Thanks to the success of American Academy in Prague, American Academy in Brno, American Academy in Bratislava, and American Academy Online, we have decided to open American Academy in Zagreb. American Academy focuses on the development of academic and practical skills and competencies with each of our students. We offer an international, inspiring, motivating and friendly environment. With three successful schools in the Czech Republic, and in Slovakia, we believe that we have the knowledge and experience to make American Academy in Zagreb one of the most progressive and dynamic educational institutions in Croatia right from the start.
The American Academy in Zagreb will open as a high school in one of the most prominent office centres in Zagreb - Agram Office Center, in September 2021. All classes at the American Academy are taught in English by native speakers. Every trimester for a week our students participate in a school-wide project which we call a “theme week”, where the whole school works on this particular project and does not attend regular classes. Our school is designed for students that are looking for a modern educational program that will prepare them for a successful life in the 21st century.
Graduates of American Academy receive the American High School Diploma, which is the same Diploma as students who graduate from High Schools in the United States receive. Our graduates are able to study at universities anywhere in the world as are students who graduate from IB and British schools.
9th–12th GRADE
9th–12th GRADE
High School students work to develop their strengths and focus on subjects that prepare them to study their dream disciplines at quality universities around the world.
Students are able to choose the classes they want to study from the class offering of our school. American Academy offers small classes, high quality teachers, modern school space and equipment. Individual attention to each of our students is also a core competency of our schools. American Academy puts emphasis on a pro-active communication approach towards its students, parents and staff. We organize a monthly parent councils where parents can attend, ask questions or learn about recent developments and future plans. Parents also receive a monthly summary via e-mail from the Head of School. Every trimestr, we organize anonymmous questionnaire collection from parents, students and teachers, where everybody can give their honest opinion about their satisfaction with our school and give their suggestions on how to improve.
The STEM Program is an add on to the regular High School Program especially designed for High School students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In this specialized educational program, we acquaint our students with up-to-date technologies, informatics and scientific methods or tools and at the same time show them how to apply them in everyday life.
While students of the regular High School Program study their own respective classes, The Stem Program students study two special blocks which are taught every day,: Programming & Robotics and Science. Students have at their disposal special classroom with first-class equipment, so the quality of our program is on par with top private schools in the United States.
Born and raised just outside of Washington DC, Yamini Singh grew up in a culturally diverse household. Spending her formative years shuffling between North America, Asia, and Europe only heightened her sense of cultural curiosity, and has lent her a unique perspective which she is eager to share with others.
Yamini holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Mary Washington (Virginia), a Master’s of Humanities with a concentration in Literature from Tiffin University (Ohio), and a CELTA Certificate. Additionally, some of her undergraduate coursework was completed at the Université Paris VIII Vincennes-Saint-Denis.
After studying and teaching in Paris, France, Yamini’s interest in education was sparked. She subsequently spent several years teaching the humanities in Doha, Qatar, and then in Prague, Czechia. She has also lived in Montreal, Canada.
Speaking English and French (and just enough Arabic and Hindi to get by), Yamini considers herself a “third culture kid” who has grown into a true global citizen. Her interests include Modernist art and literature, with a strong penchant for the surreal. She possesses a great passion for learning, and her joy is found engaging with young people in the classroom. She deeply believes education can change the world, and that in fact it is the only thing that ever has.
Our curriculum is inspired by the best of the world's educational programs, notably American and Finnish systems.
Our students have the freedom to choose the subjects they want to study so they can focus on what really interests them and develop necessary social and practical skills during high school.
Much like the International Baccalaureate Diploma or British high school diploma, our students must get their diploma validated if they want to apply for a Czech University. It is a process which we are familiar with, and we are happy to help students with their individual application processes. American Academy also offers Advanced Placement courses, which are equivalent to university courses in the American and Canadian systems. Students take exams in these subjects, which are comparable to IB exams and accepted by universities around the world.
American Academy in Zagreb will be the fifth school of the successful American Academy network, thus will be able to draw from the very well-established curriculum at other American Academies. American Academy's curriculum is inspired by the best case practices from around the world.
The faculty consists of professional teachers, caring staff, and we all aim to create a friendly, supporting environment in the school. Our graduates are confident, well-rounded people ready to take on the world and continuing their studies at the world's top universities.
We put emphasis on high-quality academic program. Besides a wide range of subjects led by great teachers, American Academy offers Advanced Placement (university level courses) and in September 2021 we are also opening new academic program STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).
Both of these programs together with American high school diploma increase students' chances to get accepted by the world's best universities.
The subject offer is valid for the academic year 2020/21 only. The number of courses offered will increase every year.
THEME WEEKS
In addition to our American based curriculum, American Academy offers theme weeks inspired by Finnish academic traditions. During theme weeks, there is a school-wide project that develops skills and competencies such as communication, team work, collaboration, problem solving, creativity, critical thinking or project management.
During theme week students experienced a lot of different things – some students went to escape rooms in Prague, some students went on a haunted statues tour, other students went on a cave trip, and some students even went to Kutná Hora. They experienced these things in order to learn much needed skills which helped them to organize their own final projects based on the same Magic and Mysteries theme.
These final projects included: our phenomenal Haunted House, our own puzzling escape room, podcasts, a charity bake sale, an art exhibition, a magic show, and the list goes on and on. Proceeds from the Haunted House, Escape Room and the Bake Sale which raised money for SOS Children’s Villages (SOS Dětské vesničky).
In the beginning, the students had to ask themselves some questions regarding how have rivers shaped human history and how do humans now shape rivers? Once the list of questions and workshops descriptions were finalized, they were asked to rank their choices so the teachers could create a customized Theme Week schedule for each student. Some workshops were held in the school in a classroom, others were on site in the water treatment plant, exploring the city of Pilsen, canoeing, creating art, making a short film, and a two-day hike exploring the Labe River. At the end of the week, all the staff and students gathered for an assembly where different groups presented what they learned, including a song, several videos and a skit. The school also created a "gallery walk" with drawings, games, and other visual representations of what each group learned during their workshop.
A group of ten students and a teacher explored Prague’s treasures: museums, monuments, food, transportation, landmarks, the river, and the people. Some of the more noteworthy trips included a tour and workshop at the Jewish Synagogue; a walking tour showing secret treasures of Prague, and a lecture by a holocaust survivor. During Thursday of that week, each group made a special tour and picture scavenger hunt in the morning and then the different groups switched tours and ran around Prague and saw Prague through their classmates eyes. The winner of the best tour and scavenger hunt won a pizza party. Students then created a product like a song, a presentation, a website and more that captured what they had learned during the whole week. It was followed by a school-wide assembly where students showcased their final products.
The third theme week of the 2019-2020 school year was called Creation in Isolation. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing, students either worked on their theme week projects by themselves or in small groups. Students were given the task of thinking about something that they had always wanted to do but never had the time to. They chose projects like learning how to play the violin, learning how to skateboard, learning how to do animation, upscaling clothes, learning how to sew, writing poetry, building a website, and so many more! The groups or individuals then had to document their progress throughout the week and make a final video showing what they had accomplished. We were so impressed with our students for embracing this theme week and putting so much effort into it.
Don’t expect long tests; we are mostly interested in the student’s character and enthusiasm. That
is why we focus on a personal interview and written essays. For the academic year 2020/21, we
have spots for 30 students. Priority deadline to submit your application is May 1st.
GRADUATE PROFILE
- 2021 -
An American Academy graduate is a confident young person who is engaged in the immediate world around them and will be mindful of those that exist around them. They have developed confidence, solve problems actively, and always take full ownership of their actions. They have discovered what their main values are and are able to act upon them.
Graduating from an international school, the students are ready to begin higher education anywhere in the world, including the highest ranking universities.
See for yourself that learning can be engaging and support curiosity. Our students develop skills necessary for a successful life at the professional level already in high school. Register for an individual consultation.
We are happy to accommodate to your needs therefore, you can choose if we’ll meet online or personally.
