Thrive: The Foundation
Thrive Foundation sustains and advances Thrive Academy. As a state-legislated school, Thrive Academy is eligible for state funding, but the money it receives for educating, housing and caring for nearly 200 students is not enough. The Thrive Foundation raises money to make up the difference, supporting operations and capital improvements so the academy can devote itself to its important mission - giving children who have selected Thrive Academy the chance to use what they learn to do big things.
Thrive: The School
Back in 2010, a teacher named Sarah Broome decided that “giving kids a chance to succeed” must be more than just idle talk. So she opened Thrive Academy in a small building to serve students for whom traditional schooling wasn’t the best fit and who could benefit from the added life lessons of a boarding school. Thrive’s students don’t just study hard in school; they live there too.
Sarah dreamed. Thrive grew. She raised millions and received state financial help to build a campus for Thrive, where nearly 200 students—seventh graders to high school seniors—now learn and live in safety during the week, heading home only on the weekends.
The first five graduating classes of Thrive Academy’s Bulldogs are already building brighter futures for themselves, thanks to all they learned from their teachers-- and each other-- in the educational environment that Thrive provided.
Bria and Reinzel dreamt of a life without parents watching over them—not an uncommon fantasy among teens everywhere. But when Bria and Reinzel moved from their homes to Thrive Academy, a boarding school, they hadn’t yet thought through to end of that dream.
At Thrive, they have chores. Both were surprised to find that they like some of them. Reinzel says he doesn’t mind washing dishes or even cleaning bathrooms.
Learning how to care for themselves and the students who share their dorm will help them live better lives when they graduate from Thrive in four years. In the classroom, Bria likes math. So does Reinzel, but he has also taken to the sciences where he finds himself excited by new ideas and discoveries.
“GMOs,” he offers as an example of something he’s learning about. “Genetically modified foods. They serve it in the cafeteria. I’m not going to eat it.”
Thrive provides students a chance to try new things after the school day has ended. Bria is a member of the dance team. Reinzel plays tackle and tight end on the football squad.
The two share an enticing goal: like teens across the United States, both want to play sports at the next level. Of course, there’s much more to these two than their athletic ambitions. Bria and Reinzel are discovering this about themselves at Thrive.
Everything they’re learning at the boarding school—lessons in the classrooms, in the dorm rooms, in the larger community of students with whom they make their home—will prepare them for meaningful work and richer lives. Whether they’ve thought that far ahead yet or not, that’s what awaits them at the end of their dream.
