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.
Cream of the Crop Photo Contest
Today’s blog is about the Cream of the Crop Photo Contest which is open to Illinois students between ages 8 and 18. The contest asks students to submit a photograph that best describes their vision of agriculture in Illinois, and prizes include attending a reception...
Today’s Anniversary: The American Red Cross
It’s May 21, and Clara Barton established the American Red Cross on this date in 1881. The American Red Cross has helped millions of people in various ways since its founding 140 years ago, and American School employees are included in that number. Every two years...
Today’s Anniversary: The First Modern Atlas
It’s May 20, and on this date in 1570, Abraham Ortelius printed Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, which many consider to be the first modern world atlas. Today internet map programs and GPS systems have greatly reduced the need for atlases, but until the early 21st century,...
American School Set to Hold 83rd Annual Scholarship Meeting
Later today American School will hold its 83rd Annual Scholarship Meeting during which a distinguished panel of judges will award scholarships to several graduates who earned an accredited high school diploma from American School in 2020. Winners of the Henry Buresh...
Today’s Birthday: Mathew Brady
It’s May 18, and photographer Mathew Brady was born on this date in 1822. He lived at a time when photography was just starting to evolve, and he used his photographic skills to document American history in the mid-1800s. On a bright note, he and his assistants...
Today’s Anniversary: College Graduation
It’s May 17, and the person who regularly writes this blog graduated from college on this date many years ago. College graduation was the culmination of 17 years of hard work which started in kindergarten and continued through elementary school, middle school, high...
Help Us Fix Web Site Glitches
Yesterday’s blog talked about a glitch on our web site that was recently called to our attention and then fixed. As much as we test and test and test things before we post them, sometimes glitches happen. If you notice a glitch on our web site, including in your...
Glitch on Make a Payment Page Fixed
Recently we were made aware of a minor glitch on our Make a Payment page. Some people had difficulties in entering a billing phone number when using PayPal to pay for online high school courses, high school correspondence courses, online middle school courses or...
New Algebra 1 Study Guide Available
A new study guide for Algebra 1 is now available. The study guide contains changes and corrections to the course’s examinations, but the textbook has not changed. We revise study guides in our middle school correspondence courses and high school correspondence...
Today’s Anniversary: Minnesota
It’s May 11, and Minnesota became a state on this date in 1858. Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but you might call American School the School of 3,000,000 Students. That’s because we have served more than three million students since our founding in...
Today’s Special Occasion: Golden Spike Day
It’s May 10 and today is known as Golden Spike Day. That’s because on this date in 1869, a golden spike was driven into the ground in Utah to complete the First Transcontinental Railroad. One end of the railroad was in Iowa and the other end was in California. ...
Happy Mother’s Day
This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day, and so today’s blog will focus on the holiday. Mothers play a very important role in their children’s educations, and we are grateful that so many mothers have made us their family’s distance education middle school or distance...
Today’s Special Occasion: World Password Day
It's May 6, and today is World Password Day. It's a great opportunity for us to remind you about the passwords used by American School students, guarantors and school officials. First, students and guarantors receive passwords to access the Online Student Center. ...
Today’s Special Occasion: Cinco de Mayo
It’s May 5, and today is Cinco de Mayo. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on this date in 1862. It’s also a great day to mention American School’s diverse lineup of online world language courses, including...
Today’s Special Occasion: National Teachers Day
It’s May 4, and today we’re celebrating National Teachers Day. We’re happy to recognize our instructors who grade students’ exams in accredited middle school courses and accredited high school courses. Our instructors do much more than just correct papers and put a...
Unethical Student Activity in Online Groups
Today’s blog is difficult for us to write because it deals with unethical student activity in online groups. Recently we came across an online group whose members were clearly trying to trade or, in some instances, sell answers to each other. Such behavior is wrong,...
Today’s Anniversary: Louisiana
It’s April 30, and Louisiana became a state on this date in 1812. When people think of Louisiana, they often think of Mardi Gras, spicy cuisine, jazz music and more. Mardi Gras is a French phrase, and American School is happy to offer French and more than 20 other...
Today’s Birthday: Andre Agassi
It’s April 29, and American School graduate Andre Agassi was born on this date in 1970. He won eight major tennis tournaments, including the Australian Open four times, the U.S. Open twice and Wimbledon and the French Open once each. In doing so, he became one of a...
Today’s Anniversary: Maryland
It’s April 28, and Maryland became a state on this date in 1788. Before it became a state, Maryland was a colony founded by a man named George Calvert. He was a Catholic and wanted to establish a colony where fellow Catholics could live and be free of religious...
New Online Civics Course Available
American School is pleased to announce that a new online Civics course is now available. The course includes a variety of unit and lesson activities that examine the history, geography, culture and economy of the United States and includes reviews of founding...
Request for Feedback About Elementary School Courses
As many of you know, American School has offered accredited high school courses for more than a century. Within the last five years we began offering accredited middle school courses as a complement to our accredited high school program and independent study high...
Today’s Anniversary: The First Public School in the United States
It’s April 23, and on this date in 1635, the first public school in the United States opened. The Boston Latin School is nearly 400 years old and remains in operation to this day. Although American School does not endorse any public school specifically, we are...
Today’s Special Occasion: Earth Day
It’s April 22, and today is Earth Day. American School has had a recycling program for many years, and we are happy to do our part to preserve the environment. The phrase “going green” is often used when people or companies begin a project whose goal is to save the...
Today’s Special Occasion: Administrative Professionals Day
It’s April 21, and today is Administrative Professionals Day. American School has many administrative professionals, and, while we appreciate them every day, today is a day to especially appreciate them. Some help students enroll in an accredited high school program...
Extensions in Full-Credit Online Courses
Today’s blog has important information for students who take our online middle school courses and online high school courses from Edmentum. Students who enroll in full-unit Edmentum courses are enrolled in the 1st semester for six (6) months. When a student finishes...