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![]()  he Academy offers students a well rounded, comprehensive, college preparatory education in a small school environment that fosters a spirit of community service and a drive towards excellence. Due to the incredible hard work and dedication of both the staff and students over the past decade, our efforts have met with great success.
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Special Topics in American History - In each grade, our students take an additional course in American History. In Freshman year, the students are exposed to the events leading up to the American Revolution, the great documents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Slavery, the Reform Movements of the 1800s and Jacksonian Democracy. In the Sophomore year, the students learn about westward expansion, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Immigration and Industrialization. In junior year, the students take a class in law and in senior year they will write a senior thesis on a topic in American History. To prepare our students for these tasks, freshmen take an additional class in writing and research. |
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Academic Trip Program - Learning is never limited to the classroom. With financial assistance from the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American history we are able to take our students on a grade-wide academic trip each semester. Freshmen go on day trips to Philadelphia and Sturbridge. Sophomores go on a cruise up the Hudson River to visit West Point and spend an overnight in Gettysburg. Juniors will participate in a Harlem Renaissance Tour, and a two night trip to Boston, Salem and Plymouth with whale watching on Cape Cod Bay. Seniors experience a 3 day-2 night trip to Washington, D.C. In this way, our students not only learn about the Constitution, they go to the room where it was written. They not only read about the Civil War, they run Pickett’s Charge. Through these hands on experiences we bring history to life. |
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Tutorials - Dedicated students and teachers come together for tutorials in all academic subjects after school. Additionally, over the weekends prior to the January and June Regents Exams and May Advanced Placement exams, teachers offer Saturday and Sunday tutorials to prepare our students to do their best. We also offer an SAT Prep course in the spring term. |
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The Arts -
Art:
- The art department continues to expand and offers a variety of classes. In Studio Art, students are taught the elements and principles of design, the building blocks of art. Lessons are structured to expose students to art, help them discover and build artistic skills and appreciate art in a variety of forms. In Careers in Art, students explore different artistic jobs such as cartooning, comic books, illustration or bookmaking. Lessons include the history of the art form, examples of art from that field, introductory drawing assignments and visits from guests who actively work in that career. In Painting and Advanced Painting, students explore the media of watercolor and acrylics. Lessons are sequenced to first help students gain confidence and control over these difficult media and then allow them to explore topics of their own to paint. Digital Media is a computer-based art class. The main focus of the class is to create a digital media portfolio - a collection of work that displays the evolving skill-set of a digital media artist. Students are taught how to use Adobe Photoshop, SLR digital cameras, Frames, and Flash.
Music: The Academy offers beginning music appreciation courses as well as performance classes in piano and a seminar in chorus.
Theatre: The Academy offers an Acting 1 and Playwriting course. In the spring, the actors perform scripts written by the playwrights in a theatre showcase. Additionally, all freshmen participate in our annual Shakespeare Festival during which time the Judith Shakespeare Company offers half day workshops to the students. Our Improvisational Theatre Club is a member of the International Thespian Society and has ties to the New York State Theatre Education Association. A student talent show is produced in the spring. Past musical performances include You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Working.-
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The Gilder Lehrman Saturday Academy - In both the summer and fall, we offer a Saturday Academy enrichment program through the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Past classes have included: Unraveling American Myths, PSAT/SAT Prep, American Plays in the 20th Century, The Great Irish Famine and Emigration to America, 20th Century Social Movements, Sociology. |
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Internship Program - The Academy offers an Internship Program for all interested seniors and a select group of juniors. Participating students are placed in internships covering a variety of professional environments throughout Queens and Manhattan. These environments include, but are not limited to, engineering firms, local junior high schools, museums, offices of politicians, art institutions and law firms. All students who successfully complete an internship will receive credit that will be applied to their high school transcripts. |
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