SEATTLE ENTREPRENEUR JIM THORPE SPONORS CLASSROOM IN THE SKY

Seattle real estate expert, Jim Thorpe's construction team at Summit Capital Partners oversaw the five-year development of the Villa Treehouse- including all fundraising, permits, planning, and construction. Completed in the summer of 2020, the Villa Treehouse is the first permitted treehouse in the city of Seattle.

The 1,500 square-foot structure arches over a wooded slope on the campus of the Villa Academy, a private, Catholic PreK through eighth-grade school located in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle. Dubbed the “Classroom in the Sky”, this one-of-a-kind structure houses two different classes of 15 students at a time and is meant for and accessible by students of all ages. While the original intent of the Villa Treehouse was not to provide expanded learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, it will undoubtedly help the school conduct classes with social distancing in mind.

In childhood, treehouses hold sway over the imagination. They provide shelter but also a respite from an adult-sized world. They give kids a vantage point from which to see the world as it sometimes appears in dreams.” – Jim Thorpe

The students of Villa Academy will certainly enjoy the many benefits of expanded outdoor learning at the Villa Treehouse. The new outdoor classroom fits in perfectly with the Villa Academy's focus on outdoor learning. Throughout the school's campus, students can explore the ecosystem of a forest rich with old-growth trees. They release salmon fry at the school's lakefront and even examine water samples using a microscope, study birdlife throughout the campus and gather various data points from the organisms living in the school's organic garden.

Our campus is not only an amazing lab for learning, but doubles as a magical world: after all, not many schools have a fairy crossing in the woods, trails to the lake where eagles nest, and an orchard where kids build forts from fallen tree limbs. Truly a place to delight in the joys of childhood!” – Villa Academy

Any Questions?

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(206) 688-0588
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