Hi, introduce yourself to us: My name is Melissa Groff and I am the Head of the School and Co-Founder of Solvit Academy. Solvit Academy is a private school located in Lancaster that recently opened in Fall of 2020.
How many children do you have and how old are they? Dave and I have two daughters. They are at the super fun ages of 4 and 6!
What are some of your favorite things to do with your children? We love to be active and outdoors. Some of our favorite things to do are going for long bike rides with the kids, finding new playgrounds, and swimming!
What Inspires you and what are you passionate about? Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction. I’m always inspired by people’s stories of adventure, trials, and strength and it’s an easy way to brush up on my history. I’m passionate about being a lifelong learner and finding joy in the every day and modeling that for my kids. Right now, that means opening a school. We found ourselves questioning sending our kids to a public school because of the focus on grades, tests, and a narrow definition of success. So we found something that we liked better, and opened Solvit Academy last year.
What is one things you’ve learned in the past year? We learned that anything worth having is hard work. Opening a school in the pandemic was challenging, but when we ended the year with learners crushing academic goals and begging to come to school on weekends, we felt such a sense of gratitude and excitement for the future!
What is the best advice you have received? A friend reminded of this quote on a hard day this year, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead. It helped me focus on the goal of providing kids a fun and relevant education.
To learn more about Solvit Academy, please visit solvitacademy.com.
