See how we're transforming young people's lives each day at Acera.
At Acera, students embrace complex challenges, using their curiosity, their willingness to try a new approach, and their ability to keep at it if the approach isn’t successful. This is how we foster the scientists, innovators, and leaders of tomorrow! View our online gallery of student work.
Neuroscientists from UMass Boston Neuro Express spent the day at Acera, giving students an up close, hands-on look at neuroanatomy, action potential, and neuroplasticity.
At Acera, teachers “pitch” their electives to students, offering kids a variety of classes in art/tech/engineering, humanities & social sciences, and natural sciences & math.
At Acera, we don’t “do” math, we “play” math! Our teachers strive to make math joyful, engaging and fun. Watch as students in Ms. Jamie’s math class use geometry to design and plan a city.
Inquiry, Maker & Passion (IMP) Projects provide students with the freedom to generate their own projects and experiment with different essential skills. At the same time, mentors provide the scaffolding it takes for students to not get lost in possibility, stay productive, and actualize their goals. Twice a year, the Acera community comes together to celebrate student accomplishments at the IMPposium.
Students in Mr. Jonathan’s Engineering Rockets Creativity Station launched their rockets – equipped with parachutes for a softer landing – on the playground.
From small scale remote controlled balsa wood boats to 16 feet long sailboats, Acera’s boat building curriculum – created and led by Josh Briggs – provides students with deep STEM learning, experience working with hand and power tools, and the joy of a real water launch.
Students in Ms. Alexis’s physics class learn how to use free-body diagrams to solve force equations.
Freedom, constraints, and purpose: Acera’s Visual Arts Specialist Teacher Camila García Enríquez shares her philosophy and approach to teaching art.
At Acera, Wednesdays are for creativity! Students choose from a variety of STEAM-based electives that run on Wednesdays for a full trimester. Three times a year, we host a culminating event – our popular Museum Walk – where kids can share what they’ve coded, designed, written, and made.
Science at Acera is hands-on and a LOT of fun! Watch as Physics Specialist Teacher Alexis Hibbler uses balloons to help students calculate velocity and acceleration.
What if math class was a place where kids’ problem solving and deep thinking skills could come alive, and a place where they grow in their confidence and adaptability? At Acera, math classes are organized by what each student is ready to learn, rather than by age or grade. In the 2022-23 school year, this translated to 16 different math classes for 143 students. Take a tour of the many different strategies and activities happening during Acera’s math block!
Acera students learn how to design and program their own arcade games, blending creativity and technology while developing their programming skills.
Watch how the classroom theme of paper inspired Acera’s youngest learners to launch a school-wide community project!
Inquiry, Maker & Passion (IMP) Projects are student favorites at Acera. The opportunity to choose something they are passionate about, work with mentors and content coaches, and showcase their work at the IMPposium is an engaging and effective way to foster creativity, problem-solving, and time management skills.