Our Story
At Envision Academy, we believe that each student is unique and their education should reflect that. Our aim is to help each student excel at the skills they need to succeed. We recognize that the journey to excellence will not look the same for everyone. This will be achieved through having two teachers in each classroom, preparing individual education plans for each student, and cultivating the mindset that each person’s uniqueness should be celebrated.
Envision Academy will be as unique as our students. Our educational approach will provide students opportunities to pursue their interests, take students out of their classrooms into nature and on field trips, foster situations that encourage collaboration and critical thinking, and celebrate the strengths of each individual. We will continually evaluate our methods to ensure innovation, consistency, and growth.
Envision Academy is located in North Omaha. We seek to provide an option for students who live in this neighborhood. Our goal is to empower our students to become independent thinkers, confident collaborators, and life-long learners who are in pursuit of their God-given purpose.
Christin Ones
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Envision Academy has been a long time in the making. I have been a teacher for 19 years. In May of 2011, I was confident and comfortable in my teaching and in life but felt ready for a change. At the end of August, I was invited to participate in a leadership class at my church. One of our first big assignments was to come up with a God-sized dream. No ideas came to mind right away, but soon I would find an answer.
One day in September, we had an emergency meeting after school. A mother in our community had been killed, the mom of one of my students. He found her when he woke up. A few days later, I attended her funeral and my student kept turning around and waving at me. As I waved back, thoughts were circling, “How can I make a true difference in this little guy’s life? What can I do, as a teacher, that will make a lasting impact? Does what I’m doing even matter?”
Shortly after the funeral, I met with a friend for coffee. I was venting to her those continually circling thoughts when she asked me a question that immediately planted a seed within my mind: “What if you started a school?” In a moment, I felt it down in my soul: this was the answer.
After much time spent asking questions, researching, and brainstorming, I came to a decision. In the spring of 2018, I chose to quit teaching in my own classroom in order to dedicate more time to building Envision Academy.
In February of 2020, Envision Academy was incorporated and had its first board meeting. We are diligently working to prepare Envision Academy for our students. Soon Envision Academy will open and begin impacting students and their families. Now we are working hard to raise support, make connections, and expand our Board. Envision Academy needs partners who can invest their time, strengths, and resources into building a school designed for all students.
Check out my blog to learn more about this journey of starting Envision Academy.