Message to Students

We at the Mark Twain Academies would like to invite you to consider something different, something exciting. This isn't about deciding whether or not to go to one of the big high schools or to attend a smaller school;it is far more than that. We are inviting you to join something special. Mark Twain Academies is a school, but it is nothing like the other schools.

Many students go from relatively small middle schools into schools like Righetti or Santa Maria High school that have approximately 3,000 students, and they like it. They like to get lost in the crowd. They enjoy just being a part of something huge like that. But other students don't. Some students like it better when they feel more connected to their school. The Mark Twain Academies wants students to attend our school who like to feel as if they belong to the school, like it is their school.

Mark Twain Academies will only have 1000 students when it is at full capacity, but in reality it will seem much smaller because all students will belong to one of ten academies of about 100 students. Students can choose to be members of the following academies: accelerated learning, Montessori, law, medicine-science, house construction, computers, visual and performing arts, automotive technology, business, or creative studies. Students will have a chance during their first couple of years to try out projects in the different academies to see if a particular academy is right for them. Yet, students are never confined to a particular academy even when they formally join an academy. It would be something like changing majors at college.

Some students who read this description will think that they have to be a carpenter or mechanic to go to this school. This isn't true. Any student who wants to concentrate on college prep can join the Accelerated Learning Academy, but these aren't the only students who will be prepared for college. The rest of the story is that every single student that attends our school will meet all of the admission requirements of the UC system. Just because a student chooses to attend the House Construction Academy doesn't mean that she can do a minimal academic preparation and do carpentry work all day. We want students to be able to learn how to build houses, but every student first must show adequate weekly progress on a very intense academic program that is linked to house construction, for example, when possible.

Mark Twain Academies intends to become the best high school in the United States: not one of the best, the best. We intend to become a model for other schools. We want students who are willing to do more than just attend school and go through the motions to join us. We want students who will help us create the near-perfect high school. We have a good start - we have a vision. We invite you to read that vision. We think that if you do, you will want to attend our school.