Journey Learning Academy

09/11/2026

🇺🇸 Today is a meaningful day for our country—and it also happens to be the birthday of someone who does an incredible amount for JLA, usually without anyone ever seeing it.

One of our students recently commented on how unfortunate it was that he was born on 9/11. 😂 We had to explain that he was actually already well into his 20s when September 11, 2001 happened.

And what happened that day would help change the direction of his life.

Watching the attacks on our country affected him deeply. He was old enough to understand the magnitude of what was happening, and it became part of what pushed him to join the Army. He wanted to serve and be one of the people willing to step up when his country needed it.

That decision eventually took him far from home, including tours in Iraq and Korea.

Twenty-five years later, service still seems to be a pretty good description of who he is.

Most people probably don’t realize just how much of Journey Learning Academy happens because of the guy working quietly in the background.

He cuts the grass. Landscapes. Repairs things. Builds things. Moves things. Makes sure our buildings and property are safe. Helps set up events. Hangs decorations. Hauls supplies. Builds our latest crazy project and somehow figures out how to make all of our “Okay, hear me out…” ideas actually work. 😂

And now we’ve apparently added middle school math to his JLA job description.

He may own Roof2Roots and spend most of his days in work boots and around lawn equipment, but he also has a civil engineering degree—which means we’ve basically had an overqualified math tutor hiding in our maintenance department this entire time. 😂

There are so many things around JLA that our students get to use, explore, climb on, learn from, or enjoy because he quietly made them happen.

He doesn’t ask for recognition. He just sees what needs to be done and does it.

And 25 years after watching his country need people willing to step up and deciding he wanted to be one of them, he’s still that person—just serving in a lot of different ways now.

So while today is first and foremost a day to remember the lives lost and forever changed on September 11, we’re also taking a moment to celebrate the birthday of one of the people who keeps JLA running behind the scenes.

Happy Birthday to our Army veteran, engineer, builder, landscaper, maintenance department, math helper, problem solver, and the man who has learned that around here, “I have an idea…” is almost never followed by anything simple. 😂❤️🇺🇸

We appreciate you more than you know, Mr. Aaron!
Aaron Schatzle

09/11/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19kP3xgqHq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🇺🇸 September 11, 2001.

Today, we remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the first responders, service members, and ordinary Americans who answered the call in the days, months, and years that followed.

We also remember what happened after.

America came together.

Neighbors helped neighbors. Strangers stood beside strangers. American flags seemed to fly everywhere. We thanked our first responders. We supported our military. We checked on one another. For a moment, the things that divided us seemed much smaller than the things that united us.

Twenty-five years later, that is a part of September 11 that we believe is worth remembering, too.

At Books for Boots, our mission is centered on service - reminding our service members, veterans, injured recruits, and military families that they are seen, appreciated, cared about, and never forgotten.

Today, may we honor those we lost not only by remembering their names and their sacrifice, but by remembering how our country responded.

With courage.
With compassion.
With service.
Together.

May we never forget September 11, 2001 - and may we never forget what we are capable of when we stand together as Americans. 🇺🇸

09/11/2026

A little late, but we definitely didn’t want to miss saying THANK YOU! ❤️

Our last-minute BBQ plate fundraiser turned out better than we could have hoped, and that’s because of all of you who bought plates, shared our post, told a friend, or helped spread the word.

We were incredibly lucky to have the supplies donated, and our community showed up and helped us turn that opportunity into something meaningful for Journey Learning Academy. We even SOLD OUT! 🙌

Every plate purchased, every share, and every bit of support truly matters to our little school and our students.

Thank you for continuing to support what we’re building at JLA. We appreciate y’all more than you know! 💛

09/05/2026

HAZARDOUS WASTE DAY! ♻️ 🌍

08/31/2026

‼️ *******SOLD OUT********* ‼️

Thank you so much for your support!!

PLEASE SHARE!!

🔥 FRIDAY LUNCH = HANDLED. 🔥

Journey Learning Academy is firing up the grill for a BBQ Fundraiser this Friday, September 4th!

🍖 $15 Pulled Pork Plate
Pulled pork sandwich • baked beans • coleslaw • fresh-baked cookie • drink

🌭 $10 Hot Dog Meal
Hot dog • chips • fresh-baked cookie • drink

⏰ 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
📍 Kathy St. • Gonzales

And LOCAL BUSINESSES — we’re coming for you. 👀
Order 4+ meals and we’ll deliver lunch to your business! Mix and match pork plates and hot dog meals.

No figuring out lunch. No sending somebody to pick it up. You feed your crew AND support a local nonprofit learning academy doing education a little differently. 💛

📲 PREORDERS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED!

Call/text 225-268-9222 to reserve yours before we sell out. Message us, comment, Venmo@JourneyLearning

https://venmo.com/u/JourneyLearning

Every plate helps support Journey Learning Academy and the hands-on learning experiences we provide our students. So grab lunch, feed the office, tell your coworkers, share this post — all the things. 😂

🔥 Good BBQ. Good cause. No cooking.
We’ll see y’all Friday!

Send a message to learn more

08/27/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Y9uR3fabd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐞 & 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐃! | August 28–30 🎉
Another BIG weekend of family fun is headed our way! From outdoor adventures and festivals to astronomy, markets, storytime, vintage fun and one last splash of summer - there’s plenty to choose from around Baton Rouge & beyond! 💜💛

🔭 Friday Night Evening Sky Viewing
🤸 Tumbles East Kids Night Out
🥕 Red Stick Farmers Market
🌿 Nature Pioneers BREC Conservation
🇺🇸 Red, White & Boots Festival- Books for Boots
💿 Totally Rad Vintage Fest
🪐 Science Academy
☀️ Solar Viewing - Highland Road Park Observatory
⚜️ Acadian Cultural Heritage Day
🚀 STEM Expansion
📚 FREE Saturday Storytime - Red Stick Reads
🌙 Saturday Evening Sky Viewing
🃏 Louisiana Card Con
💦 BREC's Liberty Lagoon

𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦: dates, times, prices, registration links + everything you need to plan your weekend on ONE PAGE!
🔗 https://batonrougefamilyfun.com/things-to-do-in-baton-rouge-aug-28/

Please 𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 this post for the weekend + 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 the local love!

Know of a family-friendly event we missed? 𝗗𝗥𝗢𝗣 𝗜𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦!

08/26/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19TVAwfkoy/?mibextid=wwXIfr

08/25/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GvYa5nW8W/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Dolly Parton’s music reached generations of Louisiana fans. But for tens of thousands of children across the state, her legacy arrives in the mailbox every month.

Parton, who died Tuesday at 80, leaves behind a literacy program that has delivered more than 3.5 million free books to Louisiana children since 2008. 📚

08/18/2026

📸🐝 A HUGE JLA THANK YOU! 🐝📸

We are so incredibly grateful to Eileen West Photography for being one of Journey Learning Academy’s biggest supporters and our TOP recurring donor! 💛

A recurring gift means so much to a small school like ours. It’s not just a donation once—it’s someone choosing, month after month, to invest in what we’re building for our learners. That kind of support helps us keep creating hands-on experiences, filling our spaces with opportunities to explore, and giving our kids a place where curiosity is encouraged every single day.

Thank you for believing in our school and the BIG things happening here. We are so thankful to have you as part of our JLA community! 🐝💛

And when you need someone to capture the moments you never want to forget, please remember the businesses that show up for our kids and our community. 📸

Thank you for helping us keep growing, exploring, and learning!

P.S. Did you know you can set up recurring payments on Venmo? 👀 Neither did we until recently! 😂 Even $5 or $10 a month adds up and helps us keep creating BIG opportunities for our learners. 💛🐝

https://venmo.com/u/JourneyLearning

08/13/2026

☄️ 💫 Watch the sky tonight! 🌌

The Perseids are among the oldest recorded meteor showers, with observations dating back more than 2,000 years. They are a favorite annual event because they are reliably active and visible, take place in warmer months, and are known for producing fireballs – exceptionally bright meteors that leave a glowing trail as they streak across the sky.

The Perseids are so named because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, which is visible in the northern sky. In Greek mythology, Perseus is the warrior who slayed Medusa and rescued Princess Andromeda, whose namesake constellation shares the sky nearby. But don’t worry too much about finding Perseus to catch a glimpse of shooting stars. Meteors can appear anywhere overhead.

The best way to watch the Perseid meteor shower is to find a location with dark skies, give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness, and simply look up. Then sit back, be patient, and enjoy one of the year’s premier celestial shows.

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/watch-the-skies/2026/08/05/summer-star-shower-watch-the-perseids-with-nasa/