The Glenbrook Academy of International Studies, also known as The Academy, is a four-year accelerated learning program comprised of students from GBS and GBN, according to Matthew Whipple, Academy director and senior social studies teacher.

Participants’ English, foreign language and social studies classes are taken as Academy classes during periods one through three. The program’s language changes each grade so that each grade explores either French, German, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese for four years. Each class is scored on an honors scale and many classes end with the opportunity to take AP tests.

Academy students spend one semester at GBN and one semester at GBS each year, according to Whipple.

For one semester, GBS participants arrive to school at 7:45 a.m. and take a shuttle bus to GBN for 8 a.m. classes. Students  then take the bus back to GBS to attend their other academic  classes, which, for most, includes a mathematics, science and elective course. Upperclassmen have the option of driving between schools rather than taking the bus.

According to sophomore Shea Anthony, taking classes at North has enriched her high school experience.

“It’s cool that you get to know a lot more people [from GBN],” Anthony said. “Their school is so much different from ours. You get a lot more diversity.”

Students who wish to apply to the Academy do so in eighth grade, according to Whipple. Their eligibility is determined by their test scores, admissions essay, teacher recommendations, writing samples and an interview.

Whipple noted that each year the number of applicants ranges from 80 to 100, although some years have had as many as 200. Each year, 30 students per grade are admitted.

The program runs on a block schedule,   which means that the timing is flexible, and students could have one, two or three classes in one Academy block.

The time allotted for The Academy allows the classes to function in a unique way, according to Whipple.

“All of the [subjects] in school are linked about in some way,” Whipple said. “We just choose not to explore those links directly.  In the Academy we tie things together, explore them in more depth, test out ideas, challenge them. I think that’s the unique academic advantage you see in The Academy.”

According to junior Declan Garvey, his Academy teachers sometimes integrate the learning material from all three classes into a coherent lesson plan.

“[One week], we were looking at World War II from a historical point of view in […]U.S., a literary point of view in English and learned how the Germans viewed the war in German [class],” Garvey said.

Garvey thinks  this style of teaching has helped him grow as a learner, especially because much of the learning is done through discussion.

2008 graduate Alex Shapiro saw similar benefits of The Academy’s discussion-based atmosphere.

“What separates Academy classes from others is the emphasis on class discussion,” Shapiro said. “This allows for deeper learning and far more critical thinking instead of mere note-taking. No work, inside or outside the classroom, feels like ‘busy work’; instead, each assignment furthers real learning.”

Benjamin Widner, freshman Academy social studies teacher, explained the positive relationships that form in The Academy.

“The dynamic is definitely unique,” Widner said. “We’re with [the students] for about two and a half hours every day. We’re developing certain relationships from each other that you probably couldn’t get in a normal school day.”

Whipple noted that for many, the program has created a powerful support system.

“Even if you’re not extraordinarily close to everyone in the class, you do become kind of a family,” Whipple said. “It’s a safe place for [quieter students] to start feeling comfortable speaking out and talking about ideas. From an individual level, there are advantages to the program.”

Whipple believes the program helps students better understand global issues. But, while many students from the program continue to study global issues in college, Whipple clarified that Academy students  also go on to professions other than those related to the humanities.

“[We’ve had] doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, scientists,” Whipple said. “The one thing that is the misnomer is that if you’re in The Academy of International Studies, you’re not into math and science. Almost all our students are also pretty strong math and science students.”

For more information about The Academy, visit gbhsweb.glenbrook225.org/academy.