Imagine that you want your robot to perform a series of tasks. You must analyze the tasks so that you can plan your robot’s movements and you must design the code that will have your robot do what you want. You must then test your code, perhaps in a simulation, and you must revise it depending on the outcome. Our robotics and coding curriculum gives students a solid head start in the sophisticated problem solving skills that are becoming increasingly relevant in our society.

Mt. Helix Academy annual musical performances are exceptionally entertaining. We’ve done Seussical the Musical, Annie, Annie Get Your Gun, and several other stage classics. All students are invited to participate in the production and a large percentage of them get involved. Ultimately, the combined and cooperative effort over an extended period of time by virtually the entire school that is necessary to produce a professional-level performance is the genuine educational benefit of our musicals.

Reading is a passport to experiences and a source of knowledge you probably couldn’t otherwise get. Reading is a source of enjoyment you might not otherwise feel. Reading is mind expanding and students at Mt. Helix Academy have these opportunities as early in their lives as possible. And, they’re really proud of their emerging skills. By the end of Kindergarten, all our students have just about completed the process of learning to read, so they are poised to learn from reading.

Kids want friends and most of them end up having friends. Some don’t and, of those that do, their friends come and go. It isn’t easy to have lasting friends. Interests change as do schools and home addresses. Still, it’s possible to teach students to be friendly and that will help to ensure many friends and quality friendships that last. Mt. Helix Academy is unique in that we actively teach our students to be friendly.

Every year, Mt. Helix Academy’s visual arts teacher, Stephanie Bedwell, proves that visual arts skills can be taught. A successful artist in her own right, Ms. Bedwell subscribes to the idea that systematic teaching of essential tool skills permits students to implement their ideas successfully. The best place to see the results of our visual arts program is on Artsonia , the online visual arts museum for school kids.

Language, reading, and math skills are critical for academic development and for success in our society more generally.  That’s why we teach these fundamental skills in small classes.  Actually, it’s fair to say that our classes are very small, often no more than five or six students. It’s essential that the teacher know which child needs more, which child is placed just right, and which child can be advanced. Our students deserve it.