Meet Our Team
Zach & Rachel Lee
Caney Christian Founders
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Sparta is the home we never knew
we always wanted.
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Both born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, we met after graduating college - Zach with a BA in business and communications, Rachel with a BA in biblical studies. On our first date, we accidentally bumped into over 50 members of Zach's extended family and the rest is history! Before too long, we'd added four kids, a business and a farm.
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In the middle of the chaos of 2020, we traveled to Tennessee for a business conference and fell in love. A place that people still held the door open and looked us in the eyes, where kids were in school and In God We Trust was carved into the County Courthouse felt like a dream. We arrived in Sparta the week before school began Summer 2021 and haven't regretted our move for a moment.
As for school, we'd listened to an intriguing podcast describing Acton Academy, a learner-driven, one-room schoolhouse education. Then came Fall 2020. When there was no definite plan for a return to school, we invited other families - with 22 kids! - to do school together in our barn. To our surprise, our kids thrived - they loved to learn and they learned to lead. As wonderful as the public schools are in White County, we have watched our kids apathy for learning creep back in. We want our kids to love learning, to try new things - even if they fail along the way - and to practice real world skills before they launch into the real world. So that's our hope, for our kids and yours!
Acton Academy
Founded by Jeff & Laura Sandefer in 2011, Acton Academy has grown from the first one-room schoolhouse in Austin, Texas to a network of over 270 schools around the world. Their curriculum emphasizing independent, learner-driven heroes has revolutionized education.
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Caney Christian is an affiliate of Acton Academy.
"Our job is to nurture, not hinder, the natural instincts of children. They are born ready to learn, ready to be a friend, ready to get up after falling down and ready to solve problems. Acton Academy is an invitation to a real life Hero's journey. The courage to say yes to the journey is the starting point for each child and parent."
Laura Sandefer, Courage To Grow