I'm Jackie, founder of Arete Academy. I am a Montessori-trained guide with five beautiful children who inspired me to open a new kind of school. When I became a mother, I wanted something different for my children. I didn't want them sitting at a desk for twelve years only to have them graduate with a mediocre education and little direction. I wanted them to be excited about learning new things. I wanted them to cultivate a life filled with purpose. I wanted them to grow up understanding that freedom comes with responsibility. I wanted the freedom we had with homeschooling, but also wanted my children to experience the collaboration and teamwork you can only get with a peer group. A school that let my children experience this freedom to learn didn't exist, so we had to create it.

We began our journey in 2008 with a small Montessori program we ran out of our living room. As my children grew, so did the ages of the children we accepted into our program. We went from a part-time to a full-time program in 2014, with 30 children in our living room all learning together five days a week. We began each morning with a meeting to discuss what everyone had planned for the day. Inspired by Montessori's philosophy, the children set their own goals and worked for a full, uninterrupted 3 hours. I was there providing guidance and helping them find resources to learn anything they wanted or were curious about. They made amazing progress with little redirection.

While they were learning, I was learning that all children are truly capable of taking control of their own education and future with the right kind of atmosphere and guidance. In February 2017, we decided we had outgrown our living room and opened our first campus in Chesapeake, VA. And in 2020, we opened a second location in Virginia Beach, VA. We now serve over 100 students K-12 in the Hampton Roads area.

Our graduates leave Arete Academy with more than knowledge- they leave with the ability to lead themselves, great memories, and life-long friends. They know how to set goals, manage their time, follow through on commitments, and adapt when things don’t go as planned. They’re comfortable speaking up, working with others, and figuring things out without waiting to be told what to do. Whether they choose college, a trade, entrepreneurship, the military, or another path, they step into their next chapter with confidence, a strong work ethic, and a sense of responsibility.