Melville was a great American writer, and you can read works by more of them when you take our American Literature course. We are happy to offer it among our high...
Today’s Anniversary: The Department of Education Organization Act
It’s October 17, and President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act on this date in 1979. You might think that Cabinet-level departments are all quite old and have been a part of American government since 1776, but some of them are newer,...
Boss’s Day 2023
It’s October 16, and today is Boss’s Day. It’s a great opportunity for us to look back at the people who have served as THE boss here at American School, namely our presidents. R.T. Miller founded American School in 1897 and served as president until 1945. He was...
Today’s Special Occasion: Friday the 13th
It’s October 13 and it’s a Friday, so today’s blog is going to talk about Friday the 13th. For many people this date is unlucky, but it doesn’t have to be. You can make your own luck by enrolling and becoming an American School student. Studies have shown that...
Testimonial Thursday
It’s Thursday, so let’s hear another testimonial from one of our students. Nicole from Michigan writes, “American School was nothing like what I expected. It was indeed better.” We thank Nicole for those concise but powerful words. Sometimes people enter into new...
Semesters of Online World Language Courses
Today’s blog is about semesters of our online world language courses powered by Rosetta Stone which are great additions to an accredited high school program or independent study program. Rosetta Stone’s courses are divided into levels, and each level is the...
American School Staff Completes Mandated Reporter Training
American School staff recently completed mandated reporter training. By law our staff is required to report suspected instances of child abuse, and the mandated reporter training helps us do that. Although we may not see visible signs of child abuse or neglect...
American School Closed Monday, October 9, 2023
American School will be closed Monday, October 9. We will reopen with regular business hours on Tuesday, October 10, and look forward to assisting you with your accredited middle school courses and accredited high school courses at that time. Thank you for making us...
Today’s Anniversary: PBS
It’s October 5, and the Public Broadcasting Service, more commonly known as PBS, was launched on this date in 1970. PBS airs a variety of programs, including shows relating to current events, science and history, but a good portion of its programming focuses on...
American School and Twitter (X)
Today’s blog has an update about American School’s page on Twitter (or X as it is now being called). American School has had a page on that site for several years @as_hsdiploma, but due to the uncertainty surrounding that site, we have scaled back how often we post...
American School Nominated for 2023 BBB Torch Award
American School is proud to be nominated for a 2023 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics. According to a press release, the Better Business Bureau Torch Awards are the highest business honor given to business, based on exceptional dedication to ethics,...
Additional Update to Frequency of Facebook Posts
Today’s blog has an additional update to the frequency of our Facebook posts. Effective October 6, we will no longer post general education articles every weekday evening. Instead our Facebook page will continue to focus primarily on American School and events...
Today’s Birthday: Miguel de Cervantes
It’s September 29, and author Miguel de Cervantes was born on this date in 1547. You may know his name because he wrote Don Quixote, which is one of the first great world novels. You can read other works of literature by authors from around the world by taking one...
Google Celebrates 25 Years
Today's blog celebrates Google's 25th anniversary. Sometimes it's hard to believe that the internet existed before Google came along on September 27, 1998. That's because today the word "Google" is almost synonymous with internet searching. We know that so many...
Today’s Anniversary: Silent Spring
It’s September 27, and Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring was published on this date in 1962. The book led to a renewed focus on environmental awareness and eventually led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. American School offers...
Today’s Birthday: Jack LaLanne
It’s September 26, and fitness expert Jack LaLanne was born on this date in 1914. His food intake regimen and exercise plans helped him live to age 96, and his birthday got us thinking about physical education. Because we are a distance education middle school and...
New Year-End Schedule Reminder
Today’s blog is a reminder about our new year-end schedule which will go into effect this December. Starting this year and going forward, American School will always be closed from Christmas Eve (December 24) through New Year’s Day (January 1). In 2023, that means...
Tomorrow’s Special Occasion: The First Day of Fall
It’s September 22, and tomorrow is the first day of fall. When people think of fall, they think of falling leaves, football and cooler temperatures, but they might also think about going back to school. If you’re in the latter category but haven’t decided on your...
Today’s Special Occasion: International Day of Peace
It's September 21, and today is the International Day of Peace. It's a United Nations initiative which promotes peace around the world. Today's celebration got us thinking about our international students. We are proud to serve students in 65 countries around the...
Today’s Anniversary: The Battle of the Sexes
It’s September 20, and 50 years ago today a very famous tennis match took place at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Billie Jean King (a female) defeated Bobby Riggs (a male) in the “Battle of the Sexes” and that match got us thinking about the students we serve. It...
ISBE Region County District Type Schools Lookup
Today’s blog is about the Illinois State Board of Education’s Region County District Type Schools lookup, often abbreviated at RCDTS. Although we are a distance education middle school and distance education high school, we appear on the list because our headquarters...
ISBE State Course Catalog Numbers
Today’s blog is about the Illinois State Board of Education State Course Catalog. Occasionally homeschool families or school counselors will contact us about this catalog and ask us if our accredited middle school courses and accredited high school courses match up...
