Santa Rosa Beach’s Technology Engineering Science Leadership Academy, otherwise known as TESLA, is more like a think tank than a school.
Founded by Randy and Amy Hollinger, TESLA’s mission is to stay ahead of the educational curve.
“It’s 21st Century learning,” said Amy, the school’s director. “Both Randy and I … we’re those out-of-the-box thinkers.”
The school opened more than a year ago with 15 students and has since grown to 33 students, ranging in age from second grade to high school. But despite its small size, TESLA students are making an impact in the world by way of scientific exploration.
One project the students have taken on is the raising of rare Mexican Axolotls, a type of salamander native to Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City. These water-dwelling salamanders are listed as endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. According to the students, the decline of Axolotls began when the freshwater lake was stocked with fish. The water was then partially drained to make the fish an easier catch.
But the students at TESLA are breeding their own population to increase the numbers.
Alex Kilpatrick, 10, Ellee Ruder, 12, Julia Brown, 9, and Cooper Moore, 10, showed off their Axolotls, of which they have a handful of babies, one large male, and two females.
According to the students, the Axolotls are special creatures, with fern-like gills and the ability to regenerate.
“They can even regenerate heart tissue,” said Ellee.
But the salamanders are just one part of the scientifically focused curriculum at TESLA. The students are also creating a Tesla coil using household and hardware store items. The school has one already, which they ordered and assembled.
Sophia Dauzat, Moore, and Sarah Kate Paine have been central to the development of their own transformer. The Tesla coil that they assembled converts the 120 volts it takes from the electrical socket to 125,000 volts, and it can light up a fluorescent bulb without even touching it.
Randy then challenged the students to recreate the electrical transformer on a larger scale, using their own ingenuity rather than an assembly manual.
Sophia and Cooper have spearheaded the effort to create one from scratch, and though it isn’t ready to be put to use just yet, it will be impossible to miss once it is turned on.
The Tesla coil was invented by Nikola Tesla, an apprentice to Thomas Edison. Though Tesla’s invention was ground breaking, it was not widely used because it emits an extremely loud noise and a blinding light. Edison’s direct current later trumped Tesla’s alternating current to become the standard for electricity.
Just be careful not to mention the man who gets the most credit with the creation of electricity.
“You don’t want to be known as an Edison,” said Sarah Kate, smiling.
Before coming to the area and opening TESLA, Randy and Amy were at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville. They came to the area to briefly work with homeschooled kids, but after the parents’ urging, they decided to stay and open their own school.
And the parents and the students are responding positively to the innovative learning environment in which the students work at their own speed. The curriculum is project based, focusing on collaborative, hands-on learning that relates to real life. Traditional lessons, like math, are taught via online classrooms, allowing the students to advance as quickly as they can.
“It’s very independent,” said 10-year-old Sarah Kate. “You have to be responsible enough to know it’s time to work. “
The school goes year-round, but students can decide for themselves whether they want to attend summer session or not. The next session begins June 4 and will run through the 29th. Another session will be July 16-Aug. 3.
Visit teslalearning.com, email amyh@teslalearning.com or call 830-7939 for more information.
Founded by Randy and Amy Hollinger, TESLA’s mission is to stay ahead of the educational curve.
“It’s 21st Century learning,” said Amy, the school’s director. “Both Randy and I … we’re those out-of-the-box thinkers.”
The school opened more than a year ago with 15 students and has since grown to 33 students, ranging in age from second grade to high school. But despite its small size, TESLA students are making an impact in the world by way of scientific exploration.
One project the students have taken on is the raising of rare Mexican Axolotls, a type of salamander native to Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City. These water-dwelling salamanders are listed as endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. According to the students, the decline of Axolotls began when the freshwater lake was stocked with fish. The water was then partially drained to make the fish an easier catch.
But the students at TESLA are breeding their own population to increase the numbers.
Alex Kilpatrick, 10, Ellee Ruder, 12, Julia Brown, 9, and Cooper Moore, 10, showed off their Axolotls, of which they have a handful of babies, one large male, and two females.
According to the students, the Axolotls are special creatures, with fern-like gills and the ability to regenerate.
“They can even regenerate heart tissue,” said Ellee.
But the salamanders are just one part of the scientifically focused curriculum at TESLA. The students are also creating a Tesla coil using household and hardware store items. The school has one already, which they ordered and assembled.
Sophia Dauzat, Moore, and Sarah Kate Paine have been central to the development of their own transformer. The Tesla coil that they assembled converts the 120 volts it takes from the electrical socket to 125,000 volts, and it can light up a fluorescent bulb without even touching it.
Randy then challenged the students to recreate the electrical transformer on a larger scale, using their own ingenuity rather than an assembly manual.
Sophia and Cooper have spearheaded the effort to create one from scratch, and though it isn’t ready to be put to use just yet, it will be impossible to miss once it is turned on.
The Tesla coil was invented by Nikola Tesla, an apprentice to Thomas Edison. Though Tesla’s invention was ground breaking, it was not widely used because it emits an extremely loud noise and a blinding light. Edison’s direct current later trumped Tesla’s alternating current to become the standard for electricity.
Just be careful not to mention the man who gets the most credit with the creation of electricity.
“You don’t want to be known as an Edison,” said Sarah Kate, smiling.
Before coming to the area and opening TESLA, Randy and Amy were at the P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School in Gainesville. They came to the area to briefly work with homeschooled kids, but after the parents’ urging, they decided to stay and open their own school.
And the parents and the students are responding positively to the innovative learning environment in which the students work at their own speed. The curriculum is project based, focusing on collaborative, hands-on learning that relates to real life. Traditional lessons, like math, are taught via online classrooms, allowing the students to advance as quickly as they can.
“It’s very independent,” said 10-year-old Sarah Kate. “You have to be responsible enough to know it’s time to work. “
The school goes year-round, but students can decide for themselves whether they want to attend summer session or not. The next session begins June 4 and will run through the 29th. Another session will be July 16-Aug. 3.
Visit teslalearning.com, email amyh@teslalearning.com or call 830-7939 for more information.
