A NOLI Education is Real, Relevant, and Wow
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"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
(Buckminster Fuller)
A Slideshow of Our Youth Programs
It's now time to get your children into an educational environment where they will thrive. NOLI school makes the existing model obsolete.
We Live in an Exciting Time
Over the past three years, public comments, private calls to us, and the mass exodus of students from schools in the Pacific Northwest prove that parents are disgusted with the actions of public school teachers, administrators, and school boards.
Buckminster Fuller wrote, "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
It would be best to view this time as a fresh opportunity to take your child out of the broken education system and explore Northwestern Outdoor Leadership Institute (NOLI). Although NOLI is a relatively new educational model, it has been applied for more than two decades, and its foundation is how America's greatest leaders were educated and raised.
Who Are We, and Why Are We Concerned?
I have been an educator for over 40 years – from preschool to university levels. I've taught professional courses to other educators about the best teaching practices.
During my career, I witnessed the gradual decay of traditional education in America, starting in the 1980s, when ineffective teaching methodologies and government interference began to take root.
Over the years, I have repeatedly received calls from parents of K-12 children concerned that their child's school wasn't preparing them for the real world. Teachers should have been more focused on coaching their kids to take tests rather than educating them on how to reason, innovate, and solve problems. That their kids hated school, either because they had an unusual learning style or were bored. Many complained that the values taught in their children's school contradicted their family's moral code.
It became clear that the traditional education system needed to prepare children to be successful adults. It became clear that the traditional education system was broken.
Brian King
What is Northwestern Outdoor Leadership Institute?
We created the Northwestern Outdoor Leadership Institute (NOLI) in 2002 as an alternative to the traditional school systems. We modeled our program after the teaching practices of other non-traditional schools with successful track records. Over the years, Toni and I tested, modified, or discarded those approaches while continually developing our ideas. The outcome is a unique educational system that today serves as a model for other schools.
Being well-educated is more than being prepared to enter the workforce or college.
We teach our students to 'learn how to learn,' pursue their dreams, and become successful adults adept at solving problems. However, our core mission is to craft the next generation of statesmen and women. We weave this thread into our school, camps, and adult programs; these are all integrated to give the best education possible.
How is NOLI Funded?
We are a private school and camps funded entirely by tuition. We do not accept government funding directly or indirectly. We do not receive corporate funds. We are not a not-for-profit corporation.
Therefore, we are not beholding to anyone other than the student and their parents. We are free to do what we believe is best for each student. We are not forced to teach what a bureaucrat mandates from hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Our students do not experience the roadblocks in meeting their personal goals that the public schools put in the students' path. Please understand that charter schools, though they have a bit more freedom, they are still public schools.
Is NOLI Accredited?
We will never be accredited for the same reason above. Therefore, we are free to offer a custom-tailored curriculum administered in a manner best suited to each student's needs, wants, passions, and learning styles. If NOLI were a government-accredited private school, we would have to follow their rules.
Our Integrated Programs Include
- Farm, Ranch, and Nature Day Camps - For children ages 6-9
- One-Week Primitive Camping and Bushcraft Camps - For Preteens
- Two- to Seven-Week Full Immersion Wilderness Camps - For Teens
- K-12 Boarding and Day School
- Distance Learning Programs
Please note: All our camps are counted as time in school.
Each student's NOLI Education it's Real, Relevant, and Wow
Do You Still Have Questions?
Youth Programs
Visit our school page Visit our camp page Our Mission
Adult Training and Workshops
In the Wilderness On the Homestead Wilderness Instructor Certification K-12 Core Mentor Certification"This is great, it is like watching a bunch of post-grad students collaborating, but they are 10 - 19."
(The summary of a teacher shadowing one of our mentors.)
NOLI News
If you want more of our content, join our mailing list to start receiving our quarterly e-news-magazine NOLI News. It contains students and staff writings, wildcraft projects, wilderness safety, native and invasive species information, land stewardship skills, homesteading skills, humor, and ways to better connect your family or students to nature and history of the Northwest. It also contains updates about our youth and adult programs and discounts.
Join NOLI News.Contact Us Today
(208)263-4470
Northern Idaho