Athletic Academy?

1. English – all four years

2. Foreign language – all four years

3. Experimental Science – all four years

4. Math – all four years

5. PE (team sport)* – at least one year

6. PE (individual sport)* – at least one year

7. Social Studies – all four years

8. Culture – all four years

9. Further Studies – at least three years

10. PE (conditioning)* – at least two years

*at least 8 classes of physical education

Some sports:
Individual:
bowling, fencing, duathlon/triathlon, golf, gymnastics, martial arts, tennis, racketball, track and field, roller blading, ice skating (figure, speed), squash, swimming, table tennis (ping pong), wrestling
Team:
football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, cricket, curling, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, laser tag, paintball, polo/water polo, rugby, softball, handball, ultimate frisbee

Recommended for all four years (not in period order): 
1. English
2. Foreign Language
3. Science
4. Math
5. Social Studies
6. Culture
7. Sport
8. Sport
9. Conditioning
10. Further Studies 3 years and team/individual sport (whichever did not pick above) 1 year

If a student fails anything, he or she would have to drop out of conditioning and/or sports as an upperclassman.

Fine Arts Academy

I am not going to lower the academic standards for these kids. They are not to use fine arts as an excuse to not be academically advanced. Every Friday afternoon/evening, I want some sort of performance or gallery for free in the school. For instance, one month, there could be a choir concert in the first week, a sculpture gallery the second week, a string quartet concet the third week, and a one act play the fourth week.

Visual and performing arts

Crafts and artisanry

Dance

Design, photography

Dramatic arts

Film arts

Fine arts

Music

1. English – all four years – focus on plays and creative writing and classics like Shakespeare

2. Foreign language – all four years

3. Experimental Science – all four years

4. Math – all four years

5. Fine arts* – all four years

6. Fine arts* – at least two years

7. Social Studies – all four years (at least three years?)

8. Culture – all four years

9. Further Studies – at least three years

10. PE* – at least one year, dance counts

*at least 8 classes of arts, must take a certain number of each category (ex: I and II of a subject, etc.) with suggestions for each arts, like these courses together for vocal music will satisfy all requirements but if you want to randomly pick that’s fine 

Math and Science Academy

I need to remember in this one that these are still high school-ers. I do not want to completely overload them with information or work.

Math – algebra, geometry, calculus, and stats, possibly: linear algebra, complex variables, probability, differential equations, number theory, and logic

Science - at least introduction to biology, chemistry, and physics, possibly: up to II of two of those three, biochemistry, bioengineering, biophysics, computational biology, human biology, microbiology, neurobiology, organic chemistry, thermodynamics & kinetics, physical chemistry, relativity, classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, foundations of behavior (NBB), computer science (probably required for at least one year), animal science, zoology, astronomy, earth science, atmospheric sciences & meteorology, conservation management and protection

Science fairs and science bowls 

1. English – all four years – light, getting through the classics and SAT and standardized test writing, emphasis on technical vocab, writing, and peer editing

2. Foreign language – all four years – light

3. Science* – all four years

4. Science* – at least two years  

5. Math* – all four years

6. Math* – at least two years  

7. Social Studies – all four years – light

8. Culture – all four years – try to keep it mostly in class (little homework)?

9. Further Studies – at least three years – mostly keep the work in class, these kids do not need more homework added on to their days

10. Arts/PE – at least one year of each, three years total – mostly keep the work in class, these kids do not need more homework added on to their days

*16 classes of math and science – at least six classes math and six classes science, so leaves four classes to choose either one 

International Studies and Foreign Language Academy

UPDATE 8/8/12:
Language lunches occasionally - possibly try to have several places to have lunch so students can sort by language

1. English – all four years – light, mostly just getting through the classics and SAT and standardized test writing

2. Foreign language 1 – all four years
3. Foreign language 1 enrichment – all four years

4. Foreign language 2 – all four years
5. Foreign language 3 – at least 3 years
6. Social studies – all four years – international relations, history, geography

7. Experimental Sciences – at least three years - have to do one year each of biology, chemistry, and physics  – can we have the first year be AP?

8. Math – at least three years?
9. Culture – all four years

10. Arts/PE/Health/Further Studies – at least one year of each

UPDATE 7/17/12:
Language lunches occasionally

1. English – all four years – light, mostly just getting through the classics and SAT and standardized test writing

2. Foreign language 1 – all four years
3. Foreign language 1 enrichment – all four years

4. Foreign language 2 – all four years
5. Foreign language 3 – all four years
6. Social studies – all four years – international relations, history, geography

7. Experimental Sciences – at least three years - have to do one year each of biology, chemistry, and physics  – can we have the first year be AP?

8. Math – at least three years?
9. Culture – all four years

10. Arts/PE/Health/Further Studies – at least one year of each

Language lunches occasionally

1. English – all four years – light, mostly just getting through the classics and SAT and standardized test writing

2. Foreign language – all four years – vocab, grammar, etc.

3. Foreign language reading/writing – all four years – like English class without a lot of discussion

4. Foreign language speaking class – all four years

5. Social studies – all four years – international relations, history, geography

6. Experimental Sciences – have to do one year each of biology, chemistry, and physics and at least one of these has to get to the second year of it – can we have the first year be AP?

7. Math – all four years

8. Culture – all four years

9. Arts/PE – at least one year of each, three years total

10. Further Studies – at least three years total

OR

1. English – all four years – light, mostly just getting through the classics and SAT and standardized test writing

2. Foreign language 1 – all four years – vocab, grammar, etc.

3. Foreign language 1 reading/writing/speaking – all four years – like English class

4. Foreign language 2 – all four years – vocab, grammar, etc.

5. Foreign language 2 reading/writing/speaking – all four years – like English class

6. Social studies – all four years – international relations, history, geography

7. Experimental Sciences – have to do one year each of biology, chemistry, and physics and at least one of these has to get to the second year of it – can we have the first year be AP?

8. Math – all four years

9. Culture – all four years

10. Arts/PE/Further Studies – at least one year of each, four years total

Focus Schools

I have recently thought of other schools I want, called focus schools. They'd be a lot like conservatories or magnet schools but at the level of academic standards as the students in my general Murray Academy. I've taken some of the curriculum from college majors and magnet programs.

Focus schools do not take away the integrity of Murray Academies. All of my students will have to focus on academic excellence, personal skills, and be thinkers and prepared to take on everything. All of them will also have culture class, since that is my main reason for these schools.

These schools are not like majors in college or like tracks or programs like in foreign schools; these are just nudges in certain directions to give students an edge in a particular field.

Most, if not all, of these schools will have ten classes instead of eight, like I changed my general Murray Academy to, because focus schools need more time for general classes and focus classes. This would still use the block schedule, with three classes before lunch and two after every day.

Annual Tea

Eventually, I would love to have several schools that I simply check up on. Since I am trying to raise polite and educated students (and because I would have the kind of power required to set up something like this even if I did not work at the school full time), something I would enjoy for the students to have is a tea for me. That way I could talk to many of them while they're looking all cute in their sun dresses and polos and have on their best manners.

Housing

I was thinking about having houses for the students to live in instead of dorms (senior girls' house, senior boys' house, etc. with a house supervisor in each that does things like curfew check), but that may not work out because it looks like a dorm can be built for less than $5000, and a house is incredibly expensive, but I'm not sure yet.

I would, however, like at least a house or two on campus for me, visitors, and possibly visiting parents. 

When my parents get very old I'd like to put them in a house on the premises of one of my schools, possibly in one of those houses meant for guests, parents, and me. My parents will probably say no, but I'd still like to offer. They'd get to pick which school to live by, of course, but they'd probably like to go to a social studies/current events school or an international relations type of school. Then I'd have students, faculty, and staff check up on them and entertain them (like bring them to debates on campus and tell them about trips and such) occasionally. 

Name

First thoughts on the generic name of my schools: Murray Academy