THE PHILOSOPHY

GET INSPIRED

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to

have tried to succeed.”

–Theodore Roosevelt-

Why we exist

Hey there!

If I haven’t had the opportunity to meet you yet, consider this my introduction and the “why” behind Apogee St. Pete. 

My wife (Karlia) and I (Nick) started Apogee St. Pete with a simple (albeit not easy) goal: build an educational model (what most would call a school) that “Prepares kids for life, not the next test or grade.” 

To give a little background, we aren’t educators by trade.

I’ve spent my career building technology businesses and Karlia is a Christian therapist. 


And while we’ve done a multitude of other things (I’m also an officer in the Florida National Guard, Karlia used to work in juvenile detention / social work, etc.), starting a school was never on the agenda. 


That was a God-nudge back in 2024 and we’ve been putting one foot in front of the other since. 


Speaking of God, the question always comes up (as it should): Are we a Christian school?


Quick answer - No, we do not incorporate any Bible-based education into the core Apogee program. 

Longer answer - Karlia and I are unapologetically Christian (Christ is at the center of our lives and marriage) and that faith has equipped us with what we need to build Apogee.


I used to sum up Apogee with a section called “5 Beliefs” (about education):

  1. Passion powers learning (TEDx example).

  2. The family should be at the center of a child's learning journey. If parents are not cultivating a love of learning at home, a school isn't going to do it for them.

  3. Children are naturally curious, and can be largely self-taught, with a little help from a coach (TEDx example).

  4. Financial literacy should be learned from a young age and every person is capable of running their own business...and they will if they go to Apogee St. Pete.

  5. Holistic, physical health is a core part of one's educational journey.

Put simply: We teach kids how to think, not what to think. 

What does that mean practically?

We don’t lean away from hard conversations. If you’ve been around kids for any length of time, you know they like to ask “why”. 


Which is freaking great! They should be asking why, and parents should be encouraging and cultivating that.


It goes back to that first belief that “passion powers learning” i.e., if you’re passionate about something, you’ll naturally want to learn more about it and go deeper.

That principle is at the center of what we do and we’re going to encourage kids to go deeper in all facets of life and education, which brings up another one of our most asked questions: “What does a day at Apogee look like?” 


You can dig a little deeper here, but in its simplest form, the day is split into 3 key parts:

  1. Socratic conversations

  2. Core academics

  3. Project-based learning 

Which emphasize the 3 key skills we’re trying to cultivate:

  1. Critical thinking

  2. Adaptability 

  3. Communication 

Why those skills you ask? 

If someone spends 17,280 hours on something (40 hours week x 36 weeks in a year x 12 years), they should be prepared for whatever it is they were training for, right?

The current education system simply doesn’t prepare kids for basic life (budgeting daily life, the burden of college debt, pursuing a career one is passionate about and can make a livable income, etc.).

I’m not positive what the job landscape is going to look like in 2035 and beyond, but I’m confident that if an individual has a high aptitude across the 3 skills (critical thinking, adaptability, communication), they’ll be well-positioned to succeed in life and get on a path to a successful career...or have the ability to start a business themselves, which we’ll be all too happy to help them with as part of their journey at Apogee! 

I could write a few hundred (or thousand) more words on relevant education topics like “How AI pits students & teachers against each other” or “How ADHD is a Scam”; when 20% of young boys are being put on medication there’s probably a system problem instead of a personal problem. 

But let’s call it a wrap here.

I think you get the point of Apogee St. Pete, who we are and what we stand for :) 

Want to discuss “the future of education" in St. Pete further or schedule a meeting to learn about Apogee?

Reach out below or shoot us an email: [email protected]

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