On September 3, 2024, an alternative to traditional schools, Apogee HoCo, is coming to Howard County, Maryland.
Apogee HoCo, is a full-time leadership program for school-age children that focuses on guidance, family empowerment, and the building of lifelong skills. Founder Jason Herrick, emphasized that a primary goal of Apogee is to instruct children to be the best versions of themselves, and to learn to support their families to their best extent.
“Our mission is family first. Nobody can teach you how to be the best husband around, but through the community around you, you can learn.” Herrick said.
Apogee will operate on a schedule similar to that of a traditional school, with sessions running from 9-3pm, Monday through Friday, but will feature daily activities and lessons aimed at fostering healthy habits, a resilient mind, confidence, and critical thinking.
These activities will involve a lot of outdoor time, where students will have the opportunity to learn hard skills like building structures such as a bridge, and participating in other interactive hands-on activities.
Herrick said that one activity that he is looking forward to is the socratic discussions, where children will have the opportunity to share their beliefs, defend their positions, and engage with peers who have different viewpoints. He said that he hopes these discussions will help kids learn how to articulate their ideas and overcome social anxiety.
“Sometimes kids can get scared, nervous or anxious to speak and articulate their thoughts.” Herrick said.
Herrick also said that he hopes these socratic discussions will teach children that there won’t always be a definitive right or wrong answer, nor a singular correct way of thinking.
“Children aren’t going to know what we think or feel. There’s not an answer to be reached. It’s about working on their skills.” Herrick said.
Apogee will also refrain from having a traditional grading system. Instead of giving out grades, students will be provided with feedback from their peers.
Herrick said that while students will be held accountable for their own learning, they can depend on and learn through the feedback of their peers when it comes to their mastery of a subject.
“In the real world you don’t get grades, you get feedback.” Herrick said.
Herrick said that when a student believes they have mastered a subject, another student can assist them in evaluating their understanding based on the projects that the other student completed.
Herrick also said that unlike a traditional school, Apogee will feature a mixed-age learning environment. Herrick said that through a mixed-aged environment, students will realize that the duration of how long it takes to learn a subject doesn’t matter, and that in the real world, growth and evolution are ongoing processes.
“Education doesn’t start at age five and end at age eighteen. Education starts the minute you are born and goes on until you die.” Herrick said.
To instill a thirst for knowledge and to inspire kids to pursue ongoing self-improvement, Apogee will have “Project Themes” throughout the year. Project themes are specific topics that students will focus on for 4-6 weeks and after the theme is complete students will have a break where they can reflect on what they learned with their families.
An example of a project theme is, “Becoming the CEO of Your Life,” where students will be pushed to learn how to take control of their own lives and build healthy habits that will help them achieve their long term goals.
Herrick said, “Becoming the CEO of Your Own Life” is about setting up a trajectory. For students to have that mindset that they are in charge of their own lives.”
Community will also be a big part of Apogee. Herrick said that Apogee plans to have local vendors and business owners come in so that students can be exposed to different occupations. Herrick said that by hosting different individuals with various career paths, students will gain a deeper understanding of their own aspirations and will feel motivated to pursue those aspirations during their free time.
Apogee hopes to inspire students and their parents to think about their future without fixating on a single predetermined goal.
Herrick said, “We want to help parents and students create a game plan. Could be college, could be taking a gap year, going to community college, or learning a trade. We are not a one size fits all, but rather we are here to help students figure out what they want.”
Herrick also said that Apogee will help students secure internships and apprenticeships to prepare them for future careers and to aid them in finding their passions.
Herrick emphasized that the main goals of Apogee are to teach kids how to use skills that they will need for everyday life and how to leverage those skills to continue learning beyond the classroom.
Herrick said, “We will focus on skills that we all need. We all need math and reading skills. But, we want kids to not only know how to read but, we want them to be able to comprehend what they’re reading. Same with science skills. When we want to figure something out, we test our hypothesis. We need to maintain that natural curiosity in children.”
For more information on Apogee HoCo, parents interested in enrollment or individuals considering joining Apogee, such as potential coaches and mentors, can visit the official website at: Apogeehoco.org
This article was written by freelance reporter Michelle Calderon.
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