Our Question of the year was “What is a Hero’s Journey” as the Hero’s Journey is at the core of what Acton Believes in. Each of us- Guides, Learners, Everyone is on our own Hero’s Journey.
The Hero’s Journey is a predictable storyline- a character starts in The Ordinary World, has a Call to Adventure, and Enters the Unknown. There they meet with a mentor. After an Initiation and transformation with Aliases and Helpers, they enter a Road of Trials where they come to a Final Show Down. Act 3 is The Return home (be careful!) and the return to the familiar, Having Changed.
I chose to write our school’s story of how it came to be with the Hero’s Journey Formula:
Once upon a time, there was a woman named Cydney who cared deeply for her family and always sought the best for them. However, she felt that the traditional educational environments did not meet her children's needs. She tried Montessori, Nature Schools, Home Schooling, and Public Schools, but none of them seemed quite right. Determined to find the perfect education for her children, Cydney embarked on a quest that led her to discover Acton Academy.
Acton Academy, with 300 affiliates worldwide, offered the education Cydney had always wished for. She learned that Acton believed Entrepreneurs made excellent owners for new Acton schools. After a rigorous process, Cydney obtained approval to open her own Acton Academy. Despite the challenges along the way, Big Sky, an Acton Academy, welcomed its first learners on January 10th, 2022, starting with just a few students.
Now, in our second year, we anticipate three times the number of learners compared to our initial enrollment. We have expanded from a single studio to two, with a SPARK (3-6) and a Discovery (7-12) studio. Our plans include following our oldest learners through high school and continuing our growth, ultimately establishing our own campus on nearby acreage. We firmly believe that every child is a genius deserving of finding their true calling, and our mission is to nurture their curiosity and preserve their interests.
Big Sky, an Acton Academy is located at 706 N 14th St, Fort Calhoun, NE 68023.
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Hi, my name is Cydney, and I am the Owner and Head of School at Big Sky, an Acton Academy. My journey began almost 10 years ago when I became a mother, and it was further shaped by the challenges of the Covid pandemic. As I searched for the right educational model for our family, I discovered Acton. Instantly, I knew that this was the kind of education I had always wished for and wanted for my children. Being an entrepreneur, coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I embarked on the Application Process to become an Owner, finding a new sense of purpose after struggling for years to define my identity within motherhood.
Before becoming a mother, I competed internationally in horseback riding and even earned a Team Gold in the World Cup competition held in South Africa in 2005. Horses were my world, and I worked as a professional trainer for both horses and their owners preparing for similar competitions. However, after becoming a mother, I transitioned into the family business of the restaurant industry. Today, I own a restaurant within the Douglas County Courthouse. I also live on an acreage, sharing my home with retired Arabian and Saddlebred horses, Dexter Cattle, Karakachan Guardian Dogs, a mix of Barnyard Chickens and Guineas, rescued Barn kitties, and, of course, my loving family. My supportive husband Bryan, our oldest son Colt, middle son Camden, and youngest daughter Cecelia. We are passionate about sports and can often be found at school or attending a ball game or practice. One day, I hope to be able to compete in horseback riding once again.
Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide. As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses. As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students five times voted him the school’s Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America.
Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.
Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school’s governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City.
Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.
Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.
Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious."
Begin a Hero’s Journey,
Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery.
Become a curious, independent, life-long learner.
Embrace the forging of a strong character.
Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life.
Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way;
We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
We believe in a closely connected family of life-long learners.
We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
