History

Global Community Institute

Explorations Academy is the leading program of Global Community Institute, a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1988.  While GCI has also offered teacher training seminars, sponsored conferences, and provided stand-alone classes, its primary focus has been developing Explorations Academy.  In 1995 Explorations Academy opened its doors.

Explorations Academy is in its 17th school year of offering an education that matters to high school students and enables them to become leaders for the 21st Century.

Explorations Academy

In the mid-1990's, Explorations Academy sought accreditation through the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, since renamed the Northwest Accreditation Commission.  Provisional accreditation was granted in 1996 and full accreditation followed in 1998.  In 2008 Explorations joined the Pacific Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (PNAIS) as a Subscriber member and became a Candidate member in 2010. The GCI Board of Directors and Explorations staff are currently engaged in a full accreditation process with PNAIS.

In 2000, Explorations hosted its first international exchange student, and continues to welcome students from other countries.  International students attending our school have come from places as diverse as Germany, Colombia, Indonesia, and Slovakia.

In 2003, international expeditions became part of Explorations Academy's commitment to global education with a month-long, study and service trip to Nicaragua.  Since then, annual expeditions have brought Explorations students and teachers to India, Peru, Thailand, Ireland, Kenya, Indonesia, and several other countries around the world.  Each expedition is crafted to incorporate both challenging academics and powerful character-development experiences.

Founding Principles

Our school, Explorations Academy, was founded on three pillars of thought that a REAL education (Relevant, Engaged, Applied Learning) is personal, social, and global.

• Personal: Find real purpose in school through genuine, relevant curriculum
• Social: Build genuine connections with others through positive relationships and self-discovery
• Global: Make education global with service and world travel built into the educational experience