Please don't name your h.s. "Lastname Academy"

[Mommy22alyns]

Ok, now I think of it...I want a sparkly Unicorn Academy shirt!!! I'm thinking 70s ringer tee with glitter!!!!

 

 

I think we all need one now.  :D

[Lang Syne Boardie]

If you don't believe me about the "acadamy" thing, Google "homeschool acadamy" (in quotes, just like that) and see for yourself.

 

TRAGIC.

[Aurelia]

If you don't believe me about the "acadamy" thing, Google "homeschool acadamy" (in quotes, just like that) and see for yourself.

 

TRAGIC.

 

 

I bet they teach "grammer" and "writting" at their acadamy. 

[Woodland Mist Academy]

If you don't believe me about the "acadamy" thing, Google "homeschool acadamy" (in quotes, just like that) and see for yourself.

 

TRAGIC.

I got so paranoid, I quickly double-checked my username!!! Whew!! :tongue_smilie:

[Dmmetler]

On a related note, the Land's End School Uniform catalog arrived yesterday (don't know how we got on that mailing list), and one of my daughters was looking through it and realized that anyone can order a polo shirt with any name embroidered on it. Now she wants me to order her a polo with the name of our homeschool on it . . . and maybe a cute plaid skirt and some Mary Jane's to go with it.

 

I said, "Where on earth would you wear that, honey?" She claims she will happily wear her uniform every Monday, and it will get lots of use. I think she has plaid skirt envy, because several of her friends go to private school. So funny!

I actually did that for DD when she was 6-for the same reason. She'd attended preschool at a school that had the plaid skirts/jumpers, polo shirts, etc, and really wanted the uniform. So, I had a polo shirt embroidered (and one for DH and I ), bought her a plaid skirt at a consignment sale, and she happily wore her uniform for field trips and the like until she outgrew it-by which time she had embraced the "I can wear anything I want" side of homeschooling.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I went to an academy (non home school) for high school.  It was also a boarding school.  

[mellifera33]

So Albart Enstien Acadamy for Gitfed Chlidron is probably out.

[Another Lynn]

I went to an academy (non home school) for high school.  It was also a boarding school.  

 

Hmmmm, there's a thought:  "Fancy Name Boarding School"  (Well, they do live here.)

[Sahamamama]

I think there are two different issues here: whether a name matters for college admissions and whether a name matters in the work force.  Imo, the name does not matter at all when a student is applying to colleges.  However, I could see the name of the school mattering in the work force if the person reviewing the resumes has a negative opinion of homeschoolers, and we all know that there are plenty of those idiots out there. :cursing:

 

I named our homeschool so that it would not be obvious that we homeschool if my kids need to list their high school on a resume.

 

I kind of get this, but then again, I don't understand why you can't name your school what you want to now, and then when your children are adults in the workforce, they can make up anything they want for their school name.

 

So, if it floats your boat now... Tiny Twinkletoes Academy.

 

Years from now, your adult child chooses something extremely generic for the resume, such as Washington High School. Who's to say it can't be called that?

 

I don't get it.

 

??

[Jean in Newcastle]

Merriam Webster as this as one of it's definitions for academy:  "a private high school".  For some people this would include homeschool.

[Miss Marple]

LOL - this was a recent topic in our home.  My youngest son applied for an internship and had to release information for a background check.  All fine and dandy...except he put down XYZ (our last name) Homeschool as his "school" information.  He also has more than 60 college credits and has completed a year at our state university...so not just out of high school.  One evening when I was at work I received a phone call from a "blocked" number.  When I answered, a person with a very thick accent asked if this was the number for the Blah Blah High School (he must have tried to pronounce our last name but it wasn't correct).  Not expecting a call like this at 9:00 pm I said it was not.  A few minutes later it struck me that he was trying to say our last name.  Sure enough, the background company sent the case to someone who had no comprehension of homeschooling and was extremely difficult to understand.  It got really funny when I finally was able to talk with him..."when did X enroll in your school", "what is your title at the school" (teacher, janitor, cook, nurse, counselor, principal, etc...pick one).  He truly had no clue about homeschools.  DS got the job :)

\

I'm just glad he didn't put XYZ Boys Reformatory...which is what I usually called it when among friends.

[dancingmama]

So now you have me all thinking. Dd goes into "middle school" this coming year. I think I'll change our school name to our "neighborhood name" MS. I didn't use LastName Academy but we have moved since we started using our previous name so this would be a fresh start.

[scoutingmom]

Lol, I just realized that if I used a particular last name from my family, we could be:

 

Smart Academy

Or

Smart School

 

😀

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[MerryAtHope]

We don't have to make an official name of our school, but I'm just about to make my dd freshman transcripts...  Is Liberty High School OK?  Or should I do academy or such?  My town has Liberty in it's name...  My other daughter recommended Mathin MyJammies Academy.

 

As for the leprechaun name I got Weebit Potfiller!

 

 

Love "Mathin Myjammies Academy," LOL!

 

I would think you'd be fine with Liberty High School. We used Street Name Home School on our transcripts, and my son didn't have any trouble getting in (and he applied for and was awarded a home school scholarship as well). I think most colleges are very open to home schoolers now.

 

I suppose, depending on the line of work, that a business might be different. If my kids ever thought it mattered, we could easily drop "Home" from the title. I'm not personally keen on "academy" but I wouldn't oppose it if they thought it needed. Every position I've applied for as an adult has only been interested in where I went to college and whether I had a degree. Not one place ever asked for my high school information, so I find that bizarre that some places even care (other than a job that requires high security clearance). 

 

My main objection toward using "academy" in a homeschool name is that far too many homeschoolers of my acquaintance spell it

 

Acadamy

 

on Facebook.

 

Stop it, homeschoolers! Stop that right now!

 

Eek gads!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Love "Mathin Myjammies Academy," LOL!

 

I would think you'd be fine with Liberty High School. We used Street Name Home School on our transcripts, and my son didn't have any trouble getting in (and he applied for and was awarded a home school scholarship as well). I think most colleges are very open to home schoolers now.

 

I suppose, depending on the line of work, that a business might be different. If my kids ever thought it mattered, we could easily drop "Home" from the title. I'm not personally keen on "academy" but I wouldn't oppose it if they thought it needed. Every position I've applied for as an adult has only been interested in where I went to college and whether I had a degree. Not one place ever asked for my high school information, so I find that bizarre that some places even care (other than a job that requires high security clearance). 

 

 

Eek gads!

Liberty High school is our real life nearby high school name.  Do you get in trouble if you "plagiarize" a real school name?  

[JoJosMom]

Liberty High school is our real life nearby high school name. Do you get in trouble if you "plagiarize" a real school name?

Not if you hand out chocolate. So get to it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Not if you hand out chocolate. So get to it.

I only hand out chocolate on the ITT thread.  

[SeaConquest]

I bet they teach "grammer" and "writting" at their acadamy. 

 

That's rediculous. I am defiantly don't believe you.

[JoJosMom]

I only hand out chocolate on the ITT thread.

No FAIR.

[Jean in Newcastle]

No FAIR.

Life isn't fair.  Get over it.  

 

BTW - a lot of schools around here are Lastname High School  - of course that Last name is a famous one. . . .

[AimeeM]

I'm not sure if that was directed toward me or not, but if you fill out the paperwork as counselor or sign as principal, etc, your name will match the parental name.  It is pretty obvious that you homeschool.   ;)  But, I never suggested that it was difficult getting kids into university, either.  My only point is that just name alone does not clear up all confusionn.   :)

Not directed at you at all. I hadn't even read through the comments - so it was directed at the OP's post. 

[snowbeltmom]

I kind of get this, but then again, I don't understand why you can't name your school what you want to now, and then when your children are adults in the workforce, they can make up anything they want for their school name.

 

So, if it floats your boat now... Tiny Twinkletoes Academy.

 

Years from now, your adult child chooses something extremely generic for the resume, such as Washington High School. Who's to say it can't be called that?

 

I don't get it.

 

??

Our school name is stated on the official high school transcript and on file with the state.  I don't think it would be a good idea to randomly select a name down the road different from what is stated on the transcript or recorded with the state.

 

I really don't think the name of the school is that big of a deal.  I simply don't want to call attention to the fact that my kids were homeschooled for the reason I stated in my last post.  For that reason, I did not name our school "last name academy". 

 

I am not deceiving anyone by using this approach.  It is obvious to the college admissions offices that my kids are homeschooled, even though there is a high school name on the transcript.  It will not be obvious to employers if they ask my kids to list where they attended high school as I see no need to broadcast the fact that we homeschooled to them.

[PeterPan]

Also, FWIW, some academic competitions (Continental Math League (and their other competitions, like National Science League, Language Arts League, etc), and also the NJCL classics competitions) WANT LastName Homeschool from homeschoolers-to the point that the teams that I coach for my homeschool group end up competing under my last name because I'm the sponsor-even though only one of the kids in that group shares that name!

I think for NHD we just put "LastName Homeschool."

[Ellie]

So now you have me all thinking. Dd goes into "middle school" this coming year. I think I'll change our school name to our "neighborhood name" MS. I didn't use LastName Academy but we have moved since we started using our previous name so this would be a fresh start.

 

But if you choose a name that doesn't include "middle," you can continue using the same name on the high school diploma and transcript. :-)

[susankhan]

Well our last name is Khan and we have been using Khan Academy for years.  Even before the so called "Khan Academy".   Many private schools are named after last names,  so I thought.   

[Ellie]

Well our last name is Khan and we have been using Khan Academy for years.  Even before the so called "Khan Academy".   Many private schools are named after last names,  so I thought.   

 

Yes, many schools are named after people; usually it's John Tyler Elementary School, or Eduardo Hernandez Elementary School, though, not just Tyler or Hernandez Elementary (even though people might refer to it that way). And usually, the name on the transcript/diploma is not the same name as the student's, nor the same name as the person who signed them. :-)

[Miss Tick]

So Albart Enstien Acadamy for Gitfed Chlidron is probably out.

Hahaha! School song:

[PeachyDoodle]

There is a local private school here called Rivendell. There is also a Lorien Wood, we have a lot of friends there. 

 

Dh and I like to joke that we think our school name should be The Shire or Mordor. Depending on the vibe of the day. ;)

 

Well, we're Cair Paravel Classical Academy. I figure if you get the reference, maybe you'll appreciate our literary finesse. If not, maybe it sounds Latin-y enough to pass as an elite private school? 

 

We have to have a name in our state, and I'm a Narnia fan, so really that's where it came from. The school name defaults to Lastname School if you don't give the state a unique name.

 

Then again, I kind of like naming things, especially with literary references... Rivendell is on the short list for our new house, along with Mandalay and The Burrow...

 

Yup, I'm a weirdo.

[Library Momma]

I bet they teach "grammer" and "writting" at their acadamy. 

 

 

And they are led by their principle.

[Junie]

Well, we're Cair Paravel Classical Academy. I figure if you get the reference, maybe you'll appreciate our literary finesse. If not, maybe it sounds Latin-y enough to pass as an elite private school? 

 

We have to have a name in our state, and I'm a Narnia fan, so really that's where it came from. The school name defaults to Lastname School if you don't give the state a unique name.

 

Then again, I kind of like naming things, especially with literary references... Rivendell is on the short list for our new house, along with Mandalay and The Burrow...

 

Yup, I'm a weirdo.

 

Our homeschool doesn't have an official name -- I was planning to use Last Name Academy, but I'm now reconsidering.

 

However, in my last home I named locations in the home.

 

There was a gas lamp in a small group of trees near the driveway.  Before we even bought the house I called that area "Narnia".  After we moved in, one of the closets became The Closet of Doom.  We had a hard-to-get-to closet under the stairs that I called Moria.  

 

It was great when dh would ask something like "Where are the winter coats?"  "Moria."

 

Yup, I'm a weirdo, too.

 

If my homeschool had a motto, it would probably be "Embrace the Weirdness".

 

Now to name the school...

[Dmmetler]

In my area, "Academy" is often used when a school spans more than one grade range. I think it's because it sounds fancier than "School" (which is what the religious schools use-they're all "Someone's name School" or "ChurchName Christian School" ). A lot of charter schools are Something Academy, especially those which are housed in a PS building in a school-within-a-school program and have a specialized focus.

 

Although I kind of like "Boarding School". Hmmmm....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[creekland]

Add us to those who just had our kids put down "Homeschooled."  Exactly one college one of my boys applied to wanted a diploma, so we printed one off with "Lastname" Family Homeschool.  It worked with no problem.

 

I appreciate those who went before us breaking down barriers and feel we also will do our part for those coming behind.

 

In general though, only once has it been perceived negatively and that was when my middle son was interviewing for a Bio 101 TA job after having gotten an A in the class (and being invited to interview).  It was clear he was a strong candidate - probably had the job - but then the prof asked him where he went to high school.  My son honestly answered that he had been homeschooled and the whole tone instantly changed.  Within 5 minutes he was told that it was a "good thing you grew up on a farm or you would know nothing about science" and "you won't be good at teaching others if you haven't been in a public high school as you won't be able to relate to the other students."  :cursing:

 

Interestingly enough, since then, he's garnered positions as TAs in Chem, Organic Chem, and a Brain and Cognitive class.  His end of year scores from his students are extremely high and other students switch from their assigned recitations to his fairly often.  He's also been a loved RA (Resident Advisor in charge of a freshman hall) and has been accepted to a summer internship at Stanford (working with kids/Linguistics) where roughly 240 applied and 13 were accepted.

 

Not bad for a farm boy who learned all of his science due to the farm, huh?

 

He also had that SAME prof this past semester for an advanced Environmental Animal Physiology class and got the highest grade in the class - and had a great professional relationship with the prof.

 

I'm pretty sure he at least dented one person's perceptions of homeschoolers through it all - and that's how stereotypes get broken.

 

I'm definitely thankful for those who have gone before us and we'll keep plowing through for those coming afterward.  I see no need to make up a name that pretends our past is any different than it was.

 

YMMV

[Dmmetler]

Our homeschool doesn't have an official name -- I was planning to use Last Name Academy, but I'm now reconsidering.

 

However, in my last home I named locations in the home.

 

There was a gas lamp in a small group of trees near the driveway.  Before we even bought the house I called that area "Narnia".  After we moved in, one of the closets became The Closet of Doom.  We had a hard-to-get-to closet under the stairs that I called Moria.  

 

It was great when dh would ask something like "Where are the winter coats?"  "Moria."

 

Yup, I'm a weirdo, too.

 

If my homeschool had a motto, it would probably be "Embrace the Weirdness".

 

Now to name the school...

 

We have a "closet of holding" (it's where all the stuff that is waiting to be donated/freecycled lives until we actually do something with it). Like it's namesake, we've never reached it's capacity.

 

[Butter]

We call our homeschool Camian Academy which is the first part of CAMeron plus Ani rearranged (Fritz and Adrian didn't exist when we named our school).  I call the kids, collectively, my Duklings (misspelling is very much on purpose) so perhaps I should just change it to Duklings Acadamy.

[Ellie]

Our homeschool doesn't have an official name -- I was planning to use Last Name Academy, but I'm now reconsidering.

 

However, in my last home I named locations in the home.

 

There was a gas lamp in a small group of trees near the driveway.  Before we even bought the house I called that area "Narnia".  After we moved in, one of the closets became The Closet of Doom.  We had a hard-to-get-to closet under the stairs that I called Moria.  

 

It was great when dh would ask something like "Where are the winter coats?"  "Moria."

 

Yup, I'm a weirdo, too.

 

If my homeschool had a motto, it would probably be "Embrace the Weirdness".

 

Now to name the school...

 

#rabbittrailshappen

 

So, when we moved here from California, we were able to up-size significantly, such that we have three guest rooms. And I named them the Beach Bedroom, the Rose Room, and Aunt Brittie's Bedroom. I'm now going to have to ponder naming other areas of the house...

[Mommy22alyns]

I was using part of my username and Academy.  Our last name is pretty common and is probably an actual academy name in a ton of places.  That said, we also use HomeLife Academy, so I guess there's no hiding from that!

[PeachyDoodle]

Our homeschool doesn't have an official name -- I was planning to use Last Name Academy, but I'm now reconsidering.

 

However, in my last home I named locations in the home.

 

There was a gas lamp in a small group of trees near the driveway.  Before we even bought the house I called that area "Narnia".  After we moved in, one of the closets became The Closet of Doom.  We had a hard-to-get-to closet under the stairs that I called Moria.  

 

It was great when dh would ask something like "Where are the winter coats?"  "Moria."

 

Yup, I'm a weirdo, too.

 

If my homeschool had a motto, it would probably be "Embrace the Weirdness".

 

Now to name the school...

 

Part of the reason I wanted to buy this new house is because it literally has a Cupboard Under the Stairs.

 

Embrace the weirdness, indeed. :)

 

[Mom22ns]

Yes, many schools are named after people; usually it's John Tyler Elementary School, or Eduardo Hernandez Elementary School, though, not just Tyler or Hernandez Elementary (even though people might refer to it that way). And usually, the name on the transcript/diploma is not the same name as the student's, nor the same name as the person who signed them. :-)

 

It might "usually be", but not always. We two of the five elementary schools in our district are last name elementary. There is another one that is first & last name elementary. But here, 2 of 3 are just last name. We have a very common generic last name and I don't think it most people even think it might be a homeschool instead of a private school. Ds's orthodontist asked him because he thought it was cool that he attended a private school with his last name in the name. I get that it can stand out, but it doesn't for everyone. 

 

I keep reading this thread to see if there is any reason to stop using Lastname Academy, but I haven't found one yet. If it ever stops one of my kids from getting a job, we will assume that the place was homeschool unfriendly and that wouldn't be a good fit for them anyway.

 

Dh and I have neither one filled out a job application since we finished college. We send in resumes and they don't have our high school on them. It just doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

[luuknam]

#rabbittrailshappen

 

Rabbit Trail School.

 

I've read the word 'Academy' so many times now in this thread I'm getting tired of it. I graduated from a high school called "Last name of probable author of the national anthem" College. College can mean secondary school, both in English and in Dutch. Not sure I'd call my kids' high school Something College though... seems like a lot of people would view that as being dishonest. We'll see. I don't have to worry about HS just yet.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm not ashamed of homeschooling.  We see it as an asset - even for job interviews and college/universities.  

[luuknam]

I'm not ashamed of homeschooling.  We see it as an asset - even for job interviews and college/universities.  

 

It's one of those "you can't please everyone" kind of things. For some jobs/companies/people reading your resume, it will come across as an asset. For others, as a red flag. For a lot of 'em, they probably don't even look at that field and probably don't care either way. Kind of like what someone said upthread about being gay. It can be a downside in job interviews, but it could also please the people who love diversity or who might be worried to be seen as discriminating if they don't hire a gay person or w/e.

 

I think you should brand yourself as fitting within the company culture when applying to jobs, but you should also apply to jobs where you'd fit into the company culture to begin with. If by high school my kids seem incredibly boring then I'll put some incredibly boring school name on their diplomas. If they seem creative, something creative. Etc.

[Garga]

We don't have to name our school. On transcripts I think I'll put just "Homeschool" or if I come up with a name, it'll be Someone Famous in History High School.

 

Jefferson High School

Washington High School

Susan B. Anthony High School

 

I don't like academy. Not sure why, just don't.

[Garga]

Our homeschool doesn't have an official name -- I was planning to use Last Name Academy, but I'm now reconsidering.

 

However, in my last home I named locations in the home.

 

There was a gas lamp in a small group of trees near the driveway. Before we even bought the house I called that area "Narnia". After we moved in, one of the closets became The Closet of Doom. We had a hard-to-get-to closet under the stairs that I called Moria.

 

It was great when dh would ask something like "Where are the winter coats?" "Moria."

 

Yup, I'm a weirdo, too.

 

If my homeschool had a motto, it would probably be "Embrace the Weirdness".

 

Now to name the school...

We had some trees that I called Narnia. They looked just like Narnia! Well, they weren't our trees, they were officially the neighbor's and when he chopped them down I was heartbroken. He chopped down Narnia! It took me a lot longer to get over than it should have.

 

We have a street lamp near our bedroom window that has 50,000 watt lightbulbs in it. I call it the Eye of Sauron. When it's too bright and I need dh to shut the blinds I'll say, "The Eye is looking at us."

 

I think we could be great friends, Junie.

[Ellie]

We don't have to name our school. On transcripts I think I'll put just "Homeschool" or if I come up with a name, it'll be Someone Famous in History High School.

 

Jefferson High School

Washington High School

Susan B. Anthony High School

 

I don't like academy. Not sure why, just don't.

 

You don't even have to put "Homeschool" on the transcript. You can put...wait for it..."Official Transcript." :D

 

I never cared for "academy," either. Some people think it sounds better somehow, but I don't get it. :001_tt2:

[Shellydon]

Weird.  Having worked at hospitals, school districts, health clinics of varying types, and private offices, I've never once been asked where I went to high school.  Only my university and credentials.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I guess I am uncomfortable with the idea that one needs a "non homeschool sounding name" to put on applications.  After all, if I name my school in a state where we do not have to submit names (or anything else for that matter,) won't that raise red flags if they can't find any information about said school?  I think that looks fraudulent.  I put <Last name> Family Homeschool on my kids diploma and they put homeschooled on all their applications.  If I were to have made up a more official sounding name, it would not have been a known entity anywhere other than my imagination because there would be no paperwork anywhere to justify that this existed.  If an employer had a problem with my kid being homeschooled, I am sure that would not be a good fit for my kids.  Small minds and all.  

[Arcadia]

I think the only time I needed to fill in the names of schools prior to college/university was for defense projects security clearance and for USCIS. I had only worked for private MNCs who had cared more for my extracurricular activities and awards listed on my resume.

I guess it is the same as listing character references on resumes. I had been contacted by a few employers about friends who put me down as one of the character references. Most didn't call to check and just offered the job.

[Delighted3]

Well, we're Cair Paravel Classical Academy. I figure if you get the reference, maybe you'll appreciate our literary finesse. If not, maybe it sounds Latin-y enough to pass as an elite private school? 

 

We have to have a name in our state, and I'm a Narnia fan, so really that's where it came from. The school name defaults to Lastname School if you don't give the state a unique name.

 

Then again, I kind of like naming things, especially with literary references... Rivendell is on the short list for our new house, along with Mandalay and The Burrow...

 

Yup, I'm a weirdo.

 

There actually is a classical latin school called Cair Paravel in Kansas and their mascot is the Lions.

 

Also, in Nebraska, there used to be a mental health facility named Rivendell.  I think the name has changed though. 

 

Just some fun facts that came to mind while reading your post. :)

Joy

[Jean in Newcastle]

It's one of those "you can't please everyone" kind of things. For some jobs/companies/people reading your resume, it will come across as an asset. For others, as a red flag. For a lot of 'em, they probably don't even look at that field and probably don't care either way. Kind of like what someone said upthread about being gay. It can be a downside in job interviews, but it could also please the people who love diversity or who might be worried to be seen as discriminating if they don't hire a gay person or w/e.

 

I think you should brand yourself as fitting within the company culture when applying to jobs, but you should also apply to jobs where you'd fit into the company culture to begin with. If by high school my kids seem incredibly boring then I'll put some incredibly boring school name on their diplomas. If they seem creative, something creative. Etc.

Yes, you can't please everyone.  But I don't want to work for a place that has a corporate culture that will not tolerate me.  In my case, in those very rare times that a place even asks for my high school, they are going to see that it was a Christian school (red flag for some people, I'm sure) and that it was overseas (a red flag probably for others).  But that's where I went to school.  

 

I've taught for many years though it was not at the post-secondary level, and every single school was much more interested in my certification and my experience, over where I went to high school.  (Which as I mentioned above was not at an All-American Public High School).  

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

I kind of get this, but then again, I don't understand why you can't name your school what you want to now, and then when your children are adults in the workforce, they can make up anything they want for their school name.

 

So, if it floats your boat now... Tiny Twinkletoes Academy.

 

Years from now, your adult child chooses something extremely generic for the resume, such as Washington High School. Who's to say it can't be called that?

 

I don't get it.

 

??

You can if you don't have to legally name your high school or list it on a transcript. I was homeschooled in homeschool and never had a formal name. But in some states, we have to legally declare ourselves private schools, and it could be difficult to change the name.