Learn about
Alistair Academy
At Alistair Academy, we believe in the transformative power of art. Our Academy offers a unique approach to education by integrating core subjects with art enrichment. Our Lead teacher and founder, Julia Akers, has provided high-quality art education for over 16 years and is passionate about connecting excellent teachers with families.
Our Zoom classes allow us to support students from the comfort of their homes. We were founded with the vision of making fine art and arts-integrated education accessible to all students. We believe that art is an essential part of life and can have a profound impact on a student's academics and personal well-being.
Meet our Teachers
Ms. Julia Akers
Ms. Julia is the founder of Alistair Academy and has a passion for bringing art education into our community. She is a working artist in the greater Sacramento area and has been teaching for over 16 years to students and adults of all ages. She studied classical painting techniques at the New York Academy of Art and is currently finishing her degree in Art Education at VCSU. Some of her favorite things to teach at the Academy are the special events classes. She also loves reading, chocolate, languages, and traveling.
Ms. Dakota Sioux
Ms. Dakota has been teaching students for over 10 years and is the creator of The Little Cruisers, a comic that has been read by hundreds of children internationally and a toy line that inspires imaginative and joyful play in young children.
She is almost finished with her art degree at The San Francisco Academy of Art, and after graduation, she will pursue professional work in animation. She is a favorite among students, but when she is not teaching or making art, she enjoys gardening, baking, musical theatre, and spending time with family.
Ms. Lorie Murphey
Ms. Lorie has operated educational programs and summer camps for children for over 15 years. She enjoys teaching students how to develop a strong sense of leadership, potential, and responsibility through her programs. She specializes in entrepreneurship and supporting local business owners to meet their goals. Lorie was the owner and director of Sugar Ditch Stables, where she taught horsemanship, equine studies, and riding. She is a passionate supporter of the homeschooling community, educational freedom, and civic duty. Some of her favorite things to do are hang out with her horses, ride her tractor, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy the perfect slice of pizza.
Ms. Jeanette Clamp
Ms. Jeanette Clamp is the founder of Kid Creative and pioneered small group instruction in the greater Sacramento area for homeschooling families 30 years ago. She has taught thousands of students over 30 years and enjoys connecting with her old students. She moved to Washington state in 2019 and often travels to Sacramento to visit with family. She lives on a farm by the river where she hosts educational events for wild foraging, herbalism, and art. She is a working artist who paints and designs unique pieces inspired by the beauty of the animals and landscapes of life on her tranquil property. She is thrilled to be teaching online for Alistair Academy, a company founded by her daughter, Julia Akers.
Our Courses are...
Our
Story
We believe excellence in academics need not be frantic. Instead, our teachers create an atmosphere of joy by modeling peaceful learning, love of the subject, discussion, and creativity.
Our courses facilitate meaningful, deep engagement so that learning becomes memorable, enjoyable, and permanent.
Peaceful
Our
Story
Our classes meet in person or in a live online format each week. Students see and hear their instructor and their peers, facilitating an engaging class environment. Our teachers lead interactive class sessions in which they encourage and facilitate class discussion as a path to understanding and mastery.
Engaging
Personal
We typically limit our class size to fifteen students to ensure that students receive quality personal attention and individualized feedback. Our instructors work to see each student master the skills at hand. To this end, Alistair Academy teachers provide their students with thoughtful instruction in live sessions.
Why choose us?
Alistair Academy is dedicated to providing students with academic courses while fostering their creativity and imagination.
We strive to support the whole student in classical subjects while fostering community and a shared love of learning through creative enrichment programs that inspire and educate.
Art matters.
Art education is mandatory in countries that rank consistently among the highest for math, science test scores, like Japan, Hungary, and the Natherlands. We want to add the USA to this list.
Our Learning Philosophy
At Alistair Academy, we are committed to providing your students with...
Peaceful and meaningful learning through creative exploration, academics, and life skills development.
The arts are a powerful tool that can instill confidence, critical thinking, creativity, and resiliency in students, enhancing their academic progress. Our learning philosophy is deeply rooted in the belief that education through art-integration can meet a student’s fundamental needs while inspiring their highest potential. We aim to foster a lifelong love of learning that begins today.
We believe the fundamental needs of students are...
Witnessing and Creating Beauty:
Our students are purposefully guided in observing the beauty of the world around them. Beauty exists abundantly around us- in the natural world, in the sciences, in language, and in the visual and performing arts, etc. Beauty has the potential to be seen in every academic study. We wish for our students to learn from the creative and inquisitive pursuits of masters in every field—and, through careful imitation in their own work, students learn to seek what the masters sought. A mind edified by beauty is one full of wonder and creativity, and that is precisely the foundation we wish to set for our students
Experiencing Peaceful Learning:
We believe learning should be peaceful. Students do their best when they feel confident and free from anxiety in their classrooms. Our educators seek to cultivate authentic joy and curiosity in an environment that models peaceful communication, collaboration, and support. We encourage students to reflect compassionately and proactively on their progress through uplifting feedback on assignments. Our teachers approach every interaction with our students as an opportunity to cultivate peaceful learning.
Developing a Learner's Mind:
Knowledge cannot be given without a willingness to understand. Though curiosity is innate, students must develop the skills of learning. Developing a “learner’s mind” is the process of strengthening those skills while being willing to consider new ideas and arguments. Developing self-mastery in the art of memory work, practice through repetition, self-evaluation, note-taking, time management, etc., are all skills that we must learn. Alistair Academy educators play a vital role in guiding students to develop a learner’s mind by providing opportunities for active listening, thoughtful evaluation, application of ideas, collaboration, and reflection. These skills turn students into lifelong learners who actively seek out knowledge with confidence.