Our Beginnings

Tracy Schroeder, Renee Bichel and Kristine Acuña came together to create a program that would later be called Mighty Roots Academy. Each wanted a lasting, caring place that would encourage their children and program participants to grow in knowledge, foster a sense of wonder and further their understanding of themselves, their peers and the world around them. 

A recognition of the abundance of traditional, seat-based, parental participation requirement (involvement) and numerous Christian co-op opportunities surfaced. While each founder strongly held to their personal Christian faith and beliefs, they also valued diversity. Their programming would use loving kindness and respect for all as the overarching guide. As such, this community prioritizes people and relationships. In such an environment the founders believed that children and their adults could learn and interact with loving kindness, and any differences or preferences could be navigated while acknowledging and respecting others’ points of view. This desire to serve the homeschool community in a different way, means that Mighty Roots Academy programming is an educational, not religious, not-for profit organization. 

The hallmarks of active, multiage learning in a nature-rich environment that crosses subject areas when appropriate are the unifying reasons for Mighty Roots Academy programming. The founders wanted students to learn in an active manner which comes through increasing wonder by engaging students in cooperative activities, immersing them in real-life situations, taking learning outdoors or bringing in unique skill building activities, along with many other varied experiences. Multiage learning can equip all students with various opportunities to mentor and be mentored. More advanced students share their expertise with younger students, and younger students encourage older students to see their strengths, in addition to allowing them to play and see the world around them with young eyes. Synthesizing learning and encouraging a broader understanding of many subjects and their interrelationships by having multiple subject areas represented also occurs in lessons when possible. In providing time outdoors, especially supervised free play outside students creatively explore, play and are enriched by, and in, nature. 

The founders wanted a diverse group of individuals to find a place of belonging in all of Mighty Roots Academy programming. This creates a community that holds space for everyone to be seen and heard, while recognizing each individual’s inherent value, dignity and worth. 

Mighty Roots Academy welcomes any and all who desire to prioritize mutually respectful relationships built on loving kindness in addition to active, multiage learning in a nature-rich environment where students are challenged across multiple subject areas and allowed to participate in nature and create their own supervised free play while outdoors.