The Quest Sep 2010 by Quest Academy

THE QUEST

questacademy.org

For families, alumni & friends of Quest Academy

2018

If you had the chance to read the Alumni News in the Spring 2010 edition of The Quest, you were no doubt impressed by the variety and uniqueness of the depth of study, research topics, and specialized degrees that Quest alumni pursue.

rom Arabic studies to careers in theatre, Quest Academy graduates are on the track headed for amazing futures that will enhance the lives of others in so many ways. They are truly intelligent, selfmotivated, creative, and innovative individuals.

On June 3, 2010, thirty-four young people transitioned from Quest Academy students to Quest Academy alumni. The Quest will soon be reporting the class of 2010’s accomplishments as they continue in their academics, extra-curriculars, and community service projects. In less than a decade, this class will become college graduates of 2018 and most, if not all, will be entering the work force. So, what will 2018 look like? Over the next eight years, the world population is predicted to grow by 600 million reaching 7.3 billion. The United States currently represents 4.5% of the world population. By 2018, we will represent that same 4.5% with the U.S. population growing by 25 million to 335 million. In 2018, many of the early baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) will be looking for parttime post-“retirement” careers to supplement what is likely to be shortfalls in their retirement savings. Along with the babyboomers, there will be an aging population who will be choosing home health care options over nursing homes. This 55 and older age group will experience the largest percentage of growth by 2018 at almost 30%. 16 to 24 year-olds will grow 3.4%, the 35 to 44 age group will remain steady, and the 45 to 54 age group (post babyboomers) will decrease by 4.4%. Also, minorities and immigrants will make up a larger share of the U.S. population with those of Asian and Hispanic origin growing at a faster pace than all other racial and ethnic groups.

Future graduates of Quest Academy will need to be prepared for what the job market will look like when they enter the workforce with undergraduate degrees in hand. Some of the fastest growing occupations come with a median pay of $70,000. In the U.S., biomedical engineering, currently a significantly small percentage of the overall job market, is projected to grow by 72%. A close second is network systems and data communications with anticipated job growth of 53%. The newer field of biomedicine employs 16,000 which is 95% less than network analysts (as of 2008) which employs 292,000. Fields expected to employ hundreds of thousands in 2018 are home health aides and personal & home care aides, however, the median pay is $20,000 with most positions at an hourly wage and without benefits. So, how does Quest Academy prepare students not only for the academic rigor ahead, including being accepted into the colleges and universities of their choice, but for the competitive job market that they will encounter in a few short years? This is where just excelling academically will not suffice. Students will need to be creative and “think outside the box” to make it to the top of the pile of well-qualified and equally impressive resumes. The attributes that will set them apart is what we value at Quest: creativity and individuality. A recent survey of Quest graduates currently in high school overwhelmingly gave Quest high marks when asked if our faculty value, encourage, and accept creativity. More than half of respondents considered themselves creative before enrolling at Quest and believed that their creativity continued to develop while they were a student at Quest. An additional 22% of respondents reported that their creativity further developed at Cont. on page 7

FALL I 2010

IN THIS ISSUE Preparing students for success FALL PROFILE WHO’S WHO Alumni news new faces at quest volunteering

Welcome to Quest Academy Be sure to explore questacademy.org and become familiar with the Parents News & Events section to find current information. Visit teacher pages through the Faculty & Staff Directory, update your contact information in the Family Directory. Bookmark the news page - this is where you will find event information, the school calendar, and the Weekly Quest school newsletter.

Inspiring & Challenging Gifted Children

The Quest - Spring 2010

FALL PROFILE

Meet Emily Pollokoff Class of 2002 “Learning at Quest Academy is a collective, collaborative journey, and the perseverance and dedication of my teachers there inspire my interactions with my own students and colleagues. The Knight’s Pledge is my moral touchstone, and the Quest legacy of responsible, engaged citizenship challenges me to seek goodness and knowledge in every dark corner, and to bring light where I can see none.”

Post-College - Fellow at the Center for Arabic Study Abroad, 2009-2010. I was one of 15 students in Damascus, Syria, out of 50 total students in the program (the rest were in Cairo), and selected from over 160 applicants. It’s a one-year grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education to study Arabic language and literature in Damascus, Syria. While in Syria, I volunteered with the Environment Friends Society to speak with elementary- and middle-school age students from the Syrian countryside about the critical relationships between the environment, cleanliness, and health. I married Elliott Bazzano in December 2009, and he’s a PhD student in Religion at the University of California-Santa Barbara. We’re living in Santa Barbara now, and between looking for a job and working on my graduate school applications (probably for PhD programs that fall somewhere in the Bermuda triangle of historical contact linguistics of Islamic languages, linguistic anthropology, and sociolinguistics), I’m serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Islamic Society of Santa Barbara, trying my hand at herb gardening, and volunteering at a local organic farm. High School: Phillips Academy (Andover, MA), 2006 GPA: 3.7 Honors and Prizes: Cum Laude Society, Honor Roll (12/12 semesters), Music Faculty Department Prize (two years in a row), Poynter Choral Prize (for musicianship and dedication to choral singing), 6th Year French department prize, James Hooper Grew prize (for scholarly excellence and interest in French and Francophone culture), National Merit college-sponsored scholarship AP classes and exams: French Language (5), French Literature (5), European History (5), Chemistry (5), BC Calculus (5), Statistics (4)

The Quest is published for families, alumni, and friends of Quest Academy. It is produced by the Office of Institutional Advancement.

ADDRESS CHANGES Readers who wish to change their mailing address for The Quest, may call Laurie DeSimone at 847.202.8035, extension 461 or send an email to alumni@questacademy.org.

QUEST ACADEMY Head of School Ben Hebebrand Managing Editor Michael Bates Editor and Designer Sharon Rockhill Photography Faculty & Staff Contributing Writer Leslie Kovich

Activities: Academy Chorus (4 years, co-President in last year), Cantata Choir (3 years, President in last year, often led sectional rehearsals), Chapel Quartet (2 years), Voice and Organ lessons, an Independent Project (for credit) during my senior year to study the history of the Theremin, one of the first electronic instruments, Peer Tutoring (3 years), Literary Magazines (co-editor-in-chief of “Hue and Sable,” a fine arts mag, in senior year; freelance/hit-list writer for general literary mag “Backtracks” for last 3 years), Student Government (Dorm rep to local division of student government, recycling chair in last year), Community Service (volunteering at: The Bread & Roses Annual Picnic, The Food Project, Boston’s Walk for Hunger) College: Emory University (Atlanta, GA), B.A. (2009, graduated a year early) Major: Middle Eastern & South Asian Studies Minor: Linguistics GPA: 3.9 Honors and Prizes: Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Sigma Iota (the foreign languages and linguistics national honor society); National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Outstanding Promise in Hindi, 2007; Excellence in Language Studies, Hindi, 2009; Amy Johnson Scholarship for Study Abroad, 2008; Dean’s List 5/6 semesters Activities: Residence Hall Association local council, Sustainability Chair (all years), Transforming Community Project, Community Dialoge, member (Spring ’07), University Chorus, member (Fall ‘06), Emory Early Music Ensemble, member and chamber soloist (recorder) (Fall ’06-Spring ’09), Music Advisory Board, non-major representative (Spring ’08-Spring ’09), Emory Ballroom Club, publicity Cont. on page 5

questacademy.org

ALUMNI NEWS

Laura Paris ’99 I have completed my first year of the Professional French

Department and am currently a lighting electrician. I spent the fall semester of

Masters Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This fall, I will

my junior year in Avignon, France, and I miss being in Europe terribly. When

be starting a six-month internship in the study abroad/international student

I was in Avignon studying abroad I worked in the municipal archives of the

services office of a prestigious business school in Paris.

town. There, I handled French revolution-era documents and catalogued them

jean henegan ’00 is about to enter her third and final year at Seton Hall University School of Law in New Jersey. She recently spent the summer interning in the chambers of the Honorable Verna G. Leath, JSC of the Family

for future researchers. My principle focus of research at the undergraduate level is sports history, specifically international soccer, and I am looking to expand on that at the graduate level.

Court Division in Newark, NJ. She hopes to focus her future legal practice in

Come April 2011 when Gettysburg takes the last of my disposable income

the fields of family and public interest law.

and kicks me out into the real world, I will likely return to my tiny suburb

DANIEL THORNTON-WEYRAUCH ’00 graduated with a double major in Political Science and Asian Languages and Culture from Beloit College in May 2010. He currently is working as a Junior Ranger Ambassador

of Chicago and look for work as a translator, archivist, or statistician for a research team to help pay for graduate study in History. My ten-year plan is to be a professor at a university in the United States.

Program AmeriCorps Intern at Grand Canyon National Park, where he runs

scott firth ’05 attended the baseball College World Series with Clemson

educational programs and develops park literature for young visitors to the

University, they made it to the semi-final round. He also played summer

park. He will be working starting in September as an English as a Second

college baseball for the Swampbats (NECBL) and went 3-1 in his four weeks

Language Intern at the Orme School, a boarding high school in Arizona,

there. He pitched and won the first playoff game.

where he will mentor international students from China and assist with ESL classes.

wILLIAM THORNTON-WEYRAUCH ’06 is starting at University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall as a biomedical engineering major and worked

Craig stubing ’02 is going to Taiwan and China for two and a half

this summer as a camp counselor at YMCA Camp Manito-wish in Boulder

weeks to work on a new documentary. This segment is going to focus on the

Junction, Wisconsin.

complex economic relationship between the US, China, and Taiwan.

connor firth ’07 and his band, The Aftershow, have been performing

chARLES ZANGE ‘03 I spent one year of high school at Elgin Academy

at places like Durty Nellies in Palatine and Penny Road Pub in South

in Elgin, Illinois. I then enrolled into the Illinois Mathematics and Science

Barrington.

Academy (IMSA) where I studied for three years. My principal extra-curricular activities there were soccer and volleyball. I enjoyed my History and French classes the most, however, as I never really liked working in science labs. After successfully dodging Advanced Chemistry and every Physics class they

Austin McKee ’09 left for Taipei, Taiwan August 23rd. He is living with his (first) host family, the Chens. Austin will be home by the end of June 2011. Austin is attending a local (Chinese-speaking) vocational high school, and continuing his Chinese language studies.

could throw at me by exploiting a few loopholes in the academic system, Pennsylvania. I have taken on two majors, History and French, as well as a minor in Economics. Now a senior, I work part-time on campus in the Theatre

We’d love to hear from all alumni and their parents! Please drop us a note to let us know where you are and what you are doing. Email us at alumni@questacademy.org

Current Family Participation 80

We are please to announce the 2010-11 Quest Academy Annual Fund Leadership:

•

William Markey, Trustee, Development Committee Chair

•

Lorelei and Jeff Petrin: Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten Chair Couple

•

Ritu Piplani and Shailu Verma: Lower School Chair Couple

•

Marla Mogul and Harry Jaffe: Middle School Chair Couple

•

Eric Simon, Bernice Lau: Faculty/Staff Co-Chairs

•

Annie Johnson '99: Alumni Chair

•

Mary Lynn Bernacchi and Jane Hauser: Alumni Parent Co-Chairs

Percent

Annual Fund Leadership

60% 47%

40 30

2008-09

65%

GOAL

I graduated from IMSA and enrolled at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg,

2009-10

2010-11

The Quest - Fall 2010

Quest Academy WHO’S WHO Jeff Ryder

Lisa Kropp

Brenda Jurewicz

Class: PE Teacher & Athletic Director

Class: MS French

Class: Second Grade Raven Classroom

Hometown: Palatine (San Diego, CA)

Hometown: Wheaton

Hometown: Maywood (Newington, CT)

Why I Teach: There is nothing more rewarding than watching a child achieve success at any level.

Why I Teach: I love teaching at Quest because every single person in the building loves to learn and approaches learning in a unique way.

Why I like Quest: I challenge you to find a better place to spend the majority of my waking hours!

Why I like Quest: The students and the teachers are free to express their thoughts and ideas and to be true to themselves every day.

Hobbies & Interests: Sports, sailing, training others.

Why I Teach: Learning and growing are such a dynamic, fascinating part of life. It is exciting and energizing to teach especially with the population here a Quest - children, parents, faculty and staff. Every day contains challenges, triumphs, laughter and angst. It motivates me to learn and grow right along side the students.

Hobbies & Interests: I love to make playlists and share music with other mommies or friends. I love to read mysteries. Even though I haven’t done it in a while due to pregnancy, I LOVE to go biking on the Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail.

Favorite Music: Country. Favorite TV Shows: King of Queens, Seinfeld, The Office, ESPN, National Geographic. Favorite Movies: Shawshank Redemption. Favorite Books: Thriving on Chaos, by Thomas Peters. Favorite Quotation: “It is what it is” About Me: I am an only child and was born in Southern California, where my family still resides. I love the water and outdoor activities. I am a licensed open wheel race car driver.

Favorite Music: Bob Dylan, M.I.A., Nina Simone, the Pixies, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, PJ Harvey, Vampire Weekend, the Killers . . .this list could go on for days. Mostly I have a very eclectic style. I listen to a little bit of everything and I adore strong songwriting. Favorite TV Shows: Mad Men, True Blood, Project Runway, Top Chef Also, any murder mystery show is right up my alley! Favorite Movies: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Gosford Park, The Slums of Beverly Hills, The Big Lebowski to name a few . . . Favorite Books:La Peste (The Plague) by Albert Camus, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Favorite Quotation: "You are precisely as big as what you love and precisely as small as what you allow to annoy you. " Robert Anton Wilson

Admissions Open House Sunday, October 17 1:00-2:30pm

nce Share the Quest experie with your frien ds!

About Me: I see every word I hear or say in my mind’s eye. I tried to learn how to speak Chinese in my car but all I can say is “Where is the bathroom?” and “I don’t speak Chinese.” I love to do Yoga but am the least flexible person on the planet and have permanently injured myself trying to do the downward facing dog correctly just once!

Why I like Quest: I love teaching at Quest because of the amazing community around us. Parents are an amazing resource. I am always amazed at what the parents do for us and what they contribute to our community. What I most love about teaching at Quest is that we are a community, a family. Hobbies & Interests: Reading, knitting, travel, gardening. Favorite Music: 60’s and early 70’s - I wanted to be a hippie when I was growing up. Favorite TV Shows: Can I substitute a favorite radio show? We don’t really watch TV anymore. I listen to “Wait Wait ...Don’t Tell Me!” I was also a Star Trek fan so any of those series fit - I loved Captain Janeway ! Favorite Movies: I don’t really watch many movies these days. Growing up, I loved “The Sound of Music” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” - the one with Leslie Ann Warren and Stuart Damon. Favorite Books: I don’t really have a favorite - I read lots of different kinds of books. Favorite Quotation: ”Live long and prosper.” About Me: We practically live at Quest during the school year so we travel a lot most summers. This summer, our driving trip to Alaska was actually my second time driving there - I worked in a salmon cannery in Cordova, Alaska for a summer while I was in college.

questacademy.org Dean Leff - Band Director

New Faces At Quest Jen Fabsik - MS Language Arts & Social Studies

Shin-Shin Lin - MS Chinese

Julia Braun - Middle School French

Another new year and a few new faces join our faculty and staff this year. Julia Braun is the long term substitute for Mme. Kropp, teaching middle school French. Dean Leff has joined us as our Band Director. Shin-Shin Lin will be teaching middle school Chinese and assisting in lower school classrooms Jen Fabsik is a familiar face at Quest, we welcome her back in a new role as middle school language arts and social studies teacher.

Laurie DeSimone - Director of Development & Constituent Relations

Laurie DeSimone will be busy taking on the annual fund and Auction.

Cont. from page 2

chair (Spring ’07), Taal Soul, all female multicultural dance group member (Fall ’07), Emory Bollywood Club, Publicity Chair (Spring ’07), President (Fall ’07-Spring ’09), Indian Cultural Exchange, Cultural Committee (Spring ’09), Pakistani Student Association, actor in spring play (Spring ’08), Muslim Student Association, Fast-A-Thon volunteer (Fall ’09), Art Gala Committee (Spring ’09), MESAS (my major)’s theme hall, residential coordinator (Fall ’08-Spring ’09), ”mamnoo3 min aS-Saff ”, Arabic e-zine featuring student work, founding co-editor (Fall ’08-Spring ’09) Linguistic Ability: English: native speaker fluency, French: professional fluency, Modern Standard Arabic: professional fluency, Levantine Colloquial Arabic: professional fluency, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic: advanced proficiency, Moroccan Colloquial Arabic: proficiency, Hindi/Urdu: advanced proficiency, Spanish: proficient reading knowledge, Amharic: some knowledge. Teaching Experience: Arabic Instructor, New Schools at Carver. Atlanta, GA. 1.5 hrs/wk of instruction in Colloquial Egyptian Arabic. Spring 2009. Arabic Teaching Assistant, Emory University. Atlanta, GA. 4 hrs/wk of supplementary instruction in Modern Standard Arabic and various dialects to heritage and nonheritage speakers. Fall 2008. Hindi Teaching Assistant, Emory University. Atlanta, GA. 4 hrs/wk of supplementary instruction in Hindi/Urdu language to heritage and non-heritage speakers. Spring 2007-Spring 2009 - Private Arabic Instructor. Atlanta, GA. 2 hrs/wk of instruction in Elementary Colloquial Levantine Arabic.

Fall 2007-Fall 2008. French Instructor, Concordia Language Villages. Moorhead, MN. Teaching children ages 6-18 French in a totally immersive environment. Summer 2005. Other Work Experience: Arabic Translation, NSF International (National Sanitation Foundation). Ann Arbor, MI. Translation of documents for use at Gulfood international trade fair and food safety conference in Dubai. Spring 2009. Research Assistant, Gordon Newby (Emory University, Dept. of Middle Eastern & South Asian Studies, chair). Atlanta, GA. Spring 2009. Resident Intern, Magic, Inc. Palo Alto, CA. Participation in “Planting for a Second Hundred Years,” a program in public service and sustainable community development. Winter 2008 - Research Assistant, Benjamin Hary (Emory University, Dept. of Middle Eastern & South Asian Studies, associate professor). Atlanta, GA. Fall 2008. MESAS Theme Hall Coordinator (Emory University, Residence Life & Housing). Atlanta, GA. Resident recruitment and supervision, event planning. Fall 2008 Spring 2009 - Research Assistant, Shalom Goldman (Emory University, Dept. of Middle Eastern & South Asian Studies, professor). Atlanta, GA. Fall 2007. Administrative Assistant, Emory University Dept. of Middle Eastern & South Asian Studies. Atlanta, GA. Office duties, event planning, etc. Fall 2007-Spring 2009. Front Desk Associate, Equinox Fitness. Palo Alto, CA. Summer 2007. Intern/Administrative Assistant, Equine Data Systems, International. Itasca, IL. Summer 2006.

The Quest - Fall 2010

[volunteer]

A person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

There are many opportunities available at Quest Academy for volunteers to take advantage of. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, extended family member, friend, alumnus, or a community member, you have something to offer. There are great rewards for the volunteer, student, and school. •

School Benefits – Provided with additional service without having to have added costs. Faculty and staff are given extra time for educational purposes and planning, builds a positive relationship between the community and the school.

•

Volunteer Benefits – Parents become involved in their child’s school and education, a sense of personal satisfaction, ability to meet new people and develop new friendships, sharing.

•

Student Benefits – Students are given a positive role model, educational success is encouraged and improved.

Parent and Board of Trustee Chair, Jim Erbs teaches the

Volunteers help in our classrooms, library, clubs, sports, and at community events. They also share their cultures, stories, and expertise with our students.

middle school PE ballroom dancing unit.

Hats off to all our amazing volunteers!

Meera's grandparents speak to her kindergarten class about life in India. Parent Roy King checks out a book for Alumnus Matt Fisher '03, teaching students debate skills.

Freddie in library class.

Palatine Independence Day Parade

Thanks to a group of enthusiastic volunteers, our float was beautiful! It was a great day for a parade, everyone had fun handling out candy to the crowd. We saw many familiar faces along the way. Special thanks to Steve Curl, Gayle Curl, Dan Cervone. and Lisa Groh for supervising students during the construction phase. Hope you all can join us next year!

Cont. from page 1

Quest. Our alumni also value creativity with 70% believing that it is extremely important to be creative. 86% felt that creativity was valued, encouraged, and/or accepted by Quest teachers. One alumnus commented, “Creativity was always encouraged. I think what made me love LASS (Language Arts/Social Studies) so much was that we could be creative. It was not just cut and dry, but was focused on individual contributions and ideas.” When asked to give Quest Academy a grade for creativity, the average was an “A-,”with a median grade of an “A.” Experts say that those who are determined to “follow their passion” shall vigorously pursue it. Passion fuels focus, resilience, and perseverance . . . all necessary for success. Also, be creative in the way you market and position yourself for the future job market. Follow the fastest growing industries and offer your innovative thinking to that field. If you are a “visionary,” consider what our aging, diverse population will need. What can you provide to this market to improve their quality of life? Be creative and flexible. Become extremely knowledgeable and well educated in your field. Stay up to date with the latest trends, remain informed on data-based forecasts, and continue to realign your direction as necessary.

The Class of 2006 The colleges and universities these alumni are attending: Tony Aburaad - University of Chicago

Liza McIntosh - Johns Hopkins University

Kathryn Allen - University of Wisconsin, Madison

Jack Meachum - not reported

Zachary Bates - North Park University Talia Beechick - Davidson University Mark Bernacchi - St. Olaf College Amelia Brackett - New York University Scott Detlefs - Milwaukee Institute of Engineering Johanna Dibuz - University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign

Jeffrey Messman - Principia College Austen Murrow - Service work for a year Danny O'Shaughnessy - Iowa State University Betsy Outly - Belmont University Ben Perez - St. Olaf College Charlie Pfaff - Brown University Sam Putnam - Hampshire College

William Edwards-Mizel - Williams College

Dylan Rieger - Illinois Wesleyan University

Clara Freeman - University of Iowa

Bradley Rockhill - University of Wisconsin, Madison

Clay Gilbert - not reported Chelsea Greenbaum - Washington University, St. Louis Christopher Hauser - Dartmouth College Jonas Hwang - Syracuse University Courtney Kolbe - Colgate University Morgan Lanier - Boston University Aylla Lashaway-Mueller - University of Michigan

Harrison Siegel - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ophir Silverman - Brandeis University Marissa Suchyta - Harvard University Mitali Tambe - Indiana University Dan Tauber - University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign

CO KID RN S ER

questacademy.org

The Quest - Fall 2010

Office of Institutional Advancement

Quest Academy

Inspiring & Challenging Gifted Children

500 North Benton Palatine, Illinois 60067 847.202.8035

CALENDAR OF EVENTS OCTOBER October 1 | MON - FRI Family Storytelling Night 7:00pm-8:30pm October 7 | THU Ladies Night Out 7:00pm October11 | FRI Columbus Day - NO SCHOOL October 15| FRI Pumpkin Fest 6:30-8:30pm October 17 | SUN Admissions Open House 1:00-2:30pm October 21 | THU Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-9:00pm October 22 | FRI NO SCHOOL Parent Teacher Conferences 9:00am-6:00pm October 29 | FRI Halloween Parties & Parade 2:15-3:15pm

NOVEMBER November 3 | WED PSA Fall Book Fair 9:00am-9:00pm Barnes & Noble, Deer Park November 5 | FRI Teacher Inservice Day - NO SCHOOL

Family Storytelling Night

November 12 | FRI Family Games Night 7:00-8:30pm

October 1 - 7:00-8:30pm

November 16 | TUE Continuing at Quest Meet the Alumni Night 7:00-8:30pm November 22 - 26 | MON - FRI Fall Break - NO SCHOOL

Come one, come all! Our amazing master storytellers will enchant your children with some fun and exciting stories. Mrs. Carr, Mr. Jurewicz, Mrs. Luckett-Kelly, Ms. Senetra-Bass, and Mr. Simon will be your hosts. All ages and all members of your family (e.g., siblings, grandparents) are welcome. Adults are requested to stay with their children during the event. There is no cost to attend.

QUEST ACADEMY I OUR MISSION Quest Academy provides gifted children with a challenging curriculum and a nurturing environment. Our program emphasizes sound character along with scholarship and creativity in both the academics and the arts. The Quest community values the individuality of each child and encourages each to strive for personal excellence.