April 17th,2013 I have been sitting watching the service in Boston today and feel the need to write. At SOLA there are three rules that we teach to our students. Be Kind, Be Gentle, and Be respectful. Quite simple we believe. So when things like Colorado, Newtown and Boston have been in the forefront of "news" in America, I wonder what has happen to some humans beings? Why do we Hate? What has gone wrong with some individuals? Why do wait until something bad happens, to "promote" the heroes? Why don't we talk about heroes all the time? Why do these beautiful children grow up to do the things they do? What went wrong in their life to create this hate? I am saddened for any familiy that is affected by violence and will keep them in my thoughts and prayers. I will also be more resolved in teaching our students about kindness, the elimination of the word "hate" from their vocabulary, and for SOLA to be a part of giving them the strength to grow up to be confident, compassionate human beings, that believe in themselves and the greatness that surrounds us every day of our lives. I am amazed how, what I believe is the worst four letter word in our language, hate is said throughout our days (I even catch my parents saying it from time to time ;)). As we talk with the students at SOLA, it takes an incredible amout of internal energy to hate something(think about it). We teach that it's ok to dislike something, but if we choose to hate something, we rob our souls, our being, of love and compassion. ELIMINATE HATE..... this starts one human being at a time. I hope that you will be one them. Mr. Steve February 16th, 2013 Well, it has been a long time. Alot has happened in three years! Three years! I am getting ready to celebrate 7 years as owner of SOLA, and I have to say it has been the best 7 years of my life. I have former students getting ready to drive a car! Whew! Thank you to all the families that have supported my vision at SOLA, and thank you to all of the teachers that have dedicated themselves to my students at SOLA. I am excited for the future of SOLA, and look forward to starting the next 7 years on March 31st, 2013. We welcome back full day summer camps this year after a 1 year hiatus. It should be a great summer once again. Concieve, Believe, and Achieve! Mr. Steve. _______________________________________________________________ September 15th,2009 So what is Mr. Steve's view? Let's start this out at a point where it all began. It was late 2004, and I was introduced to SOLA and my future. Kathy needed a van driver and after-school person. The rest, well, as they say, is history! I have found what my passion and purpose in life is. Motivating, teaching, and inspiring our children to find their greatest potential in life, and to live a compassionate and enriched life! I would like to thank my Grandmother, Hilda, for the encouragement to find what I love, what doesn't feel like work, and what my true passion is in life, and everything else in life will make sense. It does Mom-Mom!! From this date forward I will continue update our experiences, lessons, falls, and just plain silly moments we experience at SOLA. We, the staff, at SOLA truly appreciate the opportunity to be a part of your "village" as we all grow together and learn about life and ourselves. Let's build a beautiful house together! Find YOUR passion today. Until then, Mr. Steve   January 3rd, 2010 Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you had a rebounded 2009, and are excited and hopeful for a calm and prosperous 2010. can you believe it's been 10 years since the Y2K and Prince had us fearful of the new Century? The past 10 years have brought wonderful changes for me. I'm grateful for all of the amazing experiences I've enjoyed here at SOLA. Kids are quite the creative teachers!! I also have finally become engaged to Jennifer(I think she said yes), my soul mate, and biggest supporter of SOLA and my desire to build the best school in Wilmington that encourages and inspires kids to learn about our world, its people, and life's experiences. Thank you to all of the families that have trusted in me and my staff to provide the best early education experience for your children. I wish you all a great year ahead, and here's to warm weather. Mr. Steve (My resolution is to write more!!) July 7th, 2010 I can't believe that another school year is closed. Unbelievably we are half way through this summer. The students attending Summer Camp are breaking records for attendance and so breaking records for the heat! way to hang in there kids and teachers!! As we approach my 5th school year, I have been reflecting on where we started, the goals I set and where we are headed. I started with about 35 families in 1 building, I had a goal to build a strong and creative school in 4 to 6 years, we are now headed towards breaking 100 families, adding another preschool classroom, and funny, my dreams and goals are becoming a reality as we start year 5!! I am incredibly excited for the new school year as we add new teachers, new facilities, and eventually a really nice landscape to compliment what we do at SOLA. I believe more today that the arts at the ages we work with is about understanding and enjoying the process of being creative and learning a few things along the way(they might even create some keepers, so be ready!). The end result of their projects are their end results, not ours. As a SOLA student develops the confidence in their ideas, their mind, and themselves, then we have done our job, and look out, because they will become an amazing human being! Kudos to my teachers who believe in this and practice this every day with the kids!! You guys are awesome!! Today is a wonderful day in that Ms. Melanie welcomes the first child in to Liam and her life. Welcome Mckenna!! Well, back to work! I want to welcome all the new families this summer and all the new families that have chosen SOLA for their child's life!! We will work even harder and well, smarter( I think we get smarter each year ;)) this year! Have a wonderful rest of the summer, don't forget the sunscreen!   Mr. Steve February 2nd, 2011 Hey there. Well, today Punxsutawney Phil says we are headed to an early Spring. I can say that for me, I CAN"T WAIT!! So, I am headed towards an anniversary this March 31st, as I complete 5 years as owner of SOLA. A few thoughts come to my mind.... 1.Wow, time fly's by really fast" despite my encouragement to our kids to develop a time machine that slows things down. 2. There are a lot of kids in our ever expanding programs! My wish for them is that they all go on to shape our world in a positive light. 3. I am now TRULY a Director. I have had to shed my "Van Driver" hat. But I still wear too many hats on most days. 4. I worked with and work with truly amazing people each and every day. 5. I haven't had one bad day at work in 5 years!!!!!!! 6. I can't wait to get to work each day to inspire, encourage, and dust off(the dirt and paint) the kids each and every day. So today, as we are preparing for the "next" 5 years at SOLA, I am encouraged and open to the amazing experiences that are in front of us at SOLA. I also want to thank the over 500 families that have chosen SOLA as a place to send their children to be inspired and encouraged on their path to becoming an amazing human being during these 5 years. I look forward to meeting the next 500!! Happy Spring!! Mr Steve