Academy Scholar Program

Landmark’s Academy Scholars Program is distinct for its reliance upon self-directed learning, design thinking, and iterative process, and the product of an extensive portfolio demonstrating learning (e.g., original compositions and productions in music academy, R&D portfolio/prototypes in engineering).

Why the Landmark Academy Scholars Program?

The academy represents the intersection of the Landmark educational philosophy which values personalized learning, individual initiative, depth of study, and real world skills. It entails learning practical skill sets that are transferable to broad domains. It provides students with memorable and engaging experiences, within which they develop agency and ownership regarding their education. It’s an education through which they can take pride in their investment of time and energy towards the creation of real, tangible products as artifacts of learning. It’s learning for life, empowering students to identify, refine, and steward their gifts and talents with excellence, pursuing the unique calling for which God has created them.

Become an Academy Scholar

Ambitious students are encouraged to apply for membership in the Academy beginning in their sophomore year by completing an application/audition and submitting a prospectus of study.

The prospectus will outline a proposed path of study. Successful proposals include:

An outline of proposed coursework to be undertaken on campus.
Identification of an expert mentor and/or committee.
A plan for 50+ hours of approved independent study (e.g., Private lessons offered at Landmark, flight simulator hours/field trips, external coursework, a summer project in Engineering/Film, etc.).
Plans for the presentation of a “capstone project”: a portfolio of original work/hours and/or in-field recognition (e.g., release of portfolio work on Spotify, presentation of R&D portfolio/prototype for engineering, obtaining personal pilot’s license).

What areas of focus are available in the Academy Scholars Program?

The possibilities are endless. Landmark offers concentrated pathways for the humanities, Biblical studies and ministry, education, engineering, second languages, film, fashion design, commercial music production, business leadership, computer science, sports medicine and much more.

Recent Work from Academy Scholars

A multi-modal quantitative analysis of the impact of VAR during its inaugural season in the Premier League.
An analysis of the correlation between environmental factors and the occurrence of hip dysplasia in dogs.
Making Space to learn: an assessment of school architecture and its impact on Learning, culminating with the Redesign of a Space on campus.
An analysis of the opioid crisis and its systemic effects upon healthcare in GA.
An analysis of persuasive appeals and campaign strategy in the age of Twitter politics.
Understanding history through poetic artifacts, the power of poetry as a lens into the past.
The creation of an Aviation STEM module for implementation in a middle school course of study.
The healthcare gap: assessing doctors’ perceptions of health disparities across socioeconomic and racial/ethnic divisions.
Primed to perform: the development of a throwing program for high school track and field athletes.
An analysis of brain mapping and holistic approaches to ADHD management in adolescents.
The development of a social media marketing campaign and corresponding internship.
Musical scoring within videography: the creation of original work and an assessment of its effectiveness at eliciting the desired response from the audience.
A mathematical study of the relationship between two-dimensional and three-dimensional phase spaces in dynamical billiards.
A historical analysis of Russian/Western relations as a contextualizing lens for viewing the conflict in Crimea.
An assessment of the integration of live performance in the teaching of music history.

Explore the Pathways

Aviation Pathway

These courses, taught by current and retired pilots, not only introduce students to careers in the aviation industry but inspire students to imagine themselves in the cockpit. The class is equipped with several Gleim flight simulators with flight training courses.

Students earn their independent study hours through hours on the flight simulator, field trips to local airports, studying and passing their private pilot written exam, and participating in internships. Their capstone project can be one of the following: certification, internship, or research.

Commercial Music Pathway

This series of courses trains students in the complex world of collaborative songwriting and music production. Through studying well-written music, students will learn to apply well-established songwriting principles to communicate a theme well. Learning how to share ideas to their group and navigate compromise between differing visions of their art is a cornerstone of our interactive project-based learning environment. Production from various genres and time periods will inform students decisions with their own music. Music copyright, licensing, contracts, mixing, mastering, time feel, and music theory from a songwriting perspective will all be discussed.

Students fulfill their independent study requirement through required weekly private lessons in either their instrument or in music production using Pro Tools, the industry standard for engineering in the music business. Their class capstone project is a portfolio of songs in which they have written, performed, produced, and engineered. This portfolio is released to all digital streaming platforms under the name LCS Blackbox Production. This music is also entered into a music library through our partners in Los Angeles with the potential to be licensed for film/TV, earning students’ royalties on their art. Artist showcases at the end of the year, highlight the talent of these budding musicians and giving them live performance experience writing charts and working with musicians and sound professionals.

Engineering Pathway

Landmark students have a suite of engineering classes from which to choose. However, what distinguishes the Academy Scholar is the portfolio of research and design and/or prototype that validates the students’ learning.

Students can earn their independent study hours through their after-school hours spent in either research or in the lab. Their capstone project is presented at a spring showcase day where students, parents, and the community are invited to learn–and in some cases, see firsthand–the designs of the students.

Fashion Design Pathway

The Fashion Academy teaches students foundational design, sewing and business skills to help students develop their own online portfolio, market their fashion line, and introduce students to various careers in the fashion industry.

Students can earn their independent study hours through participating in internships, freelance skills application for client needs, retailing their designs, or their capstone collection-making process. The capstone project is a collection of 10-12 looks designed and made by each student, accompanied by their portfolio for the creation of the collection. Their collections will be showcased in a yearly Landmark Fashion Show.

Film Production Pathway

Film Academy is led by Billy Dickson asc, who has over forty years of industry experience, including producing Ally McBeal, One Tree Hill, Believe, and many other television series and movies. Twice, Dickson’s work with Ally McBeal was nominated for an Emmy. At Landmark, students in the film academy complete two years of consecutive film courses, culminating in work in the advanced courses where students are collaborating as a team on festival-length films.

The independent study work that students accrue is earned through taking on independent projects for the school and community, with a completed portfolio of self-directed creative work showcasing the students’ ability to film, edit, and produce. The capstone project for the student occurs at the Landmark Film Festival where parents, students, school faculty, and community are invited to view the student portfolios.

Leadership Development Pathway

A longtime offering at Landmark Christian School, Impact Leadership Training allows students to participate in a series of modules offered outside of school hours. In these courses, students learn from industry experts on everything from ethics to team dynamics to goal setting and more.

Students earn their independent study through their required community service and project hours. Their capstone project will embody the leadership lessons learned throughout the program and will entail the design and execution of a practical leadership experience, field research, or a community service event.

Performing Arts Pathway

As part of the Landmark Academy of the Arts, the Performing Arts Pathway prepares students for a concentration in areas that include Acting/Theatre, Dance, Instrumental Music, Music Theatre, Vocal Music, or a combined concentration. This independent study program is for students looking to expand upon their core arts classes and take a deeper, more individualized dive into the subject area that the student is passionate about.

Visual Arts Pathway

A focus in the visual arts may include sculpture, ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, digital, or a blended selection. Students begin producing a body of work rooted in knowledge and practice gained in foundational classes. Collaborative discussions between students and mentoring faculty launch the student into an artistic study fueled by the student’s passions, curiosity, and media interests.

Students earn independent study hours in the studio outside of class, off-site hands-on learning experiences, museum or gallery excursions, and documented personal studio time. The approved students’ capstone experience culminates in a collaborative show in our Black Box Theater with family and friends celebrating in true art-opening style.

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