Sylvia Badwi is the founder and visionary behind Agora Prep Academy. She established this environment to save children and teens from the antiquated, traditional school system. At Agora, children of all abilities are celebrated for who they are. Sylvia believes that every child is born with a purpose and our role as educators is to help cultivate and empower children to fulfil their true potential.
What makes Agora stand out is the incredible freedom for children to eat when they please, sit anywhere or stand while learning and educators are called “coaches” because they guide the pathways of learning. This is an inquiry-based environment where children can ask a question, research it then teach the new knowledge gained to their peers.
We are truly honored to win this award. We are looking forward to representing Agora Prep Academy in Dubai in February and Las Vegas in March 2024. This is our time to speak up and speak our truth 🙏🏽 children need to be honoured, respected and given a choice. Children are our future and we cannot inspire leadership through a system of compliance. This is our chance to shift the paradigm and shine. Onwards and upwards! We are going global! If you’re interested in being an investor or learning partner, please let us know…
We’re thrilled to introduce Sylvia Martignani, Founder of Agora Prep Academy, as a distinguished speaker at the conference in Las Vegas. With over two decades of experience in education, Sylvia’s journey reflects her dedication as a mother of three unique children and a visionary entrepreneur.
As a trailblazer, Sylvia recognizes the need for an educational revolution. Armed with a post-graduate diploma from Harvard University’s “Leaders of Learning” program, she’s transformed her vision into reality. Agora Prep Academy harmonizes seven diverse learning philosophies, catering to 21st-century learners and nurturing their inherent strengths.
Sylvia’s ultimate goal is to provide accessible education to all through strategic partnerships with governments, irrespective of background. Her passion for inspiring future leaders and reshaping education makes her a generous, memorable, and transformative force.
We are unique because we designed a program based on children’s interests. We incorporate Math, Science, Language, Drama, Music and Art in all that we do! Students are inquisitive, intelligent and intuitively interested in learning and succeeding. At AGORA Prep Academy, we optimize the collective power of their imagination combined with their inherent innovation. Technology is accessible and available to leverage the power of knowledge.
Agora Prep gives children the flexibility to learn at their own pace. SUPPLIED
When it comes to telling the story of Agora Prep, it can be summed up as simply as this: Sylvia Martignani has a vision of what education could be — not only for her children, but for children around the world.
Agora Prep is a grade one to eight alternative school in Aurora, ON. The central concept — based on a paper Martignani wrote for a Harvard course — is about giving children the flexibility to learn at their own pace.
“I loved the name ‘Agora’, which refers to the Greek marketplace where philosophers could discuss grand ideas like physics and science,” explains Martignani, a trained teacher who worked K-12 in both public and private schools. “The free-flowing exchange of information is a big part of what we do here.”
A typical day at this school may sound unlike any other school you’ll have encountered before. The students arrive between 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. (“I hate late slips – you do you!” says Martignani) and have some breakfast, or just ease into the day. Then it’s time for morning meeting, where students talk about their individual objectives for the day. They may fall into groups naturally based on similar lines of inquiry (dinosaurs, planets, or baking, for example) or work solo.
After some solid work, they head outside for fresh air and to play, which Martignani dubs ‘networking with colleagues’ and return inside at 11 a.m. to continue their learning journey for the day.
“The teachers are actively involved in guiding or coaching the process, by finding areas to incorporate language and math skills,” she says. “They can suggest ways to approach a project that a student may not have considered, or help them refine what they’re doing.”
By 11:30 a.m., the students review how their projects are going, and then eat lunch however they please, sitting at the tables or on the floor, listening to music if they’re in the mood. After more physical activity, they’re ready to either keep on with their morning projects, or switch to a new objective if they’ve already completed the
Sylvia Martignani. SUPPLIED
previous one. The end of the day calls for filling out a reflection form about the day’s learning — they can either write or draw to complete the form — with the form sent to both their teachers and parents.
Between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., students either go home or are walked by Agora staff to taekwondo and/or music lessons at neighbouring businesses. Extracurriculars done, it’s time to head home for dinner and relaxation, or extending the day’s learning journey. The students will return, refreshed and ready to learn more in the morning.
Affordable housing, poverty relief, environmental concerns and support for small businesses are some of the issues that are top of mind for Aurora residents. But what many want most of all is transparency and trust between politicians and the people they serve.
“Generally, community relationships with politicians could always be improved,” says Tessa Hogerwaard, who has lived in Aurora for the past six years. “They need to be approachable and ready to listen to issues that are important.”
For Allison Stuart, chair of the Aurora Food Pantry and resident for 27 years, council has a distinct role in being “the glue between individual community members and other levels of government” and is challenged by high and complex expectations. She believes the primary task for all levels of government should be a focus on alleviating poverty.
“It’s an enormous task … Locally, that includes affordable housing and advocacy with other layers of government to fund social assistance programs that cover all basic needs.”
Sylvia Martignani, principal of Agora Prep Academy, shared the need for funding and support for small businesses.
“I feel like most people are on the cusp between middle class and lower class because there isn’t a lot of support,” says Martignani. “It’s becoming more challenging to afford daily life, and I have families coming to me saying, ‘You know, with gas and groceries, everything is so expensive. We want to come to your school, but we can’t afford it.’”
“It seems like every business is working in a silo and everyone’s in survival mode. You’re constantly caught in this state of fear where it’s like, ‘if I don’t work super hard today, I might not make it. I won’t be able to pay the bills.’”
Martignani moved to Aurora in 2010 and started the Aurora Moms Facebook group in 2021 to build community, envisioning a space where members could talk freely, be heard and receive support.
It’s true that no school is right for every student, and that’s something that Agora has taken absolutely to heart. Some students thrive in highly structured, regimented environments, though very many others don’t. The program has been developed to be student-lead, active, engaging and dynamic, a true marketplace of ideas and experiences, as indeed the name suggests.
The Quality Business Awards recognizes businesses that achieve an average quality score of 95% or greater over the previous 12 months. To learn more about our selection criteria, please click here.
The winner for the category of The Best Montessori School in Barrie can be seen below. From the whole team, we would like to congratulate the winner on your outstanding results.
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