CHOICE Education: Where Heroes Journey
“CHOICE believes that every child is on a Hero’s Journey; a journey to find and develop their special callings and unique gifts. CHOICE provides structure while honoring freedom which allows childhood to be a time of preparation, discovery and joy! It is meaningful work and real fun!” – from the homepage of CHOICE, an Acton Academy Independent School
When you’re helping to forge a new path for education, you need a facility that can support a Hero’s Journey. Mountain West Small Business Finance was honored to be part of the team that helped make the CHOICE Education community’s dream a reality.
“This project has consumed our lives for the past 2.5 years, but it is so well worth it!” A celebratory Facebook post about the new building reads.
Curtis Singleton, MWSBF Vice President, Loan Officer, shared about what a rewarding experience it was working with JeVonne Tanner (founder) and her husband, Paul Tanner, on this project:
“The business grew significantly year over year, and they finally reached a point where size was limiting how many students they could have. The community’s demand was evident, so JeVonne and Paul got rolling on the difficult steps of constructing their own space. Per usual, it never goes exactly how you plan, and costs are never the same as when you started, but they buckled down and made it happen.
“While the process for an SBA loan can be complex, Paul took the reins and helped us bring it home while JeVonne kept running the school. At the end of the day, they have a beautiful building with a growing school and something I was proud to have been a small part of.”
The new campus facility in Woods Cross celebrated its grand opening on August 4, 2025 at a Grand Opening Carnival.
Paul says: “The building has a footprint of 21,600 square feet. It has a full-size gym in the center and studios/classrooms on the sides intended for collaboration and hands-on projects. It also has a makerspace, a wood shop, and a music room. There are no hallways, which means there is no wasted space. The gym functions as a gathering area. It will also be fantastic for events.”
And school is now officially in session.
But you won’t find the typical rows-of-desks-and-chairs experience most associated with today’s learning models. In addition to the studios instead of ‘classrooms,’ guides are the mentors of the educational experience, not “teachers.” There are “quests” and time for passion projects and exploration.
The Acton model is different – and that is by choice. JeVonne tells the story of how CHOICE began – and credits her oldest child starting (typical) kindergarten as the catalyst.
“Raquel was a great student,” JeVonne shares. “She excelled on all subjects and had a really loving teacher. But she didn’t love school.”
JeVonne explained that like so many children, Raquel leads a naturally creative life. “She loves to support, to create, to build, to figure things out, but there wasn’t time for it at school.”
As a former public school teacher herself (high school biology), JeVonne understood firsthand the pressure from the system to perform on tests, and how that didn’t leave much time for creativity and exploration. But as a mom, she wanted something different.
She says she explored some other options passively in the area, but nothing was different enough to provide the experience she wanted for her kids.
“I remember the day, one of my daughters came home and said, ‘Mom, I’m so tired of reading about people doing things in school. I want to do something!’”
But the tipping point was the day she asked one of her daughters what she shared at school: “My daughter looked at me and said, ‘Oh, Mom, school is not the place to share your thoughts.’ That was the day I knew we needed to make a change.”
She discovered the Acton Academy model, saying it was everything she and her husband were looking for. Some describe the Acton model as a blend of Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia approaches–drawing from their pedagogy and incorporating elements like self-directed, hands-on and project-based learning, encouraging creative exploration and community-based collaboration.
CHOICE’s “5 Core Beliefs” paint a beautiful representation of why families are so drawn to the Acton Model and CHOICE’s specific philosophy.
- We are all on a hero’s journey. Our choices determine what path our journey takes.
- Childhood is a time of preparation, discovery, and JOY. School should be a time of preparation, discovery, and JOY.
- Learning to Learn, Learning to Do, and Learning to Be are far more important than learning to know.
- Clear thinking leads to wise decisions. Wise decisions result in good habits. Good habits build character. Character determines destiny.
- We believe in freedom: political, economic, and religious freedom.
But first, CHOICE had to become a reality. JeVonne says the Acton Academy was everything that she and her husband Paul were looking for, but despite their daughter’s enthusiasm for the educational blueprint, there was a very real challenge to enrollment.
JeVonne tells the story:
“Mom, I’ve got to go to [this] school,” their daughter said.
“I know, honey,” JeVonne told her. “It’s incredible, but there isn’t one near us.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “We just need to start one.”
JeVonne said when she asked her daughter what they’d call the school, her daughter said “CHOICE.” And the rest has been history in the making.
JeVonne says her kids started CHOICE because they’re excited to do something in school every day. “They’re excited to explore, to create – to learn about their passions.
They have a choice in their education.” 
She says that she and Paul started CHOICE “because we want to empower kids with the skills they need to lift their potential and their dreams.”
And they have and continue to do so. The new facility means they’re able to accommodate CHOICE’s growth and create more opportunities for families to take the Hero’s journey.
If you want to see CHOICE and the Acton experience firsthand, Mountain West Small Business Finance is a proud sponsor of the Acton Children’s Business Fair. CHOCIE started the fair in 2020 and will be held Saturday, May 9, 2026 from 3:30 – 6pm at Bountiful Junior High School.
And if you are a small business owner who is ready to grow your dreams, Mountain West Small Business can help. Like Curtis said, “the process for an SBA loan can be complex,” and “it never goes exactly how you plan.”
“Curtis Singleton and John Evans (MWSBF CEO) were fantastic to work with,” Paul said. Ultimately, even with the challenges the Tanners faced in getting the deal pushed through, MWSBF was there to support them and get the job done.
If you are interested in learning more about the CHOICE Education experience, visit their website at https://choice-education.org/.