Apricus Academy came together through hours of discussions and research. Our mission is to build an educational model that uses play, projects, exploration, and inquiry as the foundation of learning for students of all ages.

Our first goal is to create a system of education that will allow students in underserved communities to thrive. Students in lower income areas are often subjected to the “spaghetti” method of education. Public schools throw everything they have at students and sit back to see what sticks. Then they cross their fingers and hope something works. It’s not fair to our teachers, our students, or the parents of these communities. Our model of intentionally designed play will allow students to enjoy learning and create an environment teachers want to teach.

One reason for this is public schools totally are bogged down with testing. Students are often pushed so hard they lose their desire to learn, and it is very difficult to reignite that spark once it’s gone. In addition, teachers are so burnt out they lose the will to create engaging lessons. Apricus Academy understands that that’s just not how people learn and retain information. We have comprehensive training for our educators so they can plan their lessons in a way that is fun for everyone in the classroom.

Our second goal is to foster a thriving community within the school and out. We want to be more than just an educational center but a resource for families. Many of our students are immigrants and their parents/adults are unaware of the services available, or they live in areas where resources are not easy to find. The aim of our outreach program is to ensure we work with our parents/adults so they are able to provide the most nurturing environment possible for their students.

Finally, we want to create an educational model that can scale. We know we are on to something big and we want all communities to benefit from our experience. We are putting together curriculum, teacher training, and resource packages for any school interested in learning our model. What’s more, we are making a commitment to ensure our materials are available to all students.

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