Summer camp focuses on one-on-one learning
Fusion Academy is more than a private school with a summer program. It’s a community of students and teachers who value one-on-one learning whether that’s a yoga class, art history, math or computer programming. Classes are self-paced and presented to students in ways that enhance their interest and focus on their strengths.
“We’re able to customize the learning experience for students who are looking to accelerate or remediate,” Marisha Dixon, director of admissions and outreach said in an email.
She added that the one-onone model is important for prospective campers to consider when looking at Fusion Academy, but that families should know students still have plenty of time to socialize.
“We have a variety of opportunities for students and families to be involved in social activities as well,” Dixon said. “From campus clubs that are student led, to field trips that can be social, community service or educational in nature, there’s plenty of options to get to know your peers at Fusion.”
Staff at Fusion Academy, both working in the year-round and summer programs, want students to be prepared to flourish on their own terms, no matter what their post-graduation goals are. As such, Fusion offers classes that are transferable and can open opportunities to scholarships, loans and military opportunities.
Fusion Academy was started in 1989 by Michelle Rose Gilman, a special education teacher, who was frustrated with the model for education at the time. Gilman first started working one-on-one with students as a professional tutor and mentor, but she realized that they needed more — an actual school, but one that was less traditional and catered to individual students’ needs.
All classes at Fusion have one student and one teacher, which allows the school to customize curriculum and schedule around a family’s summer plans whether that’s a vacation or a child who enjoys sleeping in. The summer program offers a variety of classes for students who want to catch up, get ahead or try something new.
“We see a myriad of students at Fusion … We don’t have a specific profile,” Dixon said. “Fusion is the place for students who found that the traditional school model just didn’t work for them.”
Fusion Academy has six locations in the Bay Area including one in Marin, Palo Alto and San Francisco.