Group 3
Learning, Playing, and Exploring Together
Open Connections empowers young people and adults to create the life they want, full of purpose and fulfillment.
Group 3 is a two-day program, meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, designed to support and develop a broad range of skills in teens ages 13-15. This program offers a combination of facilitator-initiated, youth-led, and self-directed activities that encompass the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and impersonal realms of knowledge. An emphasis is placed on supporting strengths and providing opportunities for further development in areas such as executive functioning, communication (oral and written), critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving, with the goal of providing teens the tools necessary to personally incorporate OC values and philosophy into their lives as they develop into autonomous young adults. Special attention is given to the unique social/emotional needs of this age group as they work to develop a healthy and stable sense of self and increase their level of confidence in their ability to understand and assume greater ownership of their education and life choices.
Throughout the program year, youth in Group 3 have the opportunity to make full use of the OC campus as they engage in a variety of program activities that provide exposure to higher-order concepts in multiple areas of study, which can include math, science, language arts, social studies, visual & performing arts, and health & wellness. Activities and Projects may be one-time events or continue over a number of weeks.
Examples of program activities and projects include:
- Current events exploration
- Service learning projects and community engagement
- Outdoor group games
- Team building challenges
- Large-scale Group Collaboration such as creating a film or planning and executing a group event
- Weekly collaborations with youth in the Shaping Your Life program
- Two long-term projects of the youth’s design: one is focused on the humanities and incorporates experiential elements, research, a variety of writing tasks and an interactive presentation; the second is a science or engineering-based experiment that youth design, conduct, summarize and present at a Science Expo held at OC.
Basic guidelines for Group 3, by September, participants are:
- Be willing to work in the various “special spaces” around campus, including the woodshop, the kitchen, and the Makerspace.
- Be willing to work at their ability to practice various types of writing, work at math challenges, and create a science expo experiment.
- Be willing to work individually, in pairs, small group and whole group activities.
- Be willing to conference with a facilitator to generate ideas for independent projects, expo, creative writing work, etc.
A young person would thrive in the Group 3 Program if they are …
- Have an awareness of areas of strength and are learning to practice a growth mindset around struggles.
- Are excited to push the boundaries of their current abilities and practice a growth mindset in the areas of writing, math, and science.
- Can manage disagreements and conflicts using pro-social behaviors and NV language or is comfortable asking for facilitator support when needed.
- Can generate their own ideas for independent projects, expo, creative writing work, etc., and is willing to accept feedback from facilitators and peers.
- Are actively working on one’s organizational and time management skills.
Open Program
(ages 4 – 10)
Group Programs
(ages 7 – 18)
Explorations Programs
(ages 9 – 18)
Program OVERVIEW for 2026-27
Program | Ages | Days | Time | Tuition |
4 – 10 | M, T, W and/or Th (attend 1-4 days) | 9:00am – 2:30pm | $4,860/day, annually (range is $1,000-$4,860*) | |
Open Group (two day program) | 7 – 9 | T and Th | 9:00am – 2:30pm | $9,720/annually (range is $2,000 – $9,720*) |
Group 1 (two day program) | 9 – 11 | T and Th | 9:00am – 2:30pm | $9,720/annually (range is $2,000 – $9,720*) |
10 – 14 | M | 9:00am – 2:30pm | $4,860 annually (range is $1,000-$4,860*) | |
Group 2 (two day program) | 11 – 13 | T and Th | 9:00am – 2:30pm | $9,720/annually (range is $2,000 – $9,720*) |
Group 3 (two day program) | 13 – 15 | T and Th | 9:00am – 2:30pm | $9,720/annually (range is $2,000 – $9,720*) |
15 – 18 | T and Th | 9:00am – 3:30pm | $10,300/annually (range is $2,000 – $10,300*) | |
9 – 12 | W | 9:00am – 2:30 pm | $4,860annually (range is $1,000-$4,860*) | |
12 – 18 | W | 9:00am – 2:30 pm | $4,860 annually (range is $1,000-$4,860*) |
* Typical tuition range based on demonstrated financial need and available funding.
Copy of Program by Open Connections
WHAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS TO SAY:
“I am grateful beyond measure, and without words to adequately express how deeply I have appreciated all that each and every one of you have brought to our lives, in your countless and unique ways.”
– Kelly, OC Alum Parent and OC Facilitator
“I feel like I learn things faster because of how I am naturally curious. OC’s encouragement to pursue your natural curiosity is a big part of learning.”
– Garrett, OC Alum
“I find that the skills I have learned throughout my time at Open Connections and as a homeschooler are valuable and I will continue to use them for years to come. I appreciate that I have the freedom to choose what I want to focus on learning, and I feel like I have a lot of control over how I want my life to go because of that level of freedom.”
– Eva, OC Alum
“The model of Partnership Education suits our family’s needs beautifully. We appreciate the people, resources, and meaningful experiences that are available to our young people. OC continues to make our vision for a purposeful education a reality, and that’s a dream come true us. We can’t imagine anything better.”
– Lizzie, OC Parent
“Open Connections has introduced us to such a wide variety of ideas, experiences and people that we would have missed out on otherwise. We feel grateful for each opportunity OC has provided for our family!”
– Heather, OC Parent
“I love OC, and I like Choice the most! I love drawing and reading and making graphic novels. Homeschooling is fun.”
– Søren, OC Youth
“What do I love most? Being free! I love being outside so much. And I get to learn about snakes! Homeschooling is covering everything and it is making it fun, and we are learning more this way. I love OC, especially Thursdays and Tuesdays.”
– Silas, OC Youth
“We are constantly exploring new things. I like that there is structure to our learning but that can change depending on what the young people want.”
– Ollie, OC Youth
“OC is such a special place and differs from other learning environments in so many ways! One aspect of OC that I have always appreciated is how much OC values mutual respect. Facilitators do not look down on the young people, no matter what age they are, but instead treat them as equals.”
– Hannah, OC Alum
“Because it is such a small community, we become so connected to each other. There is always someone to interact with; another kid to play with or an adult to have a conversation. OC is small and that makes it a tight knit community. Learning together in a Group…, we become friends quickly, we connect and everyone is accepted. We are all in this together.”
– Lily, OC Youth
“OC provided a built-in support system as we started our homeschooling journey.”
– Ros, OC Parent
“Being able to explore what I was truly interested in at OC was important as I discovered both myself and—down the road—what I wanted to do as a career.”
– Teaghan, Alumna