TLDR: I make a bet that education can still be magic. Six students, two mentors, one rooftop at sunset. 2x per week, five weeks. 6-8 pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays. $5k. This is the story of what the Sprints are and how they came to be. September/October/November cohorts.
https://ashlandprep.com/courses/sunsetSATsprints
What goes into SAT Sunset Sprints?
Firstly, let’s talk about what an SAT Sunset Sprint is:
- Test prep in Venice Beach, steps from the sand.
- $5k.
- Five weeks, 20 instructor hours, 4 practice tests.
- Six seats.
- Two Ashland mentors.
Who's it for?
High scoring juniors or rising seniors. Wednesday/Thursdays, 6-8 pm.
The vision
Six students debating the nuance of a single math problem. Writing all over the table, empty bottles of cold brew and bags of popcorn and Famous Amos. Maybe even some laughter, a rooftop break at sunset as it gets windy and colorful over the Pacific.
Weekly practice tests and review. You can’t coast in HQ. You’re here to win the test, put in the hours, lose track of those hours.
In Venice, people work and they have fun. It's not just as simple as "work hard, play hard": both can be happening at the same time. Surviving in Venice takes work ethic. Thriving in Venice takes social and work ethic. This class encourages development of both.
The results
After ~12 hours of practice tests, 20 hours of sessions, and six hours of homework, in an environment that bounces energy back:
- 1400 students should become 1500+ students
- 1300 students can also reach 1500, but that barrier can be tougher to break. 1450+ is more realistic in a sprint from a 1300.
Who fits in a Sprint?
A student's success in a sprint can depend on how they were taught in schools:
- Schools that encourage debate, problem solving, "big picture thinking": these students who do well on the hard problems and make careless mistakes on the easy ones. They'll likely grasp more difficult concepts quickly.
- Schools that teach linearly and reward memorization: these students can work diligently through algebraic steps and make fewer careless errors, but tend to struggle a lot more with grasping the harder problems. They habitually reach for memorization skills rather than problem solving.
Whatever your learning style, you can supplement with 1-1 along the way.
Why are you doing this?
Short answer: curiosity. Is there still a market for magic in education? It takes effort to get to Venice. Parking is expensive. Traffic needs to be braved. Venice has a sketch reputation in some circles. To quote a cliche, this isn’t for everyone.
But is it for six students in Los Angeles?
If not, it’s data. We’ll stick to online.
If there is, we’ll run with it. If it’s not right for you, but you like the vibe, please share.
Origin Story
I started Ashland as an online company in 2019.
Then, COVID. Isolation. Reports of student depression and isolation.
I funded a conference space for six displaced Pali High students, and was reminded of the power of space.
Now: Ashland’s own headquarters at the Room HQ in Venice Beach mirror the same structure of the original room: six seats, a glass blackboard, a rooftop, a whiteboard table, eucalyptus, cold brew and cookies.
The Original Sunset team
Nick, Reading and English
Nick’s been in Santa Monica almost longer than he’s been on the East Coast, a Wyzant guy, hundreds of five star reviews, charming as hell, a producer, looks like a Ron Weasley who’s seen things and knows the endgame. I’ve worked with him for over a decade, first back at Compass Education Group, and now, here. He hates small talk and texting/tutor admin, so I generally just give him students and get out of his way. He’s bored by the mundane, inspired by this.
Nick's gameplan below.
Aneesh, Math
Aneesh is the guy that will call me on a Sunday just to talk about testing psychology and schematics, who’s ready in the Fall to take the new ACT just to see what it’s like. An impeccable beard. Energy you want to hug. The opposite of authoritative but still commands authority: students behave for him because they want HIM to succeed. He flips the script.
Aneesh's gameplan below.
Maya, The Roomkeeper
She handles the Standard Operating Procedures of the Room HQ. She’ll also be coordinating students and schedule, until she inevitably has to go back to Spain for Fulbright. Also: she’s Ashland’s first student. We were neighbors. Born in Santa Monica, keeps her iPhone in Spanish. Deliberately will NOT tell students she’s a Fulbright scholar.
Making the sausage
The four of us met at HQ on a Friday afternoon to figure out the logistics of this class. There’s lots to think about. There’s a secret back alleyway entrance, a dirty flight of stairs, then the room itself, then the Roomkeeper, who'll let students in. The narrative tension between the outside and the inside is part of it. It’s like walking into a Venice workspace Narnia.
We decided that practice tests should happen every week. I’ve personally hosted classes for schools that requested that we take it easy on the kids, because they have so much going on. Well, if you’re aiming for the top percentiles, you gotta do what you gotta do. I’m writing this at 5:17 am.
The first session is hyper important: because it helps frame the test psychologically. Nick thinks that grammar should come first, because the quick points are encouraging. I agree. The 80/20 rule works like magic in test prep.
Aneesh, for all his strengths, can sometimes get lost in the passion of the mechanics over psychology. We focused on building out the first session.
Conditions for Magic
We decided the roof was for sunset breaks and for students only. The Roomkeeper will lead them up, disappear, and come back when it’s time to get back to work.
It's impossible to deliberately create magic. All you can do is create the conditions for it to exist.
Let’s hope that it’s worth the trek, that students and parents still believe in the power of sunsets. Because if this doesn’t work, it won’t be offered again, and we’ll continue to deliver what we’ve always delivered: great online instruction, no fluff.
-Ravi