AABC - Acton Academy of Bergen County

100% learners-led, proving us again and again that these young people can do much more than we have ever imagined ❤️✨

In a philosophical sense, classrooms are real place, but when one considers how they function, one cannot help but to see an artifical environment that is unlike the world. In classrooms, more often than not, yoing people are dealing with problems that will seldom arise in the world outside. As a result of this, beyond a poor grade, there is little opportunity to fail and to learn from that failure.

The most important lessons that young people can learn will always occur in the world outside their classrooms. This is a major reason as to why learners at AABC spend so much time outdoors, and why they take part in real-world apprenticeships or spend time with real-world experts.

The truth is, what can be learned in the real-world, among those who inhabit it, it far more valuable than what could be taught in a classroom.

This is what Talent Show practice looks like when learners are responsible for the entire event, not just what happens on stage.

We don’t teach confidence.
We create the space where it grows.

Ready to explore a new way of learning? Comment below and we’ll send you more details.

Friday House Cup in Alpine means egg drop, cheering at the top of your lungs, and learning the hard way why design matters.

Messy, loud, and so much fun.

Once a week at AABC, learners in Discovery, Journey, and the LaunchPad Studios gather for Town Hall. This is one of the most important parts of studio life because it teaches far more than collaboration.

Town Hall is not simply a place to share ideas of make suggestions. It is where learners take responsibility for shaping the culture of their Studios. If they notice patterns or behaviors that hurting the community, such as presentation styles that feel distracting or systems that are not working well, they bring them forward, discuss them openly, and suggest solutions.

In this space, young people practice real-world skills. They learn how to identify problems, communicate respectfully, challenges ideas, listen to different perspectives, compromise, and create agreements that everyone chooses to follow.

When learners offer different solutions, they hold a vote. Every learner agrees to uphold the decision, even if it was not their first choice.

Town Hall helps them understand that culture is not something adults enforce. It is something they build together.

For the youngest learners (ages 5 - 8) at Acton Academy of Bergen County, the most important part of their day is spent engaging in free play. Yes, Core Skills like math and reading are important, but it is the time spent in free play that lays the foundation not just for their learning journey, but who they will someday become.

In free play, children make the decisions. They decide what they'll play, where they'll play and what rules they'll abide by. In doing so, they develop confidence, autonomy, resilience, and so much more. They learn how to self-regulate emotions, compromise l, and interact with their peers. And it is these qualities, more than any others, upon which their learning journey shall be built.

This is why learners in the Sparks Studio spend up to three hours a day outside, engaging in free play.

This Session, Discovery learners (ages 8 - 11) are practicing public speaking in the most powerful way: by creating and performing their own scenes.

At AABC, learners aren't told how to speak. Instead, they're given slave to express themselves, and the confidence flows.

When learning feels meaningful and fun, young people show up differently.

That's the Acton difference.

As learners in the Journey Studio (ages 11 - 14) dive deeper into their Chemistry Rocket Quest, they have reached an exciting milestone: designing their own space stations.

Instead of learning about space station engineering through textbooks and lectures, they are using the information gathered through self-directed research to create detailed, life-loke models. By taking ownership of the entire process and collaborating with their teammates on every decision, they are engaging with the material in a far more meaningful way.

This kind of active, hands-on work not only builds real-world understanding, it also makes the learning stick. When learners design, create, and problem-solve for themselves, the knowledge becomes theirs.

Ready to reimagine school 🩷 comment below and we will send you more details!

Making candles with our family community at the was so much fun today 🩷