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Middle school years are a time of profound transition. Internally, children are navigating hormonal changes that reshape how they experience their bodies, emotions, and inner worlds. Externally, their orientation is shifting as well. Peer relationships begin to matter more than ever and the pull for belonging is strong. The way early adolescents view themselves, others around them, and the world begins to change as they are trying to understand how they fit into the world aro

When I set on the path to open up a school, I started working with a trusted and recommended coach and education mentor, David K. Richards. Early in the process, David instructed me to write out the school’s vision. I knew I wanted this school to be a place where individual uniqueness was celebrated and honored, and as I began writing, my left brain quickly took over. I constructed a perfectly-sounding document carefully thought through and logically sound. I even used the he

My son will be entering sixth grade next year, and for several years I’ve been exploring alternative education options. I recognized early on that an environment where he is fully accepted for who he is would be far more conducive to his learning and wellbeing during the early adolescent years. These years bring profound transformation and vulnerability, and by this stage many uniquely-minded children have already carried years of pressure to conform. For some, that pressure