Yesterday at school our students spent an hour outside at lunch, playing, running, jumping and chatting. At 1 p.m. when it was time to come in, they weren't ready to settle down and so they went outside and ran a few laps around the playground. Afterward, the afternoon activities were announced and most of them chose to go back outside and play soccer for another hour and a half. Watching them play, I was reminded again that this is what children need: unstructured time in a structured environment. Our school yard is a wide open space and the children relish their time in it. The structure we provide is in the form of rules for safety and rules of the games. They provide the rest– imagination, playfulness, exuberance, and energy. It is truly a joy to watch, and I invite you to come visit anytime and see what we mean when we say our school is equal parts play and work, each equally important.

Sarah was born and raised in Louisville, KY. Growing up in a family of artists inspired her to start her career as a black and white portrait photographer in high school. She graduated from Berea College with a BA in Studio Art and minor in Agriculture and Natural Resources. During her time at Berea she spent a semester in Mexico studying Spanish, Art, and Anthropology followed by a short term in Costa Rica studying Tropical Agro-Forestry. Since college Sarah has worked as a teacher’s assistant, at a local farm, and as a counselor and outdoor environmental education instructor for adjudicated youth. She is very excited to be a part of The New Classical Academy team.

Looking for an amazing place to take your children? The Lake Eden Arts Festival, held twice a year in nearby Black Mountain, is it. The festival has something for everyone: music, poetry, dancing, yoga, canoeing, kids' activities and more. Kate, Kelly, Nikki and Leah go all weekend and several other families from our school go for at least the day. The best part for parents? Kate runs the childcare! For a small fee you can drop your child off for a few hours and go have a dance, or watch a show, as a grown-up. It was one of the few places I ever let my children be baby sat when they were little. So check out www.theleaf.com and be sure to stop by the child care to say hello if you come!

We're off to a great start this year as everyone has been getting to know our new students. This time last year we had 43 enrolled private school students; this year we have 63! Already we have built a nice bamboo structure to shade our red-headed teacher Andy, mummified a chicken as part of our study of Egypt, started a shiitake garden, created slides of mushrooms and other fungi, and done countless crafts as part of our Greek mythology studies. We have also added two very popular "clubs" to our school day: cooking and athletics. The kids can't seem to get enough of sports and food, and who can blame them?