Our heroes have reached the end of their Military Quest. Thank you for supporting our heroes during their exhibition. The heroes shared how they believe their exhibition made a difference in the lives of their families and friends. Many heroes talked about how their families learned new things about the military. Some believed that they may have influenced some people during the exhibition to change their jobs and join the military. One hero pointed out the importance of telling others about the military so they could tell others too. All the heroes agreed that people who saw them during the exhibition would also have the courage to support the military because “the military is the best thing about the United States!”

They have also read the book of Philippians during this quest. The final chapter has helped the heroes contemplate on important messages from the Lord. In one discussion, the heroes tackled a controversial issue, choosing between preserving peace or fighting to help others. Most heroes changed their mind several times when friends challenged their decisions. The heroes who immediately chose peace easily wavered in their decision when the others reminded them about those in need of their help to protect them from the bad guys. On the other hand, the heroes who were ready to fight were also challenged by those who valued peace and wanted to avoid fighting. But after reading Philippians 4:7, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” they were convinced that peace comes from Jesus in our hearts, so whether they choose to fight or not, they still have peace in their hearts and minds.

Later that day, during close, the heroes shared how they remained peaceful throughout the day despite challenges they faced. One hero, who felt offended by another hero said she found peace when she forgave her friend. Then the other hero who offended her added that she found peace when she used kind words to help her friend feel better. Most heroes shared how they had peace because they remembered that Jesus is in their hearts and minds.

The heroes have been reflecting on their Hero’s Journey this week as we end our military quest. They remembered their Call to Action at the beginning of the quest, when they were first inspired by Lt. Comm. Thomson from the US Navy, thinking about the lives of the men and women who serve in the military. Our Bible verse from Philippians 4:9, Whatever you have learned…put it into practice, moved our heroes to reflect on their call to action. They talked about how they all had different callings, as seen in their choices of military branch. Some heroes shared their calling to tell others about Jesus, while some felt they were called to help others.

All the heroes Accepted the Challenge to go on a military quest. For six weeks, they willingly immersed themselves in their quest to learn as much as they could about each branch of the military and try to imagine stepping into the soldiers’ shoes. They were genuinely sincere in their concern for the well being of the military men and women as they prepare the Hero Boxes for the soldiers.

Then as we drew closer to the exhibition, many heroes felt that it was time to Face their Fears, to stand and sing in front of a huge audience in a movie theater, to honor the United States Military. Despite the “tummy bugs” they felt even in just thinking about it, they were convinced and could not be swayed from doing otherwise. At any time, the heroes had the freedom and independence to change their minds and turn back on their decision to perform during the exhibition and do something else, but they did not. They believed they would overcome their fears through their prayers and faith.

After the exhibition, each hero had a strong testimony for their Bible verse from the book of Philippians, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13), and “all things” included their exhibition. The heroes expressed their confidence at the end of their quest, that they were able to share the most important message they would like to impart throughout their quest, that “the military never gives up to keep us safe so we need to help them and they always win because God is on their side!”

Week 6: March 26 – 30, 2018

The heroes would like to thank everyone who brought donations to fill their Hero Boxes. During project time, the heroes devised a system on their own, an assembly line that started with someone taking one grocery bag at a time, another one takes out one item, passes them to those in line up to the end of the line, who then passes them to two heroes distributing the items in each box. What an amazing sight to see them organize this system on their own! The only flaw in the process was the need for more boxes after filling all ten boxes overflowing. But they were excited about sending more care packages and helping not only ten soldiers, but they said they could help ten more!

The heroes are so excited for the exhibition. They have been checking the calendar and counting down the days before the exhibition. They have also been reflecting on their military quest during their discussions. Many heroes shared the reasons why they went on a Military quest. Several heroes indicated that they wanted to go on this quest because they wanted to learn about the different jobs in the military and they were actually considering serving in the military to help those who are hurt. One hero said it would be nice to help her country and help the military so she would like to join the army. Another hero tried to convince her friends that it was really important to go on this quest to help her family and to keep everybody safe. Many heroes said they did not know much about the military so they wanted to learn more and they thought it would be fun to learn about the military!

In another discussion, the heroes contemplated on why this quest is important to them. Some heroes valued learning about the different branches of the military that they never knew existed. As they dug deeper into their thinking asking each other more “why” questions, the heroes became passionate about convincing others the importance of their quest because they are honoring the men and women of the military and their families because they are saving us and our families from the “bad guys.” Many heroes were even inspired and said that they wanted to join the military when they grew up because they too wanted to help save the world from the bad guys.

The heroes have been working together to prepare their presentations for the exhibition. They give each other feedback and share ideas on how to improve their presentation. One of the issues they faced was what to do with their Military flags and US flags. Several heroes noticed that the flags were distracting them because they made a lot of noise. So some heroes made suggestions how to solve this issue. One hero said they should put the flags down behind them while singing. Another hero asked her friends if they could just hold their flags still instead of waving them. And another hero suggested that they only pick up their flags for specific parts of the presentation as it fits their songs. They worked it all out together and they were pleased with the improvement in their presentation.  The heroes continue to make their presentation better and better to honor the United States Military.

The heroes spread kindness everywhere they went while they were shopping for the military heroes. The other shoppers and store clerks were so blessed to hear about their Hero Boxes and their efforts in providing for our deployed troops. Despite all the temptations at the store to want something for themselves, the heroes focused on the needs of the military heroes. Through generous gift card donations from Forest Hills Foods and Meijer, the heroes returned victorious, grocery bags on hand, filled with treats for the soldiers worth $200!

Please invite family and friends to our heroes’ Military presentation and Recruitment Fair during our Military Quest Exhibition on Thursday, March 29 from 6 to 7:30 pm. Our heroes may arrive earlier around 5:45 pm to help set up their tables. They will also have their Hero Boxes available for more donations brought during this event. They will be ready to start their “recruiting” at 6pm to try to get visitors to sign up for their military branch. Light refreshments will be served at this time. They will begin their Military presentation at 6:30  right before the start of the EMS documentary on World War II survivors. They are so excited to share with you all they have learned and experienced during their Military quest.

Our Week at a Glance

Week 5: March 19-23, 2018

Written by Laura Sandefer and originally posted March 14, 2018

We can boil the Acton Academy systems to just two choices that ensure a happy, fruitful learning journey:

Be kind.
Do some work every day.

Simple, right?

Yes, but not always easy.

It actually takes time and practice to become strong in both. But we believe learning them deeply will position our Eagles well for the rest of their lives. With this goal, our systems are built to support growth – providing grace and forgiveness with accountability and feedback – all along the way. By the time an Eagle progresses through elementary school, middle school and Launchpad, they have gained a high level of complex decision-making around these two choices.

For example, in the very early years, kindness is as simple as not hitting each other and not saying mean words. Soon, layered into this experience is learning that not distracting each other during work time is an act of kindness. Then, Eagles learn to make peace with each other using the process at the Peace Table and to give and receive feedback that is kind yet tough, warm and cool. Later, kindness includes learning how to apologize well and deciphering the difference between kind-hearted and mean-spirited humor. Finally, in Launchpad, kindness is played out through authentic servant leadership grounded in honesty, humility, and confidence.

The same sort of progression happens in terms of learning the habit of working every day. What begins as short but daily spurts of reading, writing and math progresses into three-hour sessions of daily work and ultimately, uninterrupted deep work experienced as flow. The work ethic is built step by step with the gratifying experience of earning badges of mastery and experiencing what excellence feels like. Mediocrity won’t satisfy once you’ve tasted excellence.

The simple choices of being kind and working each day end up feeding each other so the alternative doesn’t make sense anymore as a good way to live life.

Dr. Seuss said, “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

Just be kind and do some work. That’s it.

Our heroes are making leaps in bounds in their academic progress. An important factor that significantly affects academic progress is interest in learning. Because our heroes have the freedom to learn based on their interests, their attention increases, they process information more deeply and much faster, and they work harder and smarter.

Each early learner is taking on tasks and challenges that other kids their age may not have even tried. The heroes often challenge themselves to do work that may not be included in the traditional curriculum for their assigned grade level according to their age. But instead of allowing their ages to dictate their learning, the heroes dictate their own learning. They decide what they would like to work on when they set their goals. They decide how much time they would like to spend on a task. They decide when to move on to another task. They demonstrate when they have mastered a skill and decided when they are ready to try a more challenging task.

The results are increased motivation to learn and significant academic progress. Our heroes have made measurable advancement in their core skills computer programs and badge work. Most of our heroes who started in Level M math or reading at the beginning of the school year have earned their badges and have moved up to Level 1. Some of the heroes who started at Level 1 are working on second-grade level material in their computer programs.

The heroes’ interest in learning increases as they challenge themselves on their own. The work they choose is neither too easy nor too difficult so they are willing to put forth a strong effort in their tasks. Our heroes also work hard because they make connections between their work and real-life purposes and they understand the reason for doing their school work.  And most importantly, our heroes know that they learn from failure so they are never worried to fail or make mistakes, which increases their motivation to try and try again.

This week, we were honored to speak with a Vietnam veteran who served in the Marine Corps, Jim Cavalucci. This hero talk was completely planned and arranged by one of our heroes, Amelia. One day, she came to school with a sticky note with a phone number written on it to call her grandpa in Florida. She found out that grandpa served in the Marines so she asked mom if we could call him for our Hero Talk. So Amelia called her grandpa and asked him if he could tell us about being a Marine. She arranged with Grandpa a good time to call him for our conference call with her friends. She also asked her friends for questions they would like to ask her grandpa and collected their questions, which were written in small notepads. And so in a conference call all the way from Florida, Amelia introduced her friends to Grandpa Jim who shared with our heroes his wonderful experience as a marine. He shared with the heroes how much he learned from his service in the Marines especially learning how to be responsible. He told the heroes how he was drafted to join the army when he was 18 years old, but he volunteered to join the Marine Corps. He said he had lots of fun training to be a marine and also serving as the cook and baker. At the end of the call, Grandpa Jim thanked our heroes for their wonderful questions, attentiveness, and for honoring him with this conference call as our honored Military hero.

Our field trip to the USS Silversides Museum was truly memorable as we learned not only about submarines but also about the brave men who were aboard the USS Silversides and their sacrifices to protect our freedom. Our heroes experienced first-hand how it might have felt to live inside the submarine: sleeping in small cots with thirty other service members, and maybe even next to a torpedo; imagining only showering once every two weeks and having to remember twelve things to properly use the “head;” taking turns eating in the small dining room but with the best food in the military, including cakes and ice cream; hearing the loudness of the engines and the alarm signal for “Dive,” “Stations,” and even for “Collision!” Our heroes also enjoyed some stories about the submariners, so ask them about the kangaroo story and if they remember what KFS stands for.

Our Week At A Glance

Please mark your calendars for our Military Quest exhibition, which will be held at Celebration Cinema North, 2121 Celebration Dr. NE, on March 29 at 6pm for the World War II Movie Premier. Our Early Learners will be collecting items for their Hero Boxes for admission. Our heroes will also be holding a “Military Branches Recruitment Fair.”