We The Academy

On January 30, 2008, the students of the Academy of Academic Excellence proclaimed their independence. The teachers will no longer be the only ones in charge of setting and enforcing the rules.

We now have our own say, and we will soon learn that rights and freedoms come with responsibilities!
Democracy has been established in our school!

The representatives from the 13 colonies selected Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration because they all agreed that he was the best writer. He heavily edited his drafts before he prepared a clean copy that became the basis for the original rough draft.Thank you Rohan and Eli for being our rough draft writers.

Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the Declaration in 1776. He was 70 years old. Thank you Ashwin for being the oldest signer of our Academy Declaration of Independence.

The first, largest, and most famous signature is that of John Hancock, President of the
Continental Congress. Thank you Tharith for being our "John Hancock"!

Last, but not least, thank you Ansh for being our Declaration of Independence specialist throughout this fun and educational lesson.

On January 30th, we gathered for a formal "signing party", just like they did back in 1776. With a little practice and patience, each student signed their name using a quill pen made from a real 'swan' feather. The original document permanently resides in the entrance of our school.
Please stop by to see your child's signature!

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1806.
Artist Jennifer was born exactly 166 years later.

If your child would like to figure out her birthday and secretly turn it in to their teacher by next Wednesday, they will receive a bonus buck during next week's art class!