Innovate Academy

📚 Bookshelf Favorites | What We’re Reading This Summer

A great education doesn’t just build knowledge—it cultivates wisdom (long after you were too absorbed in a great story to even realize it!).

This summer, we are featuring two thought provoking books, with reviews in the July issue of our Inside Innovate newsletter: How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind and The Black Intellectual Tradition. Together, they remind us that the Christian and classical tradition has always been richer, broader, and more globally connected than many of us realize. They invite us to rediscover voices that have helped shape theology, philosophy, education, and Western civilization for centuries.

Meanwhile, our scholars are embarking on adventures of their own! 📖 From The Boxcar Children and Stuart Little to Prince Caspian and Robin Hood, every grade level has its own summer reading list carefully chosen to spark imagination, deepen character, and prepare students for another year of meaningful conversations.

Whether you’re a parent, scholar, or lifelong learner, we hope you’ll join us in making this a summer filled with fun stories that shape the heart and books that expand the mind.

✨ Which book is currently on your nightstand? Tell us in the comments!

🇺🇸 Celebrating 250 Years of America

This Fourth of July, we celebrate 250 years since the birth of a nation founded on the conviction that our rights are not granted by governments, but by God.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...”

Over the past 250 years, America has experienced remarkable moments of courage, sacrifice, and renewal. We have witnessed the birth of a constitutional republic, the abolition of slavery, the expansion of educational opportunities and civic participation for women, extraordinary scientific and medical discoveries, the first flight, the moon landing, and generations of men and women who have faithfully served their communities and defended the blessings of liberty.

As Christians, we recognize that our nation’s story reflects both human brokenness and God’s providence. While our history includes profound failures and injustices, it also bears witness to men and women who, often inspired by biblical convictions, worked to uphold the God-given dignity of every person. We give thanks for God’s faithfulness throughout our history and pray that He would continue to guide our nation in truth, justice, and righteousness.

As a classical Christian school, we believe freedom flourishes only when it is joined to virtue. True education is not simply the transfer of information but the formation of wisdom, character, and moral imagination. By immersing students in Scripture, the Great Books, history, and the enduring pursuit of what is true, good, and beautiful, we seek to prepare young men and women who will steward liberty with humility, courage, and faith.

The next chapter of America’s story will be written by today’s students.

May we raise a generation that loves God, seeks truth, serves others, and uses the freedoms they have inherited to glorify Christ and bless the world.
Happy Independence Day from all of us at Innovate Academy! 🇺🇸 ❤️💙🤍📚

✨ A little throwback to one of our favorite moments from the end of the school year...

Before summer break, some of our incoming Grade 9 girls gathered to take the Highlands Ability Battery together. Let’s just say... several hours of testing isn’t anyone’s favorite way to spend a day. ☺️ But the insights waiting on the other side make it well worth it.

At Innovate Academy, the Highlands is more than an assessment—it’s the starting point for a personalized journey. It helps students better understand their natural abilities, learning styles, strengths, and the environments where they are most likely to thrive.

It’s one of the many features that makes our Grade 9 model so distinctive. Through personalized learning plans, mentorship, internships, college and career exploration, and our iLAB framework, scholars don’t just prepare for what’s next—they begin discovering how God has uniquely equipped them to make a difference in the world.

Interested in a tailored educational experience that’s built around your student? Imagine an educational plan that can include dual-enrollment college courses, trade or career pathways, and a four-year Culture-Maker Capstone—all designed around your child’s God-given strengths and calling.

📩 We’d love to show you what Grade 9 at Innovate Academy looks like. Hit us up if your scholar wants to become a culture maker.

✨ Parent Spotlight: The Coopers

Joy isn’t something we stumble upon—it’s something we cultivate.

That’s why we’re grateful to share the Coopers’ story in this month’s Inside Innovate newsletter. For their family, joy is found in the ordinary rhythms of home: shared books, meaningful conversations, faithful routines, and a school community that reinforces the values they’re building together.

Their story is a beautiful reminder that while happiness comes and goes, joy is rooted in something deeper—in Christ, in family, and in the intentional practices that shape everyday life.

As summer unfolds, we hope the latest June issue encourages your family to cultivate your own rhythms of joy.

Comment below to tell us some of your families joyful rhythms this summer ☀️👇

📖 Read the Coopers’ Parent Spotlight at the link in our bio.

📚 Parent Spotlight: The Collins Family

How do you raise children who truly love to read? For Anne Collins, the answer didn’t start with a curriculum or reading levels—it started with connection.

“Reading together was a way that we connected with each other,” Anne says. “I think that helped make my kids fall in love with reading because they associated it with something positive.”

By turning storytime into a family culture filled with funny character voices, cozy blankets, and deep conversations, Anne and her husband, Ken, showed their three children that books are anything but boring. From Greek myths to classic fairy tales, the stories were important, but the relationships built around them mattered most.

Ultimately, children don’t simply learn to love books. They learn to love the people who read them with them.

👉 Want to hear more about the Collins family’s favorite book series and how they navigate reading in a screen-filled world? Click the link in our bio to read the full blog post!

The tale is as old as time, but the night is fresh in our minds. ✨🌹

Our production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. was filled with wonder!

From the incredible vocals to the stunning costumes, our scholars brought this classic story to life with so much heart and creativity.

Watching these young performers step onto the stage reminds us that we aren’t just teaching lines and lyrics—we’re teaching courage, teamwork, and the art of storytelling. They truly showed us what it means to be Culture Makers.

To the cast, the crew, and the volunteers who made this possible: Thank you for an evening of wonder! 🏰✨

Congratulations Kindergarten Class of 2026🎉

A classical Christian education is about more than just academic excellence—it is about forming the whole person from the very beginning. Watching our sweetest learners grow in wonder, joy, and a love for creation reminds us why we do what we do.

Our Kindergarteners leave this milestone stage equipped with a foundation of curiosity and integrity, ready to take their next steps into the modern world with hearts wide open to the adventure ahead.

Thank you to our incredible community of families and educators who partner with us in this joyful work.

Congratulations to our littlest graduates! Go forth and grow in wisdom.

Nurturing Scholars. Graduating Culture-Makers.

Last week, our school’s mission comes to life in the most beautiful way as we celebrate our 8th-grade graduates.

A classical Christian education is about more than just academic excellence—it is about forming the whole person. Watching our 8th graders grow in wisdom, eloquence, and virtue reminds us why we do what we do.

Our graduates leave this milestone stage as entrepreneurial leaders, equipped with the critical thinking, creativity, and integrity needed to thoughtfully engage with the modern world. They are ready to step into the next chapter, hands and hearts wide open to the adventure ahead.

Thank you to our incredible community of families and educators who partner with us in this joyful work.

Congratulations to our 8th-grade graduates! Go forth and shape the culture. 🙌🕊️