During Session Seven many Eagles are out on apprenticeships; often families choose to travel for all or part of the summer.  The pace in the Middle School and Launchpad studios slows.  Exactly the right time to explore the artist in each of us and the following questions during the Art Quest:

• Are artists born or created?
• Can everyone become an artist or just a gifted few?
• What do all artists, from ancient cave painters to Michelangelo to modern graphic designers all have in common?

In the first part of the Art Quest, Eagles dove deeply into basic drawing skills, from learning how to “see” as an artist; to using pencil to draw hands, feet and faces; to the subtle techniques of shading.

Next Eagles shifted to ink and landscapes, and later the use of color and drawing mythical beasts, as well as using watercolor.

Finally, it was time to move to the business side of art: assembling a body of work; pricing pieces and preparing just the right displays for the exhibition.

Was the Art Quest a success?  Let’s just say that like our earlier New Media Quest, the patrons voting with their pocketbooks certainly seemed to think so.

Acton Academy’s Apprenticeship Quest is one of our most transformational challenges.

The apprenticeship process equips Middle School and Launchpad Eagles to find and secure apprenticeships  with little to no assistance from adults.

Included in the process:

1. Digging deeply into your gifts, activities that bring you joy and deep burning needs in the world to create a prioritized list of apprenticeship possibilities.
2. Writing a compelling introductory email to a business owner you see as a hero or role model, asking for a short phone call to explain the Acton apprenticeship model.
3. Crafting a phone pitch explaining how apprenticeships work, including a promise to show up early, work late and do whatever it takes to add real value, and asking for a chance to meet in person.
4. Creating an in-person pitch, where you ask for a chance to prove yourself.
5. Learning to manage a portfolio of apprenticeship possibilities, just in case your first choice runs into logistical problems.
6. Negotiating a contract with your employer and parents to make sure goals and promises are clear.
7. Having a plan to add value in the first few days and a way to capture the lessons you learn.
8. Following up with thank you letters and a request for a reference letter.

Step by step, Eagles learn to find and land just the right steppingstone job towards a calling – all on their own.

Does it work?

This summer, Eagles landed twenty five apprenticeships —  from a leading role in a feature film to troubleshooting a Calculus course for Khan Academy, to working at an airplane parts manufacturer to working for a cooking school —  each Eagle took one step closer to finding a calling that will change the world.