Why "Invictus"?

Before I ever submitted the first step of my audition to launch an Acton Academy, I already knew what I would call my campus if I were fortunate enough to make it through the entire process.

Invictus.

It’s a word familiar to many, yet often misunderstood. Some families walk through our doors assuming Invictus must be a faith-based school, likely because it’s a Latin word and Latin is often associated with early church tradition. But Invictus simply means unconquered or undefeated, and that definition holds deep personal meaning for me.

Like many of you,  I had walked through seasons of life that nearly broke me. For years, I felt like a victim of my circumstances, believing things merely happened to me and I had become a shadow of myself.  It wasn’t until later in life that I fully understood something foundational:
as a human being, created with inherent worth and agency, I am not powerless.

(This perspective is largely shaped by my personal faith as a follower of Jesus, though Invictus: An Acton Academy is not a faith-based school.)

Recognizing that I had agency was profoundly empowering. It reframed everything: my sense of identity, my ability to make choices, and my belief that I could shape my own story. I wanted to create a place where my sons, and other young people, could discover that same truth:

that they are not victims of circumstance,
that they have choices in every moment,
that even inaction is a choice,
and that they can be the active agents and heroes of their own lives.

A Mission Born From Two Passions: Youth & Mental Health

Opening an Acton Academy blended two lifelong passions of mine:
 working with young people and supporting their mental health.

Over the past decade, I’ve watched the alarming rise of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness among youth. So many children grow up never discovering their own capability, never experiencing the confidence that comes from solving real problems, and never learning that failure is not a verdict but a teacher.

Acton’s self-directed learning model offers a powerful antidote.

Here, young people build agency, confidence, and competence through real-world problem solving, meaningful challenges, and the freedom to try, stumble, and try again.
This process—experiencing failure, persevering, and ultimately succeeding—builds:

These are the exact traits that I believe protect mental health and empower young people to step boldly into life.

Acton’s approach lets children see themselves not as fragile, but as capable, resourceful, and strong.

The Poem That Inspired It All

This vision is captured beautifully in the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley, which also inspired our name:

By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
 Black as the pit from pole to pole,
 I thank whatever gods may be
 For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
 I have not winced nor cried aloud.
 Under the bludgeonings of chance
 My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
 Looms but the Horror of the shade,
 And yet the menace of the years
 Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
 How charged with punishments the scroll,
 I am the master of my fate,
 I am the captain of my soul.

The Heart of Invictus

I want my sons, and every young person who joins our community, to grow into individuals with an unconquerable, undefeatable spirit. No matter what “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” life brings, I hope their core identity remains unbowed and unbroken.

More importantly, I hope they grow to understand this truth for themselves:

You are capable.
You have choices.
You can solve hard problems.
You are the hero of your own life story.

At Invictus: An Acton Academy, everything we do supports that journey.

We aim to build a place where young heroes:

Because every child is born with an unconquerable spirit,
 and our mission is to help them uncover it.