Skip to content

Explore (Middle School)

Taking control of your education

We believe each of our students will find a passion — something they love and have a gift to do. Finding and pursuing this gift is what we call the Hero’s Journey.

Our mission is to equip our students with the skills and tools they will need to find and pursue their life’s purpose. During the transformative Middle School years, we inspire our young people to develop independent thinking, strong friendships, leadership skills, and pursue their work with integrity.

Interested?

We are accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year! Start your virtual tour today.

Our Middle School students take control of their learning:

ENGAGE DEEPLY
Work on difficult real-world Quests. Learn to calculate, write, and think more deeply.

HAVE FUN
Students develop a positive self-identity surrounded by friends who will support them

FIND A CALLING
Learners explore their gifts and passions through apprenticeships which provide opportunity to develop real-world skills

Learning Environment

  • Field trips and guest presenters to extend learning beyond the classroom.
  • No homework or frequent testing.
  • Fun and enriching family activities to foster a strong school community.

21st Century Learning

  • The latest in educational technology for self-paced mastery of reading, writing, and math skills.
  • Deep Socratic discussions about heroes, history, and self-governance to hone critical thinking skills and the ability to powerfully think, write, and speak.
  • Hands-on project-based Quests to master the tools and skills needed to solve problems in the real world.
  • Written promises and covenants that form a tightly bound community of individuals learning to form authentic friendships and honestly resolve interpersonal problems.

Student Contract

I am on a hero’s journey.
Even through extremely hard times, I will not give up because I have courage.
I will be honest with myself and others about the way I am leading my journey.
I will try my hardest to reach all of my goals and I will make new goals as well.
I will be kind to, respect, and never give up on my fellow travellers. I will win with honour and lose with grace.
I will try new things I have never done before, even things I might not be good at, to discover new talents and things that bring me joy.
I will use, but take care of, the things around me that help me learn and live.
I will encourage other people on their journeys and support their dreams, but make sure they want and need my help when I give it.
I will take care of my body, my brain, and my heart by giving them the things they need to be healthy and grow such as exercise, information, challenges, and love.
I will take responsibility for my education and seek out help when I truly need it.
I will never give up on myself.

Measuring Mastery

Young heroes celebrate the mastery of tools, skills and character by earning badges, assembling portfolios and taking part in public exhibitions.

  1. Parents use badges to track academic progress in Core Skills like reading, writing, math and spelling and character development in “Character” Badges.
  2. Electronic and hard copy Portfolios capture rough drafts, photos, video and other creative work.
  3. Public exhibitions at the end of most Quests allow young heroes to present work to experts, customers or the public for a real world test.