The School
Oak Forest Academy is a Montessori school for adolescents. We are located in Shoreview, MN, where we split our days between our forest campus and an indoor classroom.
The school year goes from August 25-May 30. The school day is from 9 am to 4 pm, Mondays through Thursdays. Friday is a day for independent learning. We take the month of December off for independent learning and travel.
This is a tuition-based school. We seek to keep it affordable by minimizing costs while committing to paying our teachers a fair wage. Our tuition is $15k/year. If this is a barrier to your family, note it on the interest page. We are continuously looking for options to overcome this barrier.
Oak Forest Academy is committed to working cooperatively with the forest. We are stewards of this beautiful ecosystem, and as such, will incorporate care, study, observation, and interaction as an integral part of each school day.
At Oak Forest Academy, we believe that every student can thrive as an individual learner who is fully supported. For us, education is the whole person embracing passions for project-based learning in the place, our forest. We intentionally provide that which promotes growth, excellence, and socio-emotional skills that curate positive members of a healthy community.
The family of each student is an active partner in the educational process. This means that all share in the investment of the student’s success in education. The guidance offered here at Oak Forest Academy is one which honors the individual’s needs. If a parent chooses to incorporate an aspect of learning not yet provided, we are open to conversations that support what best suits the student’s goals.
Our Learning Philosophy
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In Project-based learning, students pursue larger projects which integrate many subjects, rather than studying each subject in isolation. At Oak Forest Academy, students will have the opportunity to develop large projects that allow them to dig deep into their interests. For example, students will learn research skills through a series of lessons from the teachers, but then apply them to their own project.
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Place-based learning recognizes that the natural world has vital potential in contributing to the development of youth. By deeply connecting to the rhythms of nature and exploring the biodiversity of the land, we learn who we are as members of the greater whole. At Oak Forest Academy, topics in history, science, math, and languages will be synthesized through our experience of place.
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We recognize that humans are diverse, a combination of strengths and weaknesses. We believe the flexibility, individuality, and authenticity present in our learning community will allow neurodiverse learners to flourish, and we seek teachers who are equipped with tools to help them thrive. However, we do not offer Special Education services. Conversations between parents and teachers before enrollment will be essential to determine if Oak Forest Academy is a good educational fit for the student.
Browse examples of educational experiences in the Forest:
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Neighbor David McWilliams used the Forest as a basis for a Thesis for Masters of Architecture. His thesis was to explore the integration of people and ecosystems through architecture, and he studied the forest to inform and inspire methods in which to do this.
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Neighbor Mary Jo Hoffman is an artist who challenged herself to photograph one image, daily, of gathered natural objects found near her. Her blog contains hundreds of pictures, many of them from our very own forest, and she recently published a book of selected images. See her blog here.
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Neighbors to the forest have chickens and bees. Sometimes we take the chickens out to hunt for bugs and worms in the forest. Other animals, such as goats or potbellied pigs, are options.
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Our forest produces edibles such as syrup and wild berries. Some neighbors are very interested in nurturing a food forest.
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Our forest is recognizable as a native plant community FDs37, an old growth oak forest dependent on small fires every decade. Between the suppression of fires, the spread of deer and earthworms, and the introduction of invasive plants such as buckthorn and garlic mustard, the oaks are not regenerating as they once did. We have implemented several strategies such as building a large deer exclosure, caging oak seedlings, and removing patches of buckthorn.
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Our forest-grown oaks make admirable lumber. We have used the lumber for furniture, wooden puzzles, musical instruments, garden beds, lamps, etc. Two neighbors have wood working shops, and we have a strong desire to make this resource available to our students.
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Neighbor Kate McWilliams builds medieval stringed instruments in her woodworking shop on site. She has used home-grown oak for instruments and furniture.
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Our forest is home to numerous wild animals, such as woodpeckers, owls, hawks, warblers, foxes, and others. Sometime we have the opportunity to help them, such as this time when we rescued a baby great horned owl.
Interested in Learning More?
