A flexible, enrichment-based day for learners ages 11–14, held on Fridays in downtown Lexington, VA. Participants can choose to attend one, two, or all three sessions. Learners enrolled in our full time program attend the entire day. Designed to foster independence, creativity, and community, these sessions offer middle schoolers a space to explore, connect, and grow. To enroll, complete the registration form. Tuition information can be found on the form.
Daily Schedule
Course Descriptions
Book Club
Led by our Director of Education, Ann-Bailey Lipsett, Book Club offers a supportive, small-group environment where individualized attention and community learning go hand in hand. Ann-Bailey meets each learner where they are, helping them build confidence and grow their reading and writing at their own pace. Our first book is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor.
Independent Work for this course includes weekly reading and short writing assignments.
Zine Making
This elective is an introduction to one of the most democratic art forms around. Zines are small, self-published booklets made by hand, and they can be about anything: a passion, a story, a place, an obsession, a joke, a comic, a collection of drawings. There are no rules and no wrong answers.
We’ll spend the first half of the trimester experimenting with the medium, learning folding and binding techniques, and making our own zines. In the second half, we’ll plan and produce a group zine together, with every learner contributing pages. Families will receive a copy at our Celebration of Learning.
Kids who love to plan, design, draw, write, collage, or just have something to say will find a home here. There is no independent work assigned for this elective.
Community Lunch & Study Hall
A laid-back break to eat, unwind, play games, and enjoy time with friends between sessions. This program is free and drop ins are welcome!
Study Hall offers quiet time to complete Independent Work or personal projects alongside peers and with adult support if needed. Lunch meets from 12:00-1:00pm in the Piovano Room. Study Hall meets 1:00-1:45pm I the Young Adult Section.
Excursions
Excursions takes learners out of the classroom and into the community every week. We visit local government, small businesses, artists, nonprofits, journalists, and neighbors who are quietly solving problems and building something worthwhile in Downtown Lexington and the surrounding area. The goal isn’t just to see how things work. It’s to start asking what kind of contributor you want to be. What problems do you notice? What would you change? Who’s already working on it? There is no independent work assigned for this elective.