A Unique Private Middle School in Connecticut

What middle school is this? Why is this Connecticut middle school so unique?

This is CELC. CT Experiential Learning Center, founded in 2009 by educators Maria Mortali and Melinda Alcosser. It is a high school and college preparatory program where thinking and learning are highly valued.

Many students and families have found CELC for many reasons. The one thing families often share in common about CELC is that this type of education works very well for their students. CELC is an experientially-based middle school.

What does “experientially-based education” really mean?

The learning and teaching happens through experience. CELC’s academics are rigorous, yet with its small-by-design structure, the curriculum can be personalized to meet students where they are. Within the classroom, students are able to have questions answered in real time. The learning goes into depth, rather than skim the surface.

Building skills for the 21st- and 22nd-century human includes learning to think creatively, to problem solve, to work and get along with others in collaborative groups, to get out into the world as part of the learning. While being in a classroom is a large part of a CELC education, students regularly are outside of those classroom walls, traveling to a variety of locations where they interact and experience many facets of life, and of themselves being a part of it.

What is it that makes this approach so transformational for students?

Working hard is the norm. It is not a place where students fall through the cracks. Each person is expected and required to stretch and grow as part of this experience. Otherwise, the point is lost, does not have the meaning as it is intended.

Each student will, in this small community, find and one’s “edge”, where it may seem for those moments, that things are just too difficult to maneuver through. That could be fear of writing, or lack of confidence in speaking on front of others, approaching math, working well within a group. The list goes on. Kayaking on open water, milking a cow, speaking with another student about a conflict in order to find reconciliation. Real learning, the stuff that builds true grit and self-awareness is the growth that CELC education offers; it is not always an easy path, yet comes with real reward.

In an experiential education setting students approach each new day with new excitement - a student dives into leaning as the opportunities unfold and when a student is encouraged to try. Through a step-wise approach and self-discovery, growth is the inevitable result.

This type of learning is long lasting and carries students through life. It is why parents, such a C.Riegle, whose son attended CELC from 5th-8th grade starting in 2010, credits his CELC middle school years to his being so successful as a current freshman at Penn State University studying Architectural Landscape design. CELC is where he was able to launch and discover his potential. He had to apply himself for sure, that was up to him. CELC provided the right setting for him to be able to do that.

Why is it that people have not heard of CELC and how does this “microschool” get the word out?

It is difficult to be known since CELC is such a small school - CELC does not intend to be the best-kept secret, but rather, be known as a resource in Connecticut on the Shoreline. This being CELC’s tenth-year anniversary, it is about time to get CELC on the map and become a household name!

This resource may be the answer to bring a young adolescent through these years in a solid, meaningful and happy way toward developing the ability to continue as a confident and capable student who is ready to take on the challenges and opportunities along the path of learning.

Message to parents:

Between the ages of 10 – 14 are such pivotal and critical years of development, where students start to become who they are. Habits form, personality takes shape, attitude is paramount. Middle school can be a tumultuous time. The time of life brings enormous change. Hormones as driver means that there are ups and downs, emotional upset, and in today’s faced-paced digital world, the reality that being a kid does not last as long as it once did.

A student who is eager to come to school, to participate in daily encounters with new learning and new experiences, shifts one’s relationship to learning and “school” from that of dread to openness and possibility. At CELC a new paradigm exists: Imagine middle school years as joyful, exciting, boundless, …

If you have a child who is struggling through middle school or one who is getting “A”s yet not finding it challenging or satisfying, you may want to consider your options. When a school is the “right fit” for a student, it brings such affirmation and opens up incredible possibility.

Find out for yourself whether CELC is a right fit for your child. Contact CELC today!

Visit for a Monday Tour, come to an Open House, visit CELC’s website www.CTExperiential.org. Call to speak with Maria or Melinda 203.433.4658.