Our Core Values

   WANWI's foundation is love and respect for self, each other, community, and nature.

Everything we do here is rooted in love and guided by mutual respect.      

 This is an educational environment for learners to discover the unique talents, gifts, and passion already present in each of them.  We guide rather than instruct; we value collaboration and community over test scores; and we honor what motivates our learners rather than telling them what they should know.  In addition to students having a say in how they learn, this core value is the straightforward standard for how we operate.  Through a culture of personal accountability we equip and guide our learners to be fully engaged in their unique journey of their own learning. 

   We have taken the classroom out of the brick walls and fluorescent lights and moved it back into the natural environment.  Students choose from a myriad of outdoor classrooms and also enjoy the comforts of state of the art geodesic domes aligned with nature's energy, designed to promote harmony within.  The beautiful campus of Hruby Ranch provides a setting for projects and activities that foster our learners' connection to the natural world.  Every day feels like a field trip at Wonder Academy NWI.    

 In the hustle and bustle of modern American living, balance is often forgotten, and many are unfulfilled or even physically unwell as a result.  Wonder Academy NWI re-establishes the importance of living a life of balance.  

Balance of time:  Learning through free play and pausing to rest and reset are equally valued alongside academic learning.  Simply stated, WANWI learners will practice being as much as they practice doing. 

Balance of skills:  In addition to academic skills such as reading, writing, math, and science, WANWI learners enjoy curricula that include life skills such as organic gardening & scratch cooking, goal setting and growth mindset planning, and engaging in activities that nurture exceptional social-emotional intelligence.  

Balance of activity:  For optimum physical and emotional health, children must engage in daily physical activity.  WANWI learners can expect daily movement through games, sports, & free play and activities such as hiking, yoga, & martial arts.  

Our initial cohort for the Fall 2024 launch will serve learners in the age group of 5-8.  Cohorts for ages 9-12 and finally 13-graduation will follow.   WANWI's learning setting is inspired by the one-room schoolhouse days of early American education.  Research shows that it is actually quite beneficial to blend ages to maximize learning.  In no other place besides the K-12 grade levels of traditional schools are people divided solely based on chronological age, so WANWI incorporates this real world diversity here as well.  It is an enriching regular occurrence for the younger children to learn from the older children, and for the older children to master their skills through teaching and mentoring the younger children.  Personalized learning goals and differentiated instruction ensure that each child's learning needs are met and they are challenged in their learning in ways that make sense for them as unique individuals.