Eagle County school that emphasizes student-driven learning is growing
Vail Valley Unbound, founded 2 years ago, will open new Eagle space to 28 learners in the fall
Vail Valley Unbound/Courtesy photo
Vail Valley Unbound, the nonprofit Eagle County school founded to allow students to direct their own learning, is expanding and moving to Eagle.
Currently in its second year of operation, Vail Valley Unbound will open an Eagle space for 28 learners from kindergarten through third grade in the fall.
Cassie Boca and her husband, Zach, started Vail Valley Unbound two years ago to allow their curious son, then 4, to explore his interests in a self-driven classroom setting.
“If it’s not his idea, he’s not going to do it or be interested in it,” Boca said.
Vail Valley Unbound allows students to direct their learning, based on Acton Academy’s model used by around 300 schools. Students create contracts and rules for their classrooms, called studios, and students as young as 5 engage in Socratic discussions throughout the day.
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“It’s meant for (students) to be able to walk over, pick up something to work on that’s hard work — reading, math, et cetera — and they can work on it themselves and it will self-correct,” Boca said.
Boca’s son, who just turned 6, is learning about coding and robotics in school. “He is coming home every day excited,” Boca said.
Teachers at the school, called guides, provide students with academic and socioemotional support.
“We’re shifting the conversation away from ‘teachers are the source of knowledge,’ to ‘how can we help you find the answer to your question?'” Boca said.
On top of self-paced academics, the school focuses on building communication skills.
“From an academic standpoint, it’s incredible the opportunities they are having, and that they are allowed to go as fast as they want to on certain subjects,” Boca said. “From a social perspective, it’s neat to see how much they love and trust each other.”
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“I really believe that the kids at Unbound are some of the strongest leaders I’ve seen in this age group,” Boca said.
Growing to serve kindergarteners through third graders in new Eagle space
Initially, the Bocas were unsure if other families would be interested in the school and its unconventional learning model.
The school opened in the Edwards Riverwalk in fall 2023 with a head of school, one classroom — the Spark Studio — one guide and 16 students. The students are roughly kindergarten and first-grade aged, though the school focuses more on skills than on ages.
In the Spark Studio, “it’s heavy on play. It’s heavy on socioemotional, self-help skills — all of the things that they’re going to need to move up into the Lower Elementary (studio),” Boca said.
Students in the Spark Studio also do a lot of reading practice, a skill they need to move up into the Lower Elementary Studio, where a lot of their work will depend on the ability to read.
The intention has always been to grow to serve kindergarteners through fifth graders. Next year, the school will open its larger space on Sylvan Lake Road in Eagle, near Vitality and Color Coffee, adding a Lower Elementary Studio to serve students through third grade.
The move to Eagle felt natural, Boca said, as most of the families that make up the school live downvalley in Eagle or Gypsum.
When the opportunity to purchase the new space arose, current families at the school stepped up to fundraise.
“That told us that this isn’t just something that my husband and me and our head of school want and need, but that our entire network wants to see happen,” Boca said.
The new space, double the square footage of the current space, will take in 28 learners across its two studios next year. The school is currently hiring for one more guide to support the increase in students.
“We find that the more adults in the space, the more we want to take over and do things for them, and if we can step back and check ourselves, they take over,” Boca said. “They’re fully capable of doing most of the things that we will naturally step in and do for them.”
The new space will have a dedicated Makerspace with 3D printers and robotics for students to code, create and build, along with a stage on which students will practice public speaking through presenting to peers and leading discussions.
As soon as they announced that the school was moving to Eagle, they started to receive requests for shadow days and tours, Boca said. “The demand has been humbling to see.”
The new space will be open by the start of the next school year.
“Come check us out,” Boca said. “Kids tend to really excel in this learning model … we have a different way of showing progress, and I think our learners are the proof of that.”
Children’s Business Fair will take over Eagle’s Capitol Street in August
The Bocas have been cultivating young, curious minds in Eagle County since before they founded Vail Valley Unbound. Both entrepreneurs, they organized the first Children’s Business Fair in Edwards in summer 2022.
“Our valley is built on small business owners, young entrepreneurs,” Boca said. The Children’s Business Fair is an opportunity for kids to practice their problem solving, business-oriented skills.
This summer’s fair will be the fourth annual. Participants range from age three to young teens.
Past participating businesses have included a bike repair station, a coffee station, a make your own slime station, custom skateboards, tie dye hats and shirts, bookmarks, jewelry, handmade clothes and more.
“We see kids coming back every year,” Boca said. “They look forward to it.”
“It’s such a fun day, seeing the community come out to support these kids and shop their products,” Boca said.
To participate in the fair, kids must fill out an application, answering questions about their business, like where their seed money and products will come from. While kids may receive help from parents to fill out the application’s writing portion, “the thought process, the critical thinking, is all them,” Boca said.
“The hope is that they go through the application process with as little help and intervention from adults as they can,” Boca said.
Applications to participate in the business fair are open and can be found on the Vail Valley Unbound website.
This year’s Children’s Business Fair will shut down Capitol Street in Eagle on Sunday, Aug. 10, from 9 a.m. to noon. Boca expects to see around 100 kid-run businesses.
Boca invited community members to visit the fair and ask the kids questions, spending the time to learn about their work.
“These are the kids that are going to be here long after us, and starting businesses and running the world, so helping them by having those bigger, more meaningful conversations is super important,” Boca said.
