Celebrating New Learners, Lip Dub Prep, and Hero’s Journey Challenges (Session 1, Week 1)

Introduction

Hello, Parents of Journey Studio! Welcome to our very first Journey Studio newsletter of the year at Acton Academy Bergen County. The first week of the year is always full of excitement and discovery—and this year was no exception!

New Learners and Graduates

This year, Journey Studio proudly celebrated learners who have graduated to the Launchpad Studio: Zohar, Aya, and Ashi—congratulations on reaching the next step of your Hero’s Journey!

We also welcomed many new learners who moved up from Discovery Studio: Lukas, Logan, Ozrik, Yair, Paloma, Kalina, Avigail, Ella, and Cora. Congratulations to each of you on moving forward in your learner-driven education journey. With these additions, Journey Studio is now at its largest yet, with 21 learners. Excitingly, this is also the first year where every Journey learner had already been part of AABC the year before!

Quest and Genre

We kicked off the year with Tribe Quest, which includes creating the Journey Studio contract and preparing for the annual Lip Dub—a beloved Acton Academy tradition. This year’s Lip Dub will showcase a learner’s progress through the studios and highlight the Hero’s Journey. Learners have already chosen roles, developed plans, and begun preparations.

In Genre Writing, learners started with the creation of traditional hero boards. This included engaging challenges such as:

• The Three Monsters: Resistance, Distraction, and Victimhood. Learners reflected on which “monster” they struggled with most and brainstormed strategies to overcome it.

• Hero Ranking: Learners listed five heroes, force-ranked their top three, and reflected on the traits or actions that made those people heroic.

These exercises not only strengthen writing skills but also deepen understanding of character, resilience, and growth along the Hero’s Journey.

Closing

It’s been an inspiring first week for Journey Studio at Acton Academy. With new learners joining, creative traditions like the Lip Dub underway, and meaningful Hero’s Journey reflections, we are excited for the incredible growth and adventures this year will bring!

Ready to learn more? Apply to join our learner-driven community.

Located in Closter, NJ, Acton Academy Bergen County offers an immersive, studio-based learning experience.

Learn about our learner-driven approach and how we guide real-world growth through mastery-based education.