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Franks Family
I had a rather unique experience with our sweet, somewhat reclusive genius Aly. When she was in Middle School, I noticed that she truly didn’t want to go to her school each morning. In fact--she cried in the mornings when I took her each day. We were blessed enough to find an Acton school about 45 minutes away from us, which we enrolled her in immediately.
The results of Aly going to that school were better than we ever imagined. My sweet girl, who used to moan and complain to go to school each day was now excited to get up and go to her Acton school. She enthusiastically told us about each day of school rather than the semi-disgusted grunt we used to get when we asked her how her day was.
She blossomed.
The moment that really hit home for me during her two years at this Acton Academy was when we were asked to a parents’ night at the school where the groups of Heroes would show their conclusions in the Forensics quest. As parents, we were asked to “go tough,” on the kids and ask them questions about the case that reporters might ask.
There were about 20-30 parents in the room, including me. Aly was one of the first to go, and being the leader of the group, she got the brunt of the questions. I watched my formerly shy, reclusive girl answer these hard questions and defend her position like a seasoned press secretary. She was amazing as she picked and chose different parents with their hands raised, and I had a very emotional moment in the back of the room. I stayed out of sight and shed some tears of pride with just how far she’d come. I still get misty when I think of it. I got to tell Laura Sandefer, the founder of the Acton about that moment, and we both had a good hug and tears over that.
It’s the kind of result that Acton helps produce. And it’s one of the main reasons that I’m so passionate about bringing this to your family, as well.
Belton, TX Campus
At the Belton Nazarene Church
1701 Sparta Road
Belton, Texas 76513
Our 12,000+ square foot campus on 12.3 acres, centrally located in Belton.
Our Team
Chip Franks
Founder and Guide
Chip is a husband and father first and then an entrepreneur and author. He has started and run several successful companies to include both real estate sales and property management businesses with dozens on his team to account for many thousands of home sales and several hundred homes managed at any given time.
Chip is a graduate of Texas A&M University. He is the published author of “Life Lessons from Dad: 101 Ways to Get More From Life (From Someone Who Loves You)”, the host of The ChipChat Podcast, a consultant who has worked with Amazon, and a speaker who has shared the same stage at events with luminaries like Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, and Lewis Howes. He has also taught courses on Journaling, Gratitude, and Joy to thousands of adults around the world.
Chip started Imagine Academy after a deep discussion with billionaire and friend Naveen Jain about how traditional education is failing our children and the need for innovation in our schools.
Amanda “Mandy” Franks
Guide Imagine Academy
Mandy is our main Spark Guide, as she loves working with younger children. Mandy is a graduate of the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor with a degree in Pre-med Biology. She plans to take her MCAT early next year and Imagine is blessed to have her until that time. She is extraordinarily smart and driven, and the children love her.
Mandy enjoys reading, pasta, hanging out with her fianceé, and running her photography business. She has also begun a fitness regimen and spends as much time as she can with her cat named “Fish.”
Mandy brings a light-hearted and very sweet energy to the Spark and other Imagine Studios!
Alyssa “Aly” Franks
Guide Imagine Academy
Aly is our main Elementary Guide and is probably the consensus choice for favorite Guide amongst our Heroes (much to the chagrin of us other Guides).
Aly is a graduate of Salado High School and has attended Acton Academy herself at ESTEAM Academy in Round Rock, Texas. She is extraordinarily talented in art and runs our weekly art program at Imagine.
Aly enjoys art, working on her business idea of a tattoo “spa-like” experience catered to women, and hanging out with her boyfriend. She is also a trivia junkie and will challenge anyone to a quick game of wits.
Aly knows and understands the Acton system as well as anyone, and you won’t catch her answering questions, or allowing children to perform under their capabilities. She truly cares about each Hero doing the best they can do.
Brittney Moses
Guide Imagine Academy
Brittney is our main Launch Pad (High School) and Mercury Studio (Middle School) Guide, but any day can have her working with any of our studios. She is also in charge of our Physical Training at Imagine.
Brittney has joined us from a background in behavioral therapy. She has worked with children for several years and loves the idea of making a huge difference in their lives.
She can be found engaging in discussions on civilization and asking hard questions during our Socratic time in the mornings.
She enjoys the Socratic discussions, and loves our philosophy of having the Heroes figure things out for themselves, with only gentle guidance and questioning when absolutely necessary.
Having the children seek the answer on their own, and learn to learn is the difference between handing them a fish, or teaching them to fish on their own.
Brittney is an athlete and has competed in volleyball. She enjoys time with her friends and stays constantly busy with work and working towards her Hero's Journey as a student at the University of Alabama.
Jeff Sandefer
Advisor and Acton Academy Co-Founder
Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide. As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses. As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students five times voted him the school’s Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America.
Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.
Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school’s governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Laura Sandefer
Advisor and Acton Academy Co-Founder
Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City.
Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.
Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.
Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious."