Our Story
Hi, we’re Cassie & Zak Boca, co-founders of Vail Valley Unbound.
In 2019, a wise and curious little boy entered our lives. His curiosity was unlike anything I’d ever seen before—he was afraid to close his eyes for fear of missing out on life. He asked questions all day long, big questions that I didn’t always have answers to. His relentless curiosity sparked something in us, and we found our family developing a newfound love for learning. His questions became an adventure in themselves. We’d spend hours exploring ideas like: “Why does my bike go faster downhill than uphill?” “Why have I never met anyone from Mars?” “What are the white lines behind airplanes?” “How do trains get back on track after a derailment?”
As he approached school age, we were faced with a difficult decision. We feared that his insatiable curiosity would be stifled in a traditional classroom setting, where there simply wouldn’t be time to explore these big questions. For example, if the lesson of the day was “the history of Colorado,” he would likely get stuck on “What is a state?” Not because he didn’t understand the concept of state, country, and city, but because he wanted to dig deeper. He’d want to understand what makes a state a state—questions that many of us don’t have easy answers to, and questions that wouldn’t get explored in a typical classroom.
Zak being a serial entrepreneur one day said, “Could we start a school?” We know that if we can do one thing well as parents to prepare them for the world, it would be to foster a lifelong love of learning.
Fast forward to 2022 where we launched Vail Valley Unbound—a home where kids can be free to explore, ask big questions, discover the world around them, all while learning at their pace in a fun and impactful way.
Learn more about Acton in this TEDx talk by our fellow founder, Jake Thompson
Our Edwards, Colorado Campus
Vail Valley Unbound is centrally located in the valley to accommodate as many learners up and down valley. You can find us in the Edward’s Riverwalk.
Our Team
Heather McMahon
Co-Founder and Head of School
Hi, I’m Heather McMahon, Co-Founder and Head of School at Vail Valley Unbound.
Throughout my professional career, I’ve felt a profound calling to create educational environments where children are seen as strong, capable, and inherently curious individuals. I envisioned a school that would cultivate a love for learning, where questions were celebrated, emotions could be expressed freely, and exploration and enrichment became the heart of each day.
In June of 2013, The Youth Enrichment School (YES) opened its doors in Eagle County, and over the years, it served as a nurturing space for dozens of preschool aged children and their families. After a decade of deeply meaningful work, including my own son’s educational journey, I made the bittersweet decision to close YES in 2022. This marked the end of one chapter but also the beginning of an exciting new opportunity with Vail Valley Unbound.
As my son approached the age of five, I found myself uncertain about what his next educational step should be. When I discovered the Acton Academy model, I immediately recognized that it would be the perfect fit—not only for him but for me as well. The Acton approach reignited my own passion for learning, and I was inspired by the prospect of exploring and supporting a new, innovative educational model. In 2023, I had the privilege of helping to open Vail Valley Unbound, a school dedicated to empowering students to thrive as independent, lifelong learners in an ever-changing world.
Meghan Stempihar (Cahill)
Lead Guide
My name is Meghan Stempihar, and I am the lead guide here at Vail Valley Unbound. After many years of being an educator in traditional school environments, I became eager to spread my wings and jump into a new and exciting opportunity and found this special place, Unbound! I have always firmly believed that we need to provide intriguing learning opportunities where young learners are encouraged and open to investigating, creating, exploring, and learning through not only experiences but also mistakes! It’s really wonderful being a part of a school that provides so many possibilities for children to be active citizens in their own communities, ask big questions and have big conversations, and develop important practical skills that will support them throughout life. With an intimate learning environment here at Unbound, the opportunities are endless, and the excitement rings loud on a daily basis!
Some of the values I hold near and dear to my heart are that our early years are some of the most impactful years of our lives. I believe it is extremely important for us to focus on social and emotional development with an emphasis on building strong character traits, developing self-awareness, and practicing ways to communicate and solve problems in healthy & productive ways. I strive to provide a safe, fun, and positive learning environment that fosters a love for learning throughout life!
Our Promises
- Begin a Hero’s Journey.
- Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery.
- Become a curious, independent, life-long learner.
- Embrace the forging of a strong character.
- Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life.
- Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
Our Beliefs
We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.
- We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way;
- We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
- We believe in a closely connected family of life-long learners.
- We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.