“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9
Alyssa Verdi, Ascend’s founder is a former public school teacher and mother to three children of her own. Alyssa holds a Master’s of Education K-12 degree and is passionate about providing an alternative to traditional education in order to serve the local communities.
Once it was time for their son to go to preschool, the Verdi family began to research their options. They researched and visited several schools in the area, but when they stumbled upon a Montessori-based program, they were hooked. Driving 2 hours a day back and forth to bring their son to their Pre-K program was worth it. They were extremely pleased with the Montessori method.
Being a former public school teacher, Alyssa had become more and more disheartened by the traditional school system. She didn’t want her kids to just be “fine”. She wanted them to thrive, and to be seen as capable individuals with unique strengths. She wanted to them to feel empowered as well as understand that education is a journey, and that failure is part of the process. More importantly, she wanted her children to feel comfortable praying at school and expressing their love and need for God.
As their son approached Kindergarten age, the lack of choices in the area plagued her. She starting looking into what it would take to start her own Christian Montessori-based school, and stumbled upon Acton Academy. She quickly fell in love with the methods and mission. Desiring something different for their family and community, the Verdis decided to open their own Acton Academy in the Milford, PA area.
“Parenting is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s a lot of pressure when you realize all the choices that have to be made; both big and small. The Lord placed a heavy burden on my heart when it was time for our son to go to school. My husband Rob and I realized there were no options in our area for schooling other than the traditional route; which we had been turned off by more and more over the years. We wanted something different for our kids: An education where they weren’t restricted in their learning environment or judged by what they could or couldn’t do on a test. More importantly, we wanted our kids to be in an environment where they were able to build confidence and courage in becoming who God made them to be.
Our hope is that our studio will provide families in the area with a promising option; an option that will put both parents and their children on a Hero’s Journey. Nothing great comes without sacrifice and sometimes, risk. We fell in love with the idea of a learner-driven community, and I know that other families will, too.” - Alyssa Verdi
