Study departments
STUDY DEPARTMENTS
Entrepreneurial Leadership (EL)
The only program of this kind in Central Europe, EL (Entrepreneurial Leadership) is more than just a flagship program of LEAF Academy.
We strive to show the spirit of entrepreneurship and leadership in everything we do here. Our students develop apps and chatbots for the Academy, they organize poetry events and charity concerts for public, they design and sell T-shirts – what will you do?
If you already have an answer, we can help you. And if you do not have an answer, we can help you find one. Combining working on real problems with experiential learning, case studies, or simulations, EL will help you learn how to spot problems, turn them into opportunities, and start a project or build a business around them.
You will not pretend to be an entrepreneur; you will become one!
You will start learning EL by practicing entrepreneurship on smaller real-life challenges in our community. You will learn the basics of such concepts as design thinking or emotional intelligence, and you will discuss major trends that shape the world around us.
As you continue in the program, you will get to work on more projects. Some of those projects may be yours and others may come from various other sources: your classmates, your teachers, or our external partners. You will develop your interpersonal and leadership skills as you practice working with others: your teammates, teachers, or external partners.
Entrepreneurial Leadership gives young leaders, regardless of their future career path, the skills, attitudes, and experience needed to make a positive change in the world. What will you change?
Character Development (CD)
The Character Development program helps young leaders build their foundation of values and character strengths, which they can draw upon throughout their lives. The Character Department focuses on helping students build their self-awareness and developing them as well-rounded, values-driven leaders, through workshops, discussion and individual or group reflection and feedback.
The four-year program helps students discover their relationships with the outside world; delve into their own strengths, motivations and values; develop an understanding of the basic concepts of moral philosophy and their applications to real-world dilemmas.
Our goal is to help young leaders form their own personal missions through the intersection of their strengths, their passions, and the needs of the world around them, all of which are framed by their values.
Character Development underlies all academic and extracurricular pursuits at LEAF Academy. Students will work closely with a number of adults including their teachers, advisors, residential staffulty (staff and teachers) and coaches, all of whom will help them move through a process of self-discovery.
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Character Seminar
LEAF Academy helps students increase their self-awareness as well as discover areas for practicing excellence: interests, strengths, motivation, drive, hopes, and values.
We guide our students in shaping their future educational and career path through in- and out-of-class experiences, learning by doing, feedback, and reflection.
Self-Discovery Seminar provides students with a safe space to reflect and explore themes connected to values, psychology, leadership, well-being, and everyday life-skills.
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Advisory Program
At the beginning of your first year, you will be assigned an Advisory Family: a small group of peers with one staffulty member.
Just as a regular home family, this group sticks together throughout your Academy experience and becomes a small, steady, safe group to relax, reflect, and relate. Your Advisor will be there to listen and help guide you through all aspects of academics, activities, and residential living.
They will be there for your successes and struggles, learn to know you holistically and serve as a point of contact with your parents. Our hope is this becomes your at-school-family, when you’re away from your home family.
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Seminal Readings
In the hustle and bustle of Academy life, Seminal Readings is a sacred time when regular school stops and the whole community comes together to tackle important issues through challenging literature and thought-provoking films.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Critical thinking, problem solving, and inquiry are all essential components of our interdisciplinary and problem-based STEM program. For example our Mathematics courses provide tools and skills for students to analyze, model, and understand the world in which we live.
Three typically separate science courses – biology, chemistry, and physics – are combined into one course that focuses on the interconnectedness of life. Additionally, technology, computing skills, coding, and engineering are integrated throughout the STEM curricula to provide practical applications for problem solving.
Central European Studies (CES)
The Central European Studies Department houses all areas of what would traditionally be labeled the Humanities: literature, writing and rhetoric, history, government and politics, social sciences, languages and the arts.
The Central European studies program is a multidisciplinary program that challenges students to contemplate the development, definition, and a connection to the idea of Central Europe. Critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to communicate your thoughts articulately are essential skills for any future career path.
All classes are taught in English at LEAF Academy but additional courses in current affairs and literature will be offered in your native tongue, and you can pursue learning additional languages if you wish.
Reading and writing will be strongly emphasized throughout the program as you study history, social sciences, art, media and music to gain a greater sense of ownership and understanding of particular parts of Europe and beyond.
