The newly-incorporated Blessed Teens Academy (BTA) in Colorado is now receiving applications for the period of January to June 2010, as well as the new school year of September to June 2010-2011.              

The Blessed Teens Academy was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization in Colorado on March 18th, 2009. We are located at 1819 Birch Ave. in Greeley, Colorado, which is an hour north of Denver. It is important to understand that the Blessed Teens Academy is not a school. As such, we do not have an academic curriculum of our own. Parents must independently enroll their children into a homeschooling program before their children arrive at the BTA. Currently, the homeschooling curriculum that is best suited to the Blessed Teens Academy curriculum and daily schedule is the American School of Correspondence. This is a nationally accredited homeschooling program. Parents who feel that there is a homeschooling program that better suits the needs of their child must contact the staff of the BTA for approval before enrolling. 

The Blessed Teens Academy was started by Steve and Jeri Tamayo as a way to give Unificationist youth, generally fourteen and above (high-school age), an alternative to public school and to give them an environment in which they could grow their faith, spirit, and character. Currently, there are approximately forty students and eight interns supporting the program along with thirteen staff. Currently, the staff includes Steve and Jeri Tamayo, Andrew and Laurie Shoultz, Alfred and Marianne Rischl, Mary Colglazier, Michael and Adonia Hentrich, Sung Min and Tami Tamayo, Sunnie Ogawa, and In Sook Pearlman. We are open to accepting new students desiring to come for the remainder of the 2009-2010 year, as well as for the coming school year.

The main focus of the Blessed Teens Academy is religious education. As a group and as individuals, we learn to apply the Divine Principle in our daily lives. We start every day with 5:00 a.m. Hoon Dok Hae/Morning Service and close together at night with internal guidance and prayer. Each trinity (a small group of students, usually three to five) is guided by an intern and trinity leader to help strengthen its life of faith. Every day, the students have meetings and cleaning responsibilities to do together. Students and parents guide them to do conditions as a trinity to strengthen their relationships in the most God-centered way. Just a few of the important topics that are taught are "Vertical Tradition," "Parent/Child Relationship", and "Living for the Sake of  Others." Both students and teachers learn these topics not only through HDH and internal guidance but also through the experiential-learning process. Students learn through workshops as well as Divine-Principle lecture competitions held by the students throughout the year. This helps them to take more ownership over their faith in God's Words. At these times, because the students themselves give the lectures, each one of them focuses on having a clear understanding of his or her subject in order to share it with others.

The goal of this environment is a life of faith without fallen secular influence. Because of the strong and pure relationship we work to build with each other and with Heavenly Father (Heavenly Parent), we consider ourselves a "Family." 

Home schooling is very flexible, because the student is free to go at his/her own pace and study deeply into the subjects that are interesting. It is possible to finish high school in two/three years depending on the student’s motivation and focus. The BTA uses the advantage of this flexibility to take road trips, hold workshops, go on outings, and have fundraising experiences during the week, which we make up for by studying at different times.  

Please visit our website at www.blessedteensacademy.com and register for an account to view our yearbooks, newsletters, application forms, and videos. They can give you a more up-close and personal look at our program.  
 
Contributed by Michael Hentrich, General Affairs and Internship Director of the Blessed Teens Academy