Keystone Successfully “Buys the Farm,” ending first-ever capital campaign

Keystone Adventure School and Farm is thrilled to announce that they have completed their first-ever capital campaign to “Buy the Farm!” 

John Duhon, co-founder and co-director, said it has always been part of the dream for Keystone to one day own and sustain the school’s 15-acres. “The purchase of the property makes Keystone whole,” he said, “ensuring pathways for the school to go forward as a strong, non-profit entity.” 

Over the last 17 years, hundreds of children have fallen in love with our pasture full of animals, pond full of fish, creek full of all kinds of things, nature trails, trees to climb, and room to explore and play. Duhon said that initially, one of the founding families bought the property and sustained Keystone in the first few years, but for the last 10 years, Keystone has paid its own bills, including rent and campus maintenance, demonstrating its stability.

So in January 2019, with the full support of our Board of Directors, community non-profit leaders, and key long-term benefactors, George and Nancy Records, we launched the first-ever Keystone Capital Campaign, “Buy the Farm!” The primary funds were raised in only six months, with progress slowed only by the pandemic and logistics.

“Every day, as we walk this amazing campus, we are reminded how important this location is, not only for its expansive room to roam, but also as part of our educational program,” said Jenny Dunning, co-founder and co-director. “Now that the school is the owner of the property, it ensures this place for the now and future children of Keystone to work, learn, and play as they share the magic of childhood with us.”

Keystone is an accredited preschool and elementary school for children from three years old through fifth grade. The focus is on whole-child learning and individualized education, while giving kids many opportunities for play and learning on their working farm and 15-acre campus. 

Keystone believes all children are capable learners when the environment engages their curiosity, when teachers and peers demonstrate care for them, and when they are learning at an appropriate developmental level. At Keystone, whole child instruction is facilitated at individually appropriate levels, rather than by standardized testing. Keystone also offers a summer program called Summer on the Farm. 

Celebrate "Buy the Farm" with a new Keystone t-shirt or hoodie! 

Keystone Tours Now Available

Tours for all grades (preschool - 5th grade) for the UPCOMING (2022-2023) school year: CLICK HERE

Note: we do not currently have availability in any classes in 3-year-old Preschool - 5th Grade. If you'd like to be added to the waitlist, please fill out an application HERE. 

BACK TO THE FARM

Walls? Where we're going, we don't need walls!

Time travel is a delicate and mysterious thing. Many scientists and dreamers have searched for ways to break the time continuum and either go back in time, or jump into the future. There are always those who find ways to travel in time like musicians, artists, fishers, storytellers, and daydreamers who transport themselves and others out of time to a place of timeless imaginings.

Think back to your never-ending dog days of summer. Hours expanded into endless days until you got hungry, or the sun began to set. We were able to get lost in our play, our own wonderings and wanderings; beautifully lost in time. It seems to us that the secret of time travel has been in front of us all along. It resides and flourishes in the hearts and minds of children. At Keystone, we journey next to them as they wonder and wander, partnering on the greatest adventures imaginable, getting lost in time with the greatest guides in the galaxy. We join them every day as they follow that spark of curiosity towards the unknown, the indefinable, the challenge to solve problems, think bigger, deeper, wider. By sliding into childhood with them, meeting them where they are, we are able to slow time down; traveling through time by stopping time. While it may be true that “Time Marches on,” and that “Time waits for no man,” at Keystone, we know time waits for a child who marches to the beat of a different drummer.

For the past year and a half, time has marched on. Covid brings challenges for all of us, but especially for safely educating our children. The Delta variant adds a current challenge to a field that is dynamic and unpredictable. As always, know that we are committed to keeping your kids safe, and also keeping them at school. We will continue to follow the science, and we are confident that the best place for kids during the day is at Keystone. You know that Keystone’s foundation is built on the power and importance of social and emotional learning. From there, all things grow on each child’s internal timetable building towards whole child success. We have put multiple measures in place that allow us to safely continue to attend in person. Our gift of a campus provides outstanding space, fresh air, and endless outdoor classrooms that help us mitigate spread within our small and friendly community. 

In the meantime, welcome BACK TO THE FARM, where we don’t need walls for school, where the dog days of summer linger, and the imaginings never end. We can’t wait to see you!

It’s about time! Let The Adventure Begin!