New Launch Date Announced!We are excited to announce our new launch date of November 16th, 2020 to meet the needs of our founding families in this current moment.  My wife and I originally envisioned opening in the Fall of 2021. This aligned well with our daughter starting Kindergarten next fall and as busy working parents of three little kiddos, the idea of 18 months of planning sure seemed much less daunting. As we started speaking with our founding families, we quickly realized of all the years for these families to sit and wait for their dream school, this was NOT the year. We decided to see how we could speed up our time table and meet their needs. We immediately began a hiring search while also looking for the perfect location. Within weeks we had hired our rock star guide and found our ideal location, but it still wasn't how we envisioned launching. We still needed a handful more families to join us on this journey and there was still about six months of prep, planning, and training to fit into the next few months. Yes, we want to deliver on all our promises, yes we want all the pieces to be planned exactly right, but we also realized, we wouldn't be true to the Acton spirit if we waited until the timing was perfect and all our ducks were in a row. This is our own hero's journey after-all!
No hero, whether it be George Washington, Anne Frank, or even Harry Potter feels truly prepared when they are called upon. What's worse, had they waited they would have missed their chance to change the world. We know it won't be perfect, we know there will be bumps in the road, but we are excited to meet our call to adventure and cross the threshold into the unknown with a small group of founding families by our side!
The Specifics of our New Launch Plan
The Hero's Journey And the Acton ExperienceCurious to learn more about the Hero's Journey and how it fits into the bigger picture at Acton Academy Lincoln? Read More...
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We are excited to announce Miss Karla, Our First Guide! We couldn't be more excited to welcome her and her family to our growing Acton tribe! We can't wait for her journey to begin here at Acton Academy Lincoln.  Hi! My name is Karla Fitz, my students call me Miss Karla. I am originally from Venezuela, where I lived until 2007 when I moved to Hastings, NE to learn English as an exchange student. I then had the opportunity to pursue my passion of Vocal Music & Studio Art at Hasting College. I have since earned my Masters in Music and English as a Second Language. I then pursued a calling to become a teacher as a lead preschool teacher, before moving on to teach Spanish for Saint Joseph Catholic School here in Lincoln, Nebraska for the last three years. My husband Jeremy and I have two beautiful little girls, a 4-year-old and a 1 year-old. The girls were the reason we decided I would try staying home. However, education has always been a great part of me, and the calling never left.  Karla, Husband Jeremy and their two daughters Ever since I was a little girl, I remember my dad saying, “Studying is your one and only job” and we always did our job well. My mom was a music teacher and I followed in her footsteps.
It was while missing my students, that I saw an ad for the Acton Academy Lincoln Guide. The idea of children learning independently, promoting freedom, and encouraging challenges excited me and I knew I had to apply. Once the interview process started, I quickly understood this was not just another school, it was a safe environment for children to develop their interests, their curiosity, and experiment with different subjects at their own pace. Acton is a place where answers aren’t given to the students by the teacher, rather each hero is a teacher at Acton as each of them get to discover answers themselves or better yet, with the help of fellow learners. I knew this was my place to be. Today, I am assigned with the task of guiding and helping these learners grow as they develop their own Hero’s Journey. I cannot wait to start this journey alongside them! School Choice - A hot topic in 2020
Co-Founder Zach Harsin recently sat with Rachel Terry from School Choice Nebraska to discuss Acton Academy Lincoln and School Choice in Nebraska
Meet The Andersons A FOUNDING FAMILY WHO WAS ON A JOURNEY TO FIND A BETTER SCHOOL OPTION FOR THEIR SON HERE IN LINCOLN This is an open letter penned by Tori Anderson to prospective parents after her family discovered Acton Academy.  Daniel & Tori Anderson pictured with their three kids, Elijah, Emme, and Enzo When we found Acton Academy Lincoln we were on a journey to find something different for our oldest son. He had done private school for kindergarten and then public school for first grade. Each year we were told he was a good kid but just wasn’t doing the things he was asked to do. We were seeing a completely different and curious kid that would come home from school defeated and upset. Even going to the library and checking out books at school wasn’t enjoyable to him. He had a perfect idea of what books he wanted but was told he had to do one fiction and one non fiction when all he wanted was non fiction books. When COVID hit we, along with everyone else, were forced to become the teacher for our kids. But Elijah struggled. It’s not that he didn’t want to do the work but it’s that he didn’t want to do it in the way they had set up. He knew the answers. He could pass the tests and do the homework. He was just bored. But once we loosened the reigns and let him make his schedule and follow his lead he began to become the curious little boy we knew he was. He spent hours learning about the seven wonders of the world, exploring how to build things, and learning about the ins and outs of large semi trucks. The first thing I heard was 'we believe all kids are geniuses and will change the world' — I cried. That was something we believed about him but just didn’t know how to cultivate in the school setting we had chosen for him. Then enter Acton Academy. The first thing I heard was “we believe all kids are geniuses and will change the world” — I cried. That was something we believed about him but just didn’t know how to cultivate in the school setting we had chosen for him. We see Elijah thriving in Acton—not because of the freedom but because the box he was told he had to fit into will be removed and he can be anything he wants to be. It will be hard work, he knows that, but he’s ready! He’s eager to start and learn anything he can get his hands on!  Local Family starts Elementary School in Lincoln, NE Acton Lincoln Founders Zach & Heidi Harsin along with Haddie (5), Sawyer (2), Milo I could hardly contain my excitement as I wrote out a text to my wife after finding the answer to our prayers. “You HAVE to watch this. I desire this for our family. This makes my heart happy”.... We had long felt angst whenever we tried to make a decision for our children’s education. No option ever felt quite right. From homeschooling to private schools and even moving to a small town, all possible options crossed our minds. As we continued to wrestle with what to do, one thing became abundantly clear, parents all over the world wrestle with this same thing. They all want what is best for their children. They are willing to buy a house in the ‘right’ school district, sacrifice financially to send them to private schools, or even devote themselves to homeschooling. Regardless of how it manifests itself, they are all doing what they believe is best for their family and their children’s futures. As I wrote out a second text to my wife, I was writing a statement I never thought I would write, let alone be announcing to the world a few months later. The end of the text read; “We are going to start a school.” 😳 Yes, we are crazy. Yes, we have no idea what we have just signed up for. But within hours of stumbling upon Acton Academy, an 11-year-old micro-school model in Austin Texas, I had already written those words “We are going to start a school.” I believe with every fiber of my soul that this is not only right for our family but, with its entrepreneurial spirit, something Lincoln will embrace with open arms. The Video that Changed Everything!Acton Academy Lincoln will simply be a community of like-minded families seeking a modern approach to education, one that will help equip their kids for the 21st century (using a blend of Montessori elements, Socratic questioning and learner driven learning), discover & develop their God-given passions and unique calling on their life, learn through quests and apprenticeships, and develop mastery of reading, writing, and arithmetic using the latest technology through self-paced learning! Yes, just call us crazy. But we join 275 other Actons in 20 countries around the world who are all on this journey together. So the only question is, are you crazy enough to join? Even if you don’t have school-aged kids, or you are more than happy with your current education path, we ask that you join us in praying for / assisting in our search for these three things to set Acton Academy Lincoln up for success:
Finally, if you are a parent who can identify with our struggle to find the right fit for your family, I ask you to watch this video. This was the video I stumbled upon that first stirred something inside me. My hope is it will resonate with you as well. Be Blessed, Zach Harsin Acton Academy Lincoln Founder PS- Please feel free to message us on here or text/call 402-858-5151. We would love to hear from you and learn more about your family! |
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