Academics
Albany Academy for Girls

Leadership

The Leadership Program at Albany Academy for Girls is designed to help our students identify, build and hone the skills necessary to navigate their experiences while at AAG and beyond.
The program is multi-faceted, including student government opportunities, leadership classes, sister-class activities, community service opportunities and specified all-school Community Service Days.

Through weekly leadership classes and advising periods, girls identify different styles of leadership and explore the difference between leadership and followership. Recognizing that not all students are comfortable with the traditional opportunities of leadership, we strive to broaden people’s ideas of what it means to be a leader and to help them find new avenues in which to lead.

Most importantly, our girls are given the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom through our variety of community service programs – both within the school environment and beyond. They stress the importance of our schools core values: integrity, self-discipline, perseverance, compassion, service, respect, responsibility, and ingenuity. These values along with a focus on service-learning help shape our students to become successful leaders.

List of 4 items.

  • Student Government

    The Student Government is one of several opportunities for girls to develop skills that are critical for leadership. There are three main branches that comprise the student government, and within those branches, numerous options are available for young women to hone those skills essential to building character and relationships on a daily basis.
     
    Student Council
    Student Council is a body of 10 students voted into position by their peers. The president and vice president of the individual grade levels are on Student Council along with the president and vice president of Student Council, who are elected by the entire student body. These representatives are charged with overseeing their respective classes during class meetings and representing the ideas of their classmates to the Student Council. The primary function of Student Council is to address matters of student life, including, but not limited to, school policies and procedures, social functions, and graduation.
  • Community Service

    Students at Albany Academy for Girls have a long history of involvement in community service. They spend approximately 1,000 hours each year working with local nonprofit organizations as part of a curriculum that emphasizes service and the feeling of pride that is gained from selflessly working for the good of the community.

    The Academies commitment to service is something that can be seen year-round on campus and throughout the community.
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  • May Projects

    The May Project program is an educational experience that gives seniors the opportunity to pursue a variety of professional experiences ranging from work in a research laboratory or museum to recording music to learning about technology development in a gaming company. While the program allows students to explore their interests and ideas, it also allows them to demonstrate the core values that they learned during their years at The Albany Academies: responsibility, self-discipline, compassion, ingenuity, respect, service, integrity and perseverance.
     
    While each student’s project is different, all the experiences grow out of a specific set of principles and guidelines. In early May, the students – instead of going to classes – participate in an internship that pertains to an area of study they intend to pursue in college. The student is expected to find an appropriate placement; however, the school assists with support and contacts for the students.
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  • Senior Honors Projects

    The Albany Academies’ mission statement is exhibited in countless ways during the school year. One of the most vital examples of the school’s mission in action is the Senior Honors program. In the past 2015-16 school year, nine AAG students and eight AA students participated. These year-long independent projects, where students consulted with an advisor from week to week, demonstrated a broad range of interests and pursuits. They included a “Triptych of the Arts” study in painting, poetry, and design; a photography exhibit on New York City; a presentation of the culture and history surrounding French baking, among other subjects; the composing and writing of an original song; and a presentation of the history of the Academy. Despite the differences among subject areas, they are still bound by a common thread. In academic terms, the projects focus on “active learning” principles, where the student assumes primary responsibility in shaping material and analyzing concepts. Really, though, this program model mimics the way any of us approaches learning in an age where information is readily available and essentially boundless: We follow subjects and ideas that inspire us. As one student phrased it, “This is exactly why I chose the program. Instead of memorizing content and preparing for tests, we took an experiential, engaged approach to subjects that we chose on our own, mostly because of a driving interest to find out more and sometimes even as a path to a future career.”

    By Tom Washington, Head Librarian, Albany Academy for Girls

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