The John Jay Institute (http://www.johnjayinstitute.org) is sponsoring a public lecture by Dr. Joseph Loconte, entitled “The Searchers: The Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt.” The lecture will be held at noon on Thursday, September 27th at The Christian Association (118 S. 37th St., Philadelphia, PA at the University of Pennsylvania). From the Institute’s web site:
In The Searchers, Joseph Loconte brings an historian’s eye to bear on an ancient story that transformed and shaped the world we have inherited. He finds in that story something to make sense of each of our own stories and to guide us in the way that we will leave that world for those who follow after us.
Dr. Joseph Loconte is Associate Professor of History at The King’s College in New York City, where he teaches Western Civilization and American Foreign Policy. A Faculty Affiliate of the John Jay Institute in Philadelphia, Loconte previously served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University, was a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., and held the first chair in religion as the William E. Simon Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. His other books are The End of Illusions: Religious Leaders Confront Hitler’s Gathering Storm and Seducing the Samaritan: How Government Contracts Are Reshaping Social Services. His commentary on religion and politics appears regularly in the nation’s leading media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Weekly Standard, and National Public Radio. He is also a regular contributor to the London-based Standpoint Magazine and Italy’s La Stampa. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Loconte divides his time between New York City and the Washington, D.C. area.
For more information, see the Institute’s web site for full details about this event.
There will be an informational session about the school this Saturday, May 7th, at 9:30 AM at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Anthony, 1426 Farview Road, Villanova, PA 19085.
The following video is intended to serve as a brief introduction to The American Academy, our founding principles, and our philosophy of education. If you are curious about who we are and what we stand for, then this video is for you.
On March 4 TAA hosted an awards luncheon for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) essay contest. Our students entered this contest in December. The students were to imagine themselves as Paul Revere writing his memoirs. This year TAA took all the firsts in the district, with one winner in each grade. Congratulations to David Matej, 5th grade; Molly Harnish, 6th grade; Nathan Master, 7th grade; and Josiah Wells, 8th grade.
On Thursday Mrs. Hanko treated her class to a pancake lunch. The kindergartners and first graders are studying Nate the Great, and Nate’s favorite food is pancakes, so Mrs. Hanko incorporated these two things. The class has been enjoying using the clues to solve the mysteries before Nate, and they also enjoyed the pancakes. Thanks to Mrs. Hanko!
Congratulations to Laura Null for winning Top Ten in Creative Communication Poetry! This is a real honor as several thousand entries are not selected to be published, and of those that are, being chosen to be in Top Ten is quite prestigious.
The Gladwyne Library League hosted its 39th Junior Author Contest this year for grades 1-5, and The American Academy is very proud of its winners. Congratulations to Seth Dewitt, grade 2, who won 3rd place; Hannah Master, grade 4, who won 3rd place; Susanna Harnish, grade 1, who won Honorable Mention; and Laura Null, grade 3, who won 1st place. Thank you to Dr. Traver for helping them with their poetry!
After reading Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear with Dr. Traver, grades 5th-12th attended a play of King Lear on March 9 at the People’s Light and Theatre. From “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is/To have a thankless child…” (Act I, Scene iv) to “Out, vile jelly!” (Act III, Scene vii), the students and faculty enjoyed the production and said it helped them to better understand the play by seeing it performed. This was a memorable event for all who attended. Thanks to Dr. Traver for preparing the students for the play.
Six of our students won awards in the Gladwyne Library League’s 38th Junior Author Contest on March 5. Congratulations to Samuel Chang (3rd grade) “Castles and Kings and Knights, Oh My!”, who won 2nd place for 3rd grade poetry, Seth Dewitt (1st grade) “Animal Cinquains”, who won 3rd place for 1st grade poetry, Jacqui Hofstetter (3rd grade) “Soccer Dog”, who won 3rd place for 3rd grade poetry, Lena Harnish (3rd grade) “Disneyland, Not!”, who won Honorable Mention for 3rd grade poetry, Sarah Null (5th grade) “Mystery Box”, who won 1st place for 5th grade poetry, and Molly Wells (5th grade) “Three Wonders of Nature”, who won 3rd place for 5th grade poetry. There were 732 entries from 12 different area schools. Thanks to Dr. Traver for helping the students with their poems.
On Tuesday, May 7, several of TAA’s elementary students traveled to Beaumont retirement community in Bryn Mawr, PA, to perform Scottish dances for the residents. Our dancers performed the Fling, the Sword, and the Lilt. Mrs. Susan Null has been teaching these girls the art of this particular dance genre in a Scottish Dancing Club after school on Tuesdays all school year. The club grows more every year, and Mrs. Null is always eager to teach anyone new. All students participated in making Mother’s Day cards to take to Beaumont and give to the ladies that were watching the show.
Before the performance, the dancers performed the Fling, Sword, and Lilt for members and staff of Antioch Presbyterian Church, who so graciously host our school. After the Scottish dancers came off the stage, other students gave Mother’s Day cards to the audience.
Special thanks to Mrs. Null for all her hard work, and for her dedication to the Scottish Dance Club!