Saturday Academy
Issued
2021 - 2022
Type
Program
Amount
$15,000
Applicant(s)
Joel Schaefer
Description
Andover Schools have participated in Saturday
Academies promoted by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History for over a decade. The Saturday
Academy programs provides students with the
opportunity to explore specific subjects of American
History through the use of primary documents over a six
week period on Saturday mornings. Classes are taught
two times- one from 9-10:20 AM and the second offering
is from 10:30-11:50 AM. Breakfast is provided usually in
the form of doughnuts and bottled water. The enrichment
program allows educators to select meaningful subjects
in American History that often cannot be explored with
the proper depth during a calendar school year. Thus,
students are engaged in the historical discipline of
interpretation, creation, problem solving, and discovery of
a subject or era of history that they may not otherwise be
exposed to in the classroom. Students are allowed to
enroll in either one or two classes. Often teachers create
games or contests where small prizes can be won- such
as a history book, calendar, food, or t-shirt. The program
is intended to provide students with a relaxed
atmosphere where students can learn without
consequence, be around teachers who love the specific
subject, and students who want to be there on a
Saturday morning to enrich their understanding of our
great nation through a unique lens of American history.
The Saturday Academy program allows students to
choose typically from six courses designed by teachers.
One of the courses tends to be geared specifically for
middle-schoolers, one course is designed to help
students prepare for the AP US History exam, and the
other four courses are designed to allow the teachers to
take a subject/issue that he/she is passionate about in
history and design six 80 minute lessons which allows
students to gain a deeper understanding of the
subject/issue. Thus, students in grades 6-12 have the
opportunity to explore a new course every year that they
often may not be able to discover within the framework of
the state curriculum and time constraints. For example,
in previous Saturday Academies, students have spoken
with criminal investigators and a local judge to
understand criminal behavior associated with serial
killers, designed alternative memorials that convey
symbolic meaning for a 9/11 tribute, created lyrics to
songs that promote American patriotism in World War 2
or protest in the Vietnam War, and explored
entrepreneurial ideas through an American
Entrepreneurs class. The program is designed where
students do not have homework, teachers do not grade,
and all work is self-contained to the Saturday mornings
This provides students with the knowledge that the
program is for sheer enrichment and love of the subject
matter to become a better citizen in our American
republic.