The Renaissance was a time of discovery and creativity which has proven to be unparalleled in the history of the world.  Flushing High School’s Renaissance Academy has been designed to promote the acquisition of knowledge by implementing a program rich in collaborative learning. Students selected to participate in the program will be expected to master the Advanced Placement curricula along with the activities and assignments associated with them. Skills involving critical thinking and creative writing will be the focus of this multi-dimensional program.  The Academy will offer comprehensive courses of study for those who seek admission to the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country.  It will also facilitate a solid foundation on which to prepare for careers in the fields of art, science and the humanities.

Students who gain admission to the program will be eligible to take up to twelve Advanced Placement classes.  Those who achieve high scores on the Advanced Placement examinations will have the opportunity to earn college credits as they fulfill their high school diploma requirements.  Some schools, including Harvard University, offer students a full year of college credit when they score a grade of five on a series of five different examinations.  In addition to personal enrichment and the acquisition of knowledge, successful students will also have the opportunity to reduce the cost of their college education.

The Renaissance Academy is committed to cultivating a community of students who cherish the learning experience and seek high personal achievement along with the fulfillment of specific goals.  It combines art, literature, music, science, math and the humanities in an inter-disciplinary program that utilizes creative approaches to instruction and assessment such as portfolio work and experiential projects and research, including the creation of artifacts.  This will be accomplished in the spirit of the Renaissance Masters who serve as the inspiration for this academy.

     Students will be accepted into the Academy program by application only.  A committee of Academy teachers and counselors will review all applications and come to a determination as to admission.  Selection criteria will include academic achievement, test scores and teacher recommendations.  Once admitted, students may elect a minimum of one strand of courses from each of the following departments:

Newly admitted ninth graders are programmed for freshman honors English.  The focus of this course is to prepare students for expository writing.   While students are prepared for beginning a research paper, students study writing skills through formal grammar and sentence building techniques, as well as profile reading.  Texts include The Iliad, The Odyssey, Aesop’s Fables and literature that supplement the World History curriculum (see below).

In the sophomore year Academy students study the Queens English Project essay, formalizing the construction of the essay into effective paragraphs which include the Abstraction, the Concrete Evidence and the Generalization.  The texts allow students to evaluate and criticize an audience. Students will write newspaper articles for The Forum, poetry and short stories for The Phoenix, do layout design for The Gargoyle, and enter several contests for creative and dramatic writing.  Students will have the opportunity to recite their poetry and narrative fiction in a variety of formats.

In the junior year students take the Advanced Placement course in English Language and Composition.  It focuses on advanced writing skills in preparation for the Advanced Placement examination.  Students learn to write persuasively.  A portfolio assessment is made for the selected works gathered from three years of study.  This is used as part of the student’s college application process.

In the senior year, students take the Advanced Placement course in Literature and Composition.  Seniors are challenged by the more difficult works of Shakespeare and other master writers from World Literature.  Attention is paid to literary theory, biography and criticism.  Students may choose to assume a variety of roles including journalist, poet, editor, tutor, proofreader, and designer.

Upon entering the Academy, students enroll in Spanish Level III for Native Language Arts and take the Spanish Regents Exam.  They continue in the Native Language Arts where they are introduced to literary analysis through the literary genres of Spanish and Hispanic American literature: novel, poetry, drama, essay and short story.  They do cursory reading of some of the works of the five required authors for the Spanish Literature course: Matute, Lope de Vega, Garcia Lorca, Borges and Unamuno.

In their senior year, students take the Advanced Placement Spanish Literature course which focuses on the five required authors.  Political, geophysical, social factors and literary trends that have impacted upon these authors will be examined in depth to facilitate student understanding of the major works to be read.

Depending on the math courses completed in their Junior High or Middle School, students entering the academy will be placed in one of three courses in Sequential Mathematics.  Topics include units in Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Logic, Probability and Statistics.  Academy students are permitted to accelerate by doubling courses with permission of the Assistant Principal.  Sequential Math IV includes topics from Advanced Algebra, Solid Analytic Geometry and Pre-calculus.  The sequence culminates in the Advanced Placement Course in either Calculus AB or BC.  Students are given graphic calculators in Course IV and Calculus, and all instruction routinely integrates these calculators into the subject matter.

Students are also permitted to take as independent study a course in mathematics research.  Each student is responsible for writing a research paper on a topic chosen by the student and advisor.  This paper will be entered into competitions such as the Greater New York Mathematics Fair and the Intel Competition.

Students may take a two year sequence of computer programming culminating in the Advanced Placement Computer Science examination.  Students are taught the language of Pascal and methodologies including recursion, procedural abstraction, algorithms, data structures and data abstraction.  Student projects are entered into various competitions such as the St. John’s University Computer Contest and the New York City Computer Contest.

Students choosing this offering follow a Julliard School of Music model and start with either Beginner’s Chorus, Beginner’s Orchestra, or any of the other primary classes.  Advanced students may begin with Men’s or Women’s Chorus or Honors Orchestra.  Concert appearances are a requisite part of the curricula.  Pianists entering the program may participate either as accompanists, singers, conductors or performers.  Orchestral players are encouraged to participate in the Chorus as their program permits.  After school programs are offered in these areas for independent study credit.

Students take the first three courses in Science beginning with Regents Living Environment, Regents Chemistry and either Regents Earth Science or Physics.  In their junior or senior year, students may take the Advanced Placement Biology course which includes library research techniques.  Topics include the diversity and unity of life, basic chemistry as it relates to biological science, and the life functions of organisms.  Attention focuses on human anatomy physiology, human reproduction and development, modern genetics, evolution and ecology.

Students involved in Advanced Placement courses are required to research and write a paper.  These papers will be entered in competitions such as the Queens Science Fair and the Otto Burgdorff Competition.

Students in this program are enrolled in several extracurricular programs at local colleges such as the SPISE program at City College, the Simons Fellowship Program at Stony Brook University, and the Bridge to Medicine Program at York College.

Students entering the academy in the ninth grade are programmed for World History Advanced Placement.  This two year course replaces the regular Global History sequence of courses.  The course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage.  The course highlights the changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as, comparisons among major societies.

Students entering Flushing High School in the tenth grade are scheduled for Advanced Placement European History.  In addition to providing the basic narrative of events and movements in western civilization, the goal of this course is to develop an understanding of some of the principle themes in modern European History.  As with the World History course, an ability to analyze historical evidence and to express an understanding of history in writing is also emphasized.

In their junior year, students are prepared for the Advanced Placement exam in United States History.  The class is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with problems and issues in United States history.  The course develops the skills necessary to draw conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format.

Flushing High School Academy of Business and Entrepreneurial Studies provides students with opportunities for leadership, community involvement, business partnerships and competition with other students in events ranging from public speaking to job interview to IPO development. There are three annual trade show events focused on: product marketing, sales, and contract development, as well as competitions in resume and interview skills, business plan presentation, professionalism and leadership. Students are exposed to business software, Economics, Accounting, Marketing, Small Business Management, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy.

The Academy utilizes business experiences with our mentors in the business community, as well as, and internships. Our affiliation with Baruch College, Queensborough College, Deloitte & Touche, Merrill Lynch, and the Federal Reserve Bank has resulted in several internships for our students. In addition, Flushing High School is unique in that Academy courses are taught by former business executives who are now members of the Flushing High School Faculty.

Upon completion of the required number of courses and activities, students will receive a business endorsed advanced regents diploma. This certificate will illustrate to colleges and employers an involvement in business and practical experience beyond those required for a high school diploma. The certificate will further demonstrate that you have a personal drive and interest in the business community beyond that of the average student.

We look forward to receiving your application and to answering any questions you may have about attending the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurial Studies. For further information please contact Mr. Vincent Tobia, Business Coordinator, (718) 888-7500 ext. 144.