Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning

We celebrate the life of the mind. We call our campers “motivated learners,” figuring anyone who shows up to take biology, math, or art in July is motivated. AICL creates an environment in which it is safe to laugh and learn, to risk and fail, and to experiment with something outside of one’s competence.

AICL creates an environment in which it's safe to laugh and learn, to risk and fail, to experiment with something outside of ones competence. We celebrate the life of the mind, but we've seen too many bright, interesting campers who don't necessarily fit well in a traditional school model to limit ourselves to those who have been classified as gifted. Instead, we call our campers motivated learners, figuring anyone who shows up to take biology, math, or art in July is motivated.

Campers make lifelong friends at AICL. They experience breakthroughs in their thinking and understanding. They experience acceptance and new confidence in their social skills. But most of all, they receive a lesson that we hope will stay with them their whole lives, and that we've known all along: Learning is fun.