Two Years Later: Reflections and Updates from the Changemaker School

June 27, 2026

By Kristi Kraychy, Former Head of School, Calgary Changemaker School

Over the past few weeks, I have been surprised and humbled to find my inbox filled with messages from former Changemaker families.

“Those were such special years.”

“We’re so grateful for our time at Changemaker.”

“We still miss it.”

And many messages seem to end in a similar way:

“My child is doing really well.”

Those messages have left me both grateful and reflective.

When Calgary Changemaker School first opened in 2019, we were a new Kindergarten to Grade 8 school built around experiential learning, project-based learning and lots of time outdoors. We believed that relationships, character, wellness, creativity, and following the interests of students mattered just as much as traditional academic achievement.

For prospective parents and the broader public, a school that looked so different from typical education naturally raised questions and concerns.

“But when will they learn academics?”

“How will these students transition back to regular school?”

“Won’t they be behind in high school?”

“What about standardized tests?”

“What about university?”

Even though we were an accredited independent school still following the Alberta curriculum, we knew that choosing a school that looked so different required a leap of faith for many and that these were fair questions.

In designing the school, I drew heavily on modern educational research and some of the world’s most influential educational philosophies and practices: the Forest School movement that originated in Denmark, the Reggio Emilia approach from Italy, Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, and Ashoka’s global Changemaker movement.

But…

We didn’t assign homework.

We spent every Wednesday learning and playing in the forest.

Our students spent significantly more time outdoors and had more recess time and more unstructured play than is typical in most schools.

We taught test-writing skills, but we relied less on exams and more on projects and presentations.

And every year culminated in a major Changemaker service project where students identified real needs, developed their own solutions, and made meaningful contributions to their communities.

At its heart, the school was built on a simple belief: that children learn best through play, benefit from being outdoors, and that academic learning can be meaningfully woven together with community, creativity, and curiosity.

Our classrooms also brought together a remarkably diverse group of learners: both typical and neurodivergent students, some with serious medical needs, some accelerated and advanced, others needing a slower pace, and families from many different cultural and faith backgrounds.

It wasn’t easy work and our hands were always full. But our small classes meant our hearts were full too because we had the gift of deeply knowing, loving, and supporting each child.

If you don’t know our story, the school opened just months before the global pandemic. Despite our best efforts and growing to nearly 80 students, our school sadly closed just under five years from its beginnings. Much of the administrative side was spent navigating the COVID years, rising costs, and a rapidly changing educational landscape in Alberta. Ultimately, we came to the difficult conclusion that maintaining the school's values, care, and quality was not possible without raising tuition to a level beyond what most families could afford, rendering our model financially unsustainable at that time.

So, in June of 2024, we prepared a graduation of sorts for everyone and the school closed its doors that summer.

There was grief but there was also a belief that all of our students had the foundations to succeed wherever they went.

Nearly two years later, we are starting to see evidence that our alternative approach to education did not disadvantage children, as some had feared.

This week alone, I learned that:

• One former Changemaker student just graduated from his high school in Ontario a year early, with honours and a community service award.

• Two former students just graduated from their middle school with First Class Honours and several subject awards.

• One earned 100% on Alberta’s Grade 9 Math PAT this year.

• Several families have shared that their children are standing out as leaders in their current elementary and middle schools, attributing this success, in-part, to the strong focus on communication skills and the nurturing of social-emotional development at Changemaker School.

I’m not suggesting that our model was perfect or right for every child.

But I do think these stories highlight something important: there is more than one path to excellence and success. 

Children and teens are designed by nature to learn. We don't need to fear making more space for play, curiosity, creativity or allowing multiple ways to demonstrate understanding.

To all of our former families and staff: thank you for sharing your stories and for keeping in touch. Hearing about the remarkable people our Changemakers have become is one of the greatest gifts we could receive.