Sterling Academy Blog

Sterling Academy is pleased to announce a partnership with a new high school opening in Shanghai, China. American University High School will open in September this year, enrolling students in grades 10 through 12 (high schools in China are 3 years, not 4). AUHS will feature an American-style curriculum in English for American students and other foreign students in China to be able to study while living abroad. In addition, students who are citizens of China may choose to study at the school. Sterling Academy is working with AUHS in developing its program and in creating opportunities for cultural and academic exchange between the two schools. Look for announcements very soon on such an opportunity this spring.

There is a lot of criticism in the news and in other places of debate in society about the American education system.  This generally includes discussion of how much lower Americans score on tests -- particularly in math and science -- than students in other industrialized countries.

Learner Middle & High School is currently accredited by NALAS.  We are now working to become accredited by AdvancED. (The North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement [NCA CASI] and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement [SACS CASI] are accreditation divisions of AdvancED.)  This is a lengthy and thorough process.  This post describes some of the action steps we take to prepare for the accreditation visit.  The whole focus of the accreditation process is for a school staff to take a thorough, in-depth look at their school and make sure that all parts are operating well, and to constantly look for ways to improve.

Submitted by Robert Strodtbeck, Social Studies Teacher At Sterling.Academy

The great thing about studying history at this time is that, due to the easy access that the Internet allows to documents and references, we can gain access to the complete historical record of the world with a few keystrokes.  We only need to develop our focus and purpose so that our keystrokes have meaning.

Submitted by Nicole Gerace, Mathematics teacher at Sterling Academy

One of the best ways to become a writer is to thoroughly immerse yourself in the style of a writer you admire.  Serious writing students have been known to copy out in longhand their favorite poems as well as selections from their favorite books and stories. Like walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, these copying experiences figuratively help you walk in someone else’s mind.  You start to understand the ebb and flow of that writer’s style, right down to the use of commas and colons.

Submitted by Robert Strodtbeck, Learner High School Social Studies Teacher

Throughout my years in foreign language education, I’ve had the privilege of teaching many types of students, some more eager to learn the Spanish language than others. Because two years of foreign language is required in some programs in order to graduate from high school, I understand that I will come across many students who are only taking Spanish simply because they have to fulfill a requirement. For these students, Spanish class is an obligation and nothing more -- and that’s okay.  However, I want to address and encourage the students who are enrolled in Spanish courses and who are eager to learn, not only because it’s a requirement, but because they are truly interested in communicating in another language.