VIDEO: Alexandria Academy Gets GW-Educated
It’s not uncommon for students to enjoy learning about George Washington, but at the Alexandria Academy, located down the road from Mount Vernon in nearby Alexandria, Va., students have a special reason to love the General: He helped found their school.
Although established in 1785, Alexandria Academy has been closed for years and only reopened this fall, inviting fifth through eighth graders to apply.
As a benefactor Washington gave 1,000 pounds to help start the academy. Just the interest on that money was enough to pay for 21 students to attend the academy on scholarship during its first year. The school was quite forward-thinking for its day: “Indigent” students studied alongside paying young scholars, and those who lost their father during the Revolutionary War were given priority. Under Washington’s approval the school even became coeducational.
The current students of Alexandria Academy recently spent a week at Mount Vernon learning about everything from Washington’s youth to his role in creating the Constitution. By the end of the week, the students of Alexandria Academy were quite the Washington experts.
