The Academies Family

When students and graduates are asked what was special about going to school at The Albany Academies, the most frequent reply is that it was “family.” Everybody knows everyone else and the friendships that are formed here last a lifetime. One way of putting this is to say that the approach to education at The Academies is the “garden model,” not the “factory model.” Students are never numbers here; they are always young people with horizons to be expanded, with personalities of their own, with passionate interests to be developed—all in an atmosphere of positive regard of self and others. That is the kind of family we are, including the parents, the grandparents, the alumnae and alumni.

 

It is also a welcoming community that is not broken up into cliques and in-groups. Students who transfer are welcomed immediately into this family and into the tight-knit community where students of all ages and backgrounds feel a sense of belonging. That is why so many graduates attend their reunions with pride and anticipation fifty and sixty years later. They are still family.

 

Respect and acceptance are taught and expected. We embrace racial, ethnic, physical, religious and socioeconomic differences and value how they make our community stronger.