Vine Academy began in June 2021. Theresa Mason, Vine Academy's head of school and co-founder, said the academy was in a home-school setting before the move to First Grapevine.
Vine Academy is an affiliate of Acton Academy and is accredited by the International Association of Learner Driven Schools. Founded in 2009 in Austin, Acton Academy is an education system with 270 campuses across 41 states and 26 countries, according to a presentation shown in the council meeting. Mason said during the presentation that core values for the school include curiosity, character development, developing lifelong skills, achieving goals and individualized learning.
Using a Montessori style, the Acton model has mixed-age classrooms called studios. Each studio has a guide rather than a teacher facilitating learning. Students, called learners, learn through self-paced challenges, Socratic discussion and real work experiences, Mason said.
Vine Academy’s age range is 4-9, but she said this will expand as the learners get older.
“We absolutely love seeing how much our children love to learn and how much they love going to school,” Mason said. “Seeing the children as they are thriving and growing and finding their passions has been really rewarding.”
In the meeting, Mason said Vine Academy has 11 committed learners and is looking for 18 to 22 students. Families interested in Vine Academy can apply here.
There is not a phone number available. www.vineacademygrapevine.com/
