Acton Academy Palm Harbor

"My 8th grader attends Acton Academy Palm Harbor. When my child requested a different school situation after trying to make tradition public middle school work, and I learned about Kristy and Acton...I was so relieved to have found something I felt would finally fit my unique kiddo. At Acton, their unique gifts are seen as valuable to their community. They receive so much time to hone and develop what they are passionate about. The outside-of-school benefits are immeasurable. My child went from being depressed, having a lot of stomach issues centered around their feelings about school, trouble sleeping, moodiness, and an overall feeling of apathy towards their peers and teachers TO a child who was happy, excited to go to school, and the best part is how much more engaged they are at home and when we are in our community. Learning experiences like the Business Fair, helping in the food pantry, and making decisions through consensus and debate as a community have allowed them to start finding their voice and learning where they want to use it in the world. That is a priceless lesson to learn."

"My daughter had an opportunity to participate in the Acton Academy Children's Business Fair recently and it proved to be a wonderful real-world experience for her in business management. The entire project exercised her critical thinking skills, from planning what type of business she wanted to present, the products she was going to sell, calculating expenses and profit, determining product presentation, to developing her customer service skills. She's already looking forward to participating in the next business fair! Many thanks to Kristy Moody, Co-Founder of Acton Academy Palm Harbor, for organizing this one-of-a-kind event. After just one conversation with Kristy, you truly understand how passionate she is about giving every child an opportunity to be successful in life with Acton Academy's innovative approach to learning."

"Acton Academy's approach to learning is unique and effective in guiding children to become life-long learners. Just as in real life, students are encouraged to explore possibilities and learn from their mistakes in a safe space like the Children's Business Fair. It was a pleasure to watch my 8-year-old son take ownership and responsibility for his learning as he developed a business plan, set prices, calculated profit, designed business cards, and created signs to sell his product. At the same time, he was having so much fun that he didn't even realize all of the lessons he was learning would set him up for success in the future! I wish I had grown up having experiences like this. Kristy Moody is a very genuine and personable leader. She is hardworking and an excellent communicator both with children and adults. Even during demanding and probably stressful situations like hosting a business fair, she remained calm, positive, and balanced. Thanks for such a wonderfully rich event! My son is already looking forward to the next Children's Business Fair."

"My children participated in the Acton Academy’s Childrens’ Fair on April 30th. This was our first time participating in this event and it provided them real life experiences on how to run a business. They created a product, determined a marketing approach, and it was fun watching them provide customer service during each transaction. One could tell how proud they were of their products. We definitely want to participate in future events! I was impressed with Kristi Moody, owner of Palm Harbor Acton Academy, as she had much of the heavy lifting to make this business fair a success. Kristi is personable, calm under pressure, organized, and provided positive motivation to the children that participated in the fair. Kristi is a great role model for kids and I am sure that the Acton Academy will be a great success."

"It is so refreshing to be involved with a school that teaches kids real-world life skills in addition to academics! It is an experience you rarely see in a traditional school. Most recently, my kids participated in Acton’s Children’s Business fair where they learned to come up with an idea, create a business plan, market, calculate profit margins, accurately price, manage money and experience customer service, at 12 years old….and they can’t wait to do it again!!! Great experience!!!"