OUR STORY
As parents of four young children, we believe they are destined to find a calling that will shape their lives and change the world. Our role is to inspire, equip, and support them on this Hero’s Journey — a journey that we see as the heart of a fulfilling education and a meaningful life.
Our journey with Acton Academy began years ago when we first discovered its revolutionary approach to learning. Ian experienced the transformative power of the Acton method firsthand at Acton School of Business, where students were empowered to pursue their potential with purpose and resilience. This experience fueled our vision to create a school that goes beyond traditional education.
When we moved to St. George, UT years ago, we made a commitment: to build an Acton Academy for our children and our community. We believe every child deserves an education that prepares them to meet the challenges of tomorrow with courage, creativity, and character. Acton Academy St. George is that opportunity — a place where children learn to think independently, embrace challenges, and follow their unique paths.
As we begin this Hero’s Journey as a family, we invite you to explore Acton Academy St. George and consider joining us in preparing the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and change-makers. Together, we can create a lasting impact and inspire our children to find their own calling.
Warmly,
Ian and Stephanie Lindsey
Acton Academy St. George Co-Founders
St. George Campus
Acton Academy St. George, a Montessori inspired Private School in St. George, UT, is located in historic downtown at 163 N 300 W. St. George, UT 84770.
OUR BELIEF SYSTEM
There are 300+ Acton Academies around the world, each unique in their own way, founded on the common belief that every child is a genius who deserves to find a calling and change the world; that learning to do and learning to be far outweigh simply learning to know. Everyone at Acton Academy St. George, believes your child deserves both an education worthy of this calling and to be in an environment that see in them what they may not see in their self, yet.
Our Mission
Our mission is to inspire each child and parent who enters our doors to discover their unique gifts and change the world in a profound way
Our Educational Philosophy
We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.
Our Beliefs
- 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 lifelong learners.
- We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
Our Promises
We promise through Socratic guiding and experiential learning to encourage each member of our community to:
- 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; and
- Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
OUR TEAM
Ian Lindsey
Co-Founder & Head of School
Acton Academy St. George
Ian Lindsey is the Co-founder and Head of School at Acton Academy St. George, a pre-k through high school Montessori inspired private school in St. George, Utah. William Butler Yeats once said that "Education is not so much the filling of a bucket as the lighting of a fire." Acton Academy does just that and has been hailed by a former US Education Secretary as a leading example of education innovation.
Ian’s background includes years in the technology industry creating better practices, increasing sales, managing financials, and leading teams for start-up companies and universities. He has worked with some of the most innovative educators in the world. Ian holds a B.S. in Accounting from Brigham Young University-Idaho and an MBA from Acton School of Business in Austin, TX. While at Acton, his love for education was solidified. Acton MBA’s mission is to prepare talented and dedicated individuals for extraordinary lives as principled entrepreneurs.
Amidst Ian’s education, he was a competitive snowboarder, an accomplished musician, and an avid golf player.
Together, Ian and his wife Stephanie founded Acton Academy St. George to provide the community they love with this magical learning environment. They have a passion for learning, innovation, and believe that one person can change the world. They are the proud parents of four young children.
Stephanie Lindsey
Co-Founder
Acton Academy St. George
Stephanie Lindsey enjoys her dual life as the co-founder of Etch Design Group and a full-time mother of four very active children. Motivated by their love for their children, Stephanie and her husband Ian have founded Acton Academy St. George, a pre-k Montessori, Elementary, and Middle private school in St. George, Utah.
Professionally, Stephanie is an award-winning interior designer and manages a full-service residential and boutique commercial interior design firm with her business partner, Jessica Nelson.
She graduated from the Interior Designers Institute in Newport Beach, CA with her Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design. Stephanie has worked with contractors, designers, and architects throughout the country, developing a unique and versatile portfolio of projects. She believes in client satisfaction, honesty, and integrity in all that she does. Stephanie is a Registered Interior Designer (RID) and is certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ).
Stephanie and her family live in St. George, UT. Her hobbies include painting, kayaking, and chasing her children.
Miss Shannon
Discovery Guide
Acton Academy St. George
Shannon is a dedicated mother of three who cherishes quality time with her family, whether they’re enjoying the great outdoors, playing games, or watching movies together. Having lived in St. George for the past seven years, Shannon has deeply rooted herself in the community.
Her academic journey includes studying music at CEU, UVU, and BYU. As a skilled pianist and flutist, Shannon has been teaching piano for 30 years. Shannon is also a composer with her own album of piano compositions, recorded on a Fazioli piano.
In addition to her musical endeavors, Shannon has a strong passion for health and fitness. A two-time NPC overall champion bodybuilder, she often coaches and trains others.
Shannon’s life is guided by a powerful quote from her brother, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms: “Great things do not happen because it’s your destiny. Your destiny happens because you do great things.”
Mrs. Tami
Spark Guide
Acton Academy St. George
Tami Sillitoe is the Lead Guide in our Spark Studio, a Pre-k through 1st grade studio of mixed age learners. She has lived here in St. George for 10 years with her husband and three children. She has always enjoyed watching the world expand for young learners as they gain new knowledge. When her children were younger, she created a preschool music class out of her home and also participated in a co-op preschool with several families. As her children grew older, she took the opportunity to sub in the schools and work as a kindergarten aide. Tami went back for a Masters degree in Elementary Education and spent the last few years teaching kindergarten in the local charter schools. She loves that Acton gives students ownership in their education and inspires curiosity!
Mrs. Marissa
Part-time Spark Guide
Acton Academy St. George
Marissa Oleson is a part-time guide at Acton St. George in our Spark Studio. Marissa and her husband, Cameron who is a firefighter/paramedic, and their 3 kids, moved to St. George a number of years ago. Marissa has been a librarian for over 20 years and loves opening the world to young heroes through stories and experiences. Prior to join Acton St. George, she had the librarian and "genius hour teacher" at a local charter school. That role gave her the opportunity to create mini STEM lessons and projects from various books for the young people who came through the library and school. She loves giving children the opportunity to work together to solve problems and experiment and seeing them find the joy that comes from learning.
Jeff Sandefer
Advisor and Acton Academy Co-Founder
Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide. As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses. As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students five times voted him the school’s Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America.
Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.
Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school’s governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Laura Sandefer
Advisor and Acton Academy Co-Founder
Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City.
Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.
Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.
Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious."