Intergenerational Lunch Discussions
Document Actions
Welcome to Explorations Academy
Explorations Academy is an experientially-based secondary school established in 1995. Explorations serves capable young people grades 8-12 seeking an education that meaningfully relates to real-world issues. What makes Explorations unique is our focus on context -- the context of the school environment, the context of our local area and region, and the context of global systems are each directly incorporated into our curriculum. In this way we are educating young people for our contemporary changing world. Explorations is fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and is a subscribing member of the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to develop experiential learning programs which encourage self-awareness and critical thinking, nurture healthy relationships and community, and foster personal and academic excellence. Our vision is to cultivate diverse communities of healthy, creative, and engaged learners and leaders, working toward a socially just and ecologically balanced world.
Location and Size
Explorations Academy is located in downtown Bellingham, Washington, a city of approximately 75,000. We run three academic terms from September to June, and offer optional summer, intersession, and independent study courses. Our student population is approximately 20 and we have four full-time and four part-time staff. Our curricular program is based on interdisciplinary clusters of courses which follow a common theme, with class sizes typically of ten to twelve.
Our facility is located along the banks of Whatcom Creek, and comprises about 3000 square feet of classrooms, library, offices and project areas. However, much of an Explorations education takes place outside our building; students average about one day per week on field outings, including local, regional, and international expeditions.
Check out our student-produced YouTube Video! ... and thanks for visiting!
— Daniel Kirkpatrick, Director, Explorations Academy
This site was developed using an open source object oriented content management system called Plone, built on the Zope platform, using Python scripts.