Session 4- High School Next Great Adventure (NGA) Quest - 2022
“• Clear thoughts lead to deliberate actions
• Deliberate actions lead to good habits
• Good habits lead to a strong character
• A strong character leads to a worthy calling
• A worthy calling leads to your destiny”
― Os Guinness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life
We are fortunate to have our High Schoolers going through the first six weeks of the new application that Jeff Sandefer has been working on www.nxtgreatadventure.com. This is a very unique experience to help the Eagles experience how to work through their gifts, opportunities, and passions to help them refine the direction of their life. At the end of this session, they will be presenting their summary of what they learned and what they might need from the community. They will also have the opportunity to ask the Next Great Adventure Network for financial support for certifications or other items/education that would help the Eagles on their Next Great Adventure.
For Writers Workshop, the High School will work on how to write effective emails. We all know that sending an effective email can be just as important as learning how to write a great short story, biography, lab report, etc. They will be using an email framework to help them craft an effective apprenticeship email to send at the end of the session during a “send your email” party!
See you at the exhibition!
Joey & Alejandra - High School Guides
Session 4- Middle School Entrepreneurship Quest (Sales) - 2022
“People buy emotionally, and they justify their decisions intellectually.”
― David Sandler, You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar: Sandler Training's 7-Step System for Successful Selling
Middle School will be working on their Entrepreneurship Quest this session and it will focus on Sales. The Eagles will be making sales scripts for simple products (such as hand soap) that their “employees” could use when they are sold in retail locations. As they make these scripts, they will compete with each other to see who has the best scripts and the winners will get advantages for the exhibition.
The sales exercises will be based on the The Sandler Sales Method and follow the format of: Pattern Interrupt, Upfront Verbal Contract, Personal Connection, Finding Pain Points, Addressing Pain Points, and Closing. The Eagles will practice these techniques while selling products and learning how to “sell” themselves to others (hopefully to be used when having interviews with apprenticeship prospects.
For Writers Workshop, the Middle School will work on how to write effective emails. We all know that sending an effective email can be just as important as learning how to write a great short story, biography, lab report, etc. They will be using an email framework to help them craft an effective apprenticeship email to send at the end of the session during a “send your email” party!
See you at the exhibition!
Joey & Alejandra - Middle School Guides
Session 4- Elementary Entrepreneurship Quest (Sales) -2022
Session Four means it's time for the annual Entrepreneurship Quest! Fondly referred to as "E-Ship," each yearns quest focuses on a different aspect of business ownership and management. This year will focus on sales.
The ES Eagles are split into seven "companies." Each group member has taken on the roles of CEO, COO, Lawyer, Accountant, and PR Director. Throughout the session, Eagles will explore methods for selling, not only products and services, but also a company's mission or story. We started the session with discussions about working in groups; each team created their own contract.
The first few weeks of the session will focus on using spreadsheets and determining the price of products. Eagles will think about how the cost of a product affects sales. We will then move into in-person sales techniques and marketing. Throughout the session, there will be team competitions to put the skills Eagles are learning to the test.
An exciting aspect of each E-Ship Quest is getting a chance to hear from local entrepreneurs. We have community members scheduled to come in to share their stories. ES Eagle Evan Klein also gave his annual presentation about the stock market earlier this week!
The session will wrap up with an exhibition-competition during which groups will all have the same products and try to outsell each other.
Kelsey & Kristen - Elementary Guides
Session 3 - Middle School American Independence Quest -2021
“Are your strongest beliefs worth dying for or are you willing to compromise?”
In this session, the Middle School Eagles will be working on The American Independence Quest which includes a “King George Simulation.” This is an experiential based project that places the Eagles in the shoes of frustrated colonists being ruled by King George. The objectives of this experience are for studio members to:
Feel the resentment and frustration of having to obey a distant and seemingly unfair ruler who knows little about their way of life
Understand the need to compromise and join as one to have any hope for winning a war against a larger power
Weigh the possible outcomes of two choices and make a decision with real-life consequences.
In addition, they will also learn about the components associated with crafting maps, flags, and delivering persuasive speeches such as those that paved the path to the American Revolution.
The Middle School Eagles are also exploring the art of persuasion through the composition and analysis of letter-writing. Eagles will draft, edit and revise two persuasive letters of their own this session. One of those letters will be included in a fun activity they have prepared for you to experience during the Exhibition.
Exhibition will include a timeline of the American Independence, a showcase and activity with their persuasive letters and a debate in which the Eagles will discuss specific points such as those experienced by the Patriots and Loyalists during colonial times. We cannot wait for you to see their hard work!
Middle School Guides - Joey and Alejandra
Session 3 -High School Entrepreneurship Sales Quest - 2021
“Selling is a Broadway Play Performed by a Psychiatrist”
― David Sandler, The Sandler Rules: 49 Timeless Selling Principles and How to Apply Them
High School will be working on their Entrepreneurship Quest this session and it will focus on Sales. In the first week of the session, the Eagles will perform unit economics and go through an Acton MBA Opportunity Framework to help them narrow down what product they will make. They will form companies (with the actual Texas Formation Documents), make capitalization tables, and bylaws. In the second week, they will learn how to perform sales (based on The Sandler Sales Method) and create their sales scripts. They will also learn some basics of negotiation and go to a market to practice their new skills. In the Third week, the Eagles will be putting together their product and perfecting their sales scripts before they sell in a small Christmas market.
For Writers Workshop, the High School will be working on putting together operations/instruction manuals. The limitation of many small businesses growth is the entrepreneur not being able to delegate work. Clear instructions and operation manuals help keep standards high, work consistent, and frees up time to work on other things. As they make their manuals, they will get “customer” feedback, create diagrams, schedules, checklists, etc
High School Guides - Joey & Alejandra
Elementary - Ellis Island Quest - Session Three 2021
Session Three is uniquely short. We often take the opportunity to create a creative and experiential quest. This year that quest will be the Ellis Island simulation.
Back by popular demand, this quest will give Eagles the chance to explore the history of immigration in the United States, focusing on Ellis Island as a particular time and place in history. After familiarizing themselves with the history surrounding Ellis Island, each Eagle will create a character. Through the lens of this persona, Eagles will navigate the journey to and through Ellis Island. There will be an element of chance to this simulation, the roll of a dice or the pick of a card will determine the trajectory of each Eagle's Ellis Island experience. As they go through the process, Eagles will document their experience in a journal through their character's eyes.
If Eagles would like to connect with their own family's history of immigration, recent or historical, we encourage them to have conversations at home. Any Eagle that wants to share their own family history is welcome to during launches this session.
Because of the length of this session, there will not be an in-person exhibition this session. Eagles will bring their journals home to share with family at the end of the session.
All the best!
- Kelsey & Kristen
Elementary Foreign Language Quest - Session Two 2021
Session 2 is off to a great start! The ES Eagles are already enthusiastic about this session's Foreign Languages Quest. The goal of this quest is not language mastery; rather, the quest is designed to help Eagles develop tools and strategies for learning languages, develop techniques for research, and learn about other cultures. On Tuesday this week, Eagles researched world languages and chose the language they will be learning this session. Their selected languages will become their Project Time group- popular languages will have larger groups. Challenges will include a basic introduction to various languages and research into the culture(s) of a country or countries where those languages are spoken. We hope this quest sparks an interest in language learning that Eagles can pull on later in life.
Elementary Guides- Kelsey & Kristen
Middle & High School -Game of Life (Personal Finance) Quest- Session Two 2021
The goal of The Game Of Life Quest (Personal Finance) is to prepare Heroes with tools to thrive in the real world by going beyond a few basic financial tools and skills, and delving deeply into the helpful and destructive ways money can influence our lives. This starts with an exploration of the meaning of money for each person. Heroes will research and plan what their financial futures will look like as well as vocations and careers. Each individual will pitch the job, providing proof of talents and passions and explaining which apprenticeships and college degrees had prepared them for the position. In doing so, the twists and turns and path dependencies of early life choices become clearer. As the quest progresses, they will have surprise events that will pop up (medical expenses, unexpected damage to their house, etc) and they will see how planning (or not planning) for those events can have life-changing consequences.
In addition to the above, the High School will venture into investing. They will learn the basics of valuation, risk, black swans, and barbells. They will use STAX to make a simulation of their investments.
Joey & Alejandra - MS/HS Guides
Middle & High School Session One - Contracts, Systems, Psychology and Lip Dub 2021
Hi Parents,
It’s wonderful to have all of the new and returning Eagles in the studio excited for this new year, it’s off to a great start! This session the MS and HS Eagles have been working on getting to know each other, building contracts and systems, and going through an introduction to psychology (mostly based on interactions in the studio).
The team building activities are geared toward bringing the group together and working through team challenges to help them get to know each other and to start to trust each other. The biggest example of this is the Lip Dub. The Eagles are put into small groups and each small group has to work together to create a finished product that eventually has to communicate with the other groups to make a bigger final product. There are many lessons learned about communication, organization, and basic project management.
The Eagles are also creating new student contracts and rules of engagement this session. Last year this was a lot more difficult because of the high percentage of Eagles that were virtual. The Eagles have been able to have many productive conversations about what rules need to be put into place and why they are important for their studio environment.
On top of everything else, we have rolled out a short psychology quest (three weeks) to give the Eagles a basic nomenclature on performance psychology. The quest was partly based on basic cognitive behavior concepts, social group dynamics, and some from the book It Takes What It Takes by Trevor Moawad.
For this session’s exhibition, we invite you to come learn more about what the Eagles have been working on, an introduction to Acton Academy Systems (presented by the Eagles), and the contract signing ceremony.
Joey & Alejandra
Middle & High School Guides
Elementary Session One- The Call to Adventure Quest + Lip Dub 2021
The first session of the year is an exciting time! Eagles come into the new year after a summer of growth bringing new experiences to share with the community and a fresh perspective from which to learn; this is a Call to Adventure.
On the Hero's Journey, the Call to Adventure is the moment when a hero is called to a life challenge such as starting a new school year, level, or new school. When the Hero answers that call, the journey begins. This year specifically, the Call to Adventure Quest focuses on the different perspectives and strengths that each member brings to our community. Eagles will try out different methods of organization, motivation, and focus as they figure out what works for them as unique learners. They'll explore the Running Partner relationship in discussions about tailoring support to suit each other's needs. Eagles will explore group work and project management through the lens of each individual's strengths and challenges.
Per Acton tradition, Eagles are putting their big picture thinking and project management skills into practice by planning and organizing a school-wide Lip Dub (not to mention, it's lots of fun)! The Lip Dub is a full-length music video, with a well-known song "dubbed over." Eagles are responsible for 100% of the process. They plan choreography, filming, editing & publishing.
Some of the questions Eagles will explore in launches this session include: "What is excellence?" "What does it mean to be productive?" "What does it mean to be a hero?" "What are your strengths and how can you use them to help others?" "What is my learning style and what does that mean for how I approach work?" "What is the best way for me to set goals?"Some of the questions Eagles will explore in launches this session include: "What is excellence?" "What does it mean to be productive?" "What does it mean to be a hero?" "What are your strengths and how can you use them to help others?" "What is my learning style and what does that mean for how I approach work?" "What is the best way for me to set goals?"
We will be doing an in person, outdoor exhibition, stay tuned for more details. We are so excited that your Eagles are here and we can't wait to see each of them grow over the year and beyond.
Here's to a healthy and exciting new school year!
AAWest Elementary Guides
Kelsey & Kristen
MS/HS Session Seven ~ Lip Dub & Animation
Hello Acton West Middle & High School Families,
This session, your Eagles will be working on putting together animations. They will be bringing their scripts from the last session to life by either using 2D computer animation software or stop motion animation (their choice). In the process, they will be using:
Storyboarding - To refine their stories and make sure they have a clear vision before devoting time into making their animation frame-by-frame.
Voice Overs - To actually use the script they made from the previous session.
Music - To add a layer of feeling to the animation.
Disney/Pixar Animation Process - To see a world-class example of how animations come together.
Writers Workshop this session will be based on Reflection. They will be using reflection in the following areas:
Projects (Post mortem)
What they should:
Stop doing
Keep doing
Start doing
Shout-Outs For Excellent Work
Personal Weekly Reflection - Focus on how they are spending their time and efforts and how they will improve for the next week.
Personal Work Reflection - A look at their work over the year to see if they have been improving.
At the end of the session, they will take these reflections and write a letter to themselves that will be sent to them all before the start of next year so they will be reminded of their lessons learned.
Acton Academy West
MS/HS Guides - Joey & Jake
Elementary Session Seven ~ Lipdub, Art and Science Quest 2021
Welcome to the final session of the '20-'21 school year! We'll be exploring a lot over the next seven weeks.
To start our session with an Acton West favorite, all studios will be participating in a Lip Dub! The Lip Dub is a time when the community comes together to film a full-length music video, with a well-known song "dubbed over." Eagles are responsible for 100% of the process. They plan choreography, film, editing & publishing. We can’t wait for you to see their finished product!
Beginning in week 2, the Eagles will begin their Art & Science quest! We will be dividing our time with Rebecca Faubion from Artful Kids Club, a remarkable local artist & entrepreneur. She has created a wonderful Artisan series & curriculum that will culminate at our art exhibition on July 14. Stay tuned for more information.
We will be working with the scientific method as we explore various experiments, create hypotheses, & document observations. Last session during the Entomology quest, the Eagles learned first-hand how important it is to discern subjective vs. objective observations, as well as inferences vs. facts.
Cheers to a great final session!
Ashley & Kelsey
ES Guides
Middle School Session Six ~ Medical Biology Quest 2021
This session, the Middle School Eagles are topping off their Biology experience with Medical Biology. In the first week they will be learning about the systems that make up the human body, as well as how to check a patient's vital functions. Next, they will learn how to assess and treat various traumatic injuries. Then, they will learn about common medical emergencies and how to treat them. Lastly, they will learn about environmental induced emergencies that can potentially threaten a life.
At the Exhibition, parents will be handed a medical scenario to recreate. The Eagles will have to properly diagnose, assist, and treat the medical emergency they encounter. Providing timely assistance and effective treatment to the patient is essential. What would you do with someone's life in your hands?
For Writer’s Workshop, each of the Eagles will be writing their very own screenplay. They will have an opportunity to create a world full of characters, drama and excitement. The best written script from each group will be acted out at the Exhibition.
Joey & Jake - Middle School Guides
Elementary Session Six ~ Entomology Quest 2021
Welcome to session 6!
In this quest, the Elementary Eagles become entomologists. They take on the title of “scientist” as they explore life in the undergrowth, the critical relationships between insects and humans, the harsh truths and beauty of life cycles, and the complex classification of life. As entomologists, they take on the responsibilities of raising insects and observing with intentionality and diligence, like a scientist. Exploring in this way ignites a curiosity and appreciation for the natural world and creates a safe and open place to discuss and face real fears. Each group will be raising habitats of living things here in the studio, and we expect many previous opinions of bugs, crawling and slimy things to change over the next 5 weeks! Eagles will also have the opportunity to learn from experts; we are working to schedule a live virtual field trip or guest speaker.
Ashely & Kelsey - Elementary Guides
High School Session Five & Six ~ Biology Quest 2021
This is going to be a very unique next two sessions for the High School. They are going to combine sessions 5 & 6 into one Biology quest. By doing this, the Eagles will be able to alternate every other week between theory and experiments. The Eagles will do this so that the theoretical Biology, learned in the first week, is backed up by an experiment or two in the following week. The Eagles will be using the Modern States Biology Review Course and other resources to learn the basics of Biology (Cells, Plants, Reproductive Systems, Heredity, Evolution & Taxonomy).
The Eagles will also be doing experiments using pipettes, microscopes, and dissection tools. At the end of Session 6, the High School Eagles have the option to take a CLEP (College Level Examination Program) test. The Eagles will also present their experiments, and writers workshops at the end of session six.
HS Guides Joey & Jake
Middle School Session Five ~ Biology Quest 2021
This session, the Middle School Eagles are going to have their first session (of two) in Biology. Each week they will be learning about cells, plants, animals, humans, and biospheres. Each week it will be a combination of deep learning and summer camp-style activities that will make all the learning so much fun. At the end of each week, they are going to have a Biology Bee that will test their knowledge of Biology and give them an opportunity to get an advantage in the exhibition.
At the exhibition, you will see the Eagles present each of the topics of biology that they covered (cells, plants, animals, humans, and biospheres) and they will have a live Biology Bee for parents to see how much they have learned.
For writer’s workshop, each of the Eagles will be writing a biography about someone that they want to learn more about or someone that is a prominent figure in an industry they are interested in. The exhibition will have the top biographies written by the middle school Eagles for you to read.
MS Guides Joey & Jake
Elementary Session Five ~ Life Skills Quest 2021
This session, we are very excited to roll out a brand new quest focusing on Life Skills! We feel that those in the world who are able to tackle problems confidently and efficiently are able to do so not only because they knew how to do it, but they learned how to LEARN to do it.
The life skills will vary through a range of topics of Safety & Survival, Fixing & Creating, Communication, Transportation, Food, and Home Maintenance. The Eagles will learn basic skills such as sewing a button, mending a tear, checking the tire pressure, planning a meal, safely using tools, and so much more! But most importantly, they will learn the biggest life skill of all: how to learn & problem solve when faced with a challenge, big or small.
To learn more about First Aid & AED, we were lucky enough to bring in the team from The Expedition School! We broke into groups and had deeper discussions and hands-on learning about cuts/abrasions & first aid, how to administer the AED machine, & water safety! We learned the best ways to fully stock a first aid kit, how to properly assess a dangerous situation and what to do in case of several different emergencies. Thank you, Expedition School team!
For more information, check out their website: https://www.expeditionschool.com/
The Eagles are already so passionate about the projects and we know this quest will be a hit!
ES Guides Ashley & Kelsey
Middle and High School Session Four ~ Entrepreneurship - Digital Marking Quest 2021
In this session, the Middle School and High School are going to work through our Digital Marketing Quest. Digital Marketing is a fundamental skill for all of our Eagles whether or not they are working for a business, or they want to create a passive income.
We want to make sure that the Eagles are seeing a real impact, so they are working with GSN Tree Planting Initiative. Their goal is to see how many impressions, clicks to their education page, and donations they get. They have been put into teams and will get points for each of the steps of the sales funnel they can get customers through.
The fundamental skills/tools that the Eagles are going to understand at the end of this quest are how to:
Create a Customer Profile.
Use Social Media, Facebook Ads, and Google Adwords to attract donors.
Use A/B testing to optimize the efficiency of ads.
Drip Campaigns to see if their ads are returning enough donations to be worth the ad campaign.
Calculate Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) to better understand how much money they should spend to get one customer.
Understand Net Promotor Score (NPS) to see if they can generate a word of mouth campaign.
Understand how to break down the following parts of a Sales Funnel -
Attraction
Education
Closing
Nurture
Value Ladder
Use Drip Campaigns to push donors/customers back into the funnel if they happen to fall out.