ORCHID COMMUNITY SCHOOL
be you - be bold - be proud
(Previously known as Pride Learning Academy)
Wondering what we're all about?
Has your kid ever expressed hating school?
Maybe they are bored, or worse - bullied for being somehow different than their peers.
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At OCS, they can be their full self, receive personalized curriculum tailored to their own learning style and special interests, and experience a school day where they are actually learning and growing to their fullest potential while having FUN!​
Mission
To help kids find genuine self-love, confidence, and passion for learning through supporting their special interests and unique skills and assisting them in creating a caring educational community
Vision
A community oriented and funded learning group led by neurodiverse teachers who partner with parents to help children grow into their truest selves; inquiry-based curriculum with activities to build academic skills and grit while maintaining maximum engagement; flexible and evolving classroom structure (the world is our classroom); joy and fun at the center of it all
Our Parents Say:
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"This school has been truly life-changing for us! [Previous] teachers and staff failed to understand my kids' needs, accommodations were planned but never quite implemented, and eventually the act of even going to school put their nervous systems into fight or flight. We missed so much school due to anxiety that my kids were labeled as truant. [At OCS,] the kids are always eager to go to school now! They're being challenged and doing work that I feel is more meaningful and engaging, while also taking part in activities that nurture their creativity and curiosity. Best of all, they have a teacher they trust and feel safe with, who understands the limitations of their nervous systems. We couldn't be happier as an OCS family!
Parent of 10 and 11 year old students, currently enrolled
Why the name
Orchid Community School?
So glad you asked!
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Originally when this school was founded in August 2025, Leo called it Pride Learning Academy. Because the school was established mainly to provide a safe learning space for LGBTQIA+ youth during the second Trump administration (and because of the lion pun with their chosen name of Leo), they went with Pride Learning Academy (PLA).
By December, the students were overheard discussing how the name of the school immediately sets them up for harassment. One student even said, "Yeah, I got called a f*g when I said I went to Pride Academy." Immediately, we began brainstorming new names.
Leo explained to the students that they had been reading a book recently called The Orchid and the Dandelion in which pediatrician W. Thomas Boyce explains some research surrounding the concept that many children are like dandelions (hardy, resilient), able to be put through adverse conditions and still come out alright - while other children are more like orchids (unique, delicate), which require more detailed care in order to re-bloom and thrive. (Side note: Do not actually care for your orchids with ice cubes. Google it.)
Getting a medical diagnosis for Autism or ADHD can be a real challenge, especially for people assigned female at birth or otherwise not cis white males. I find this "orchid" metaphor helps to describe this population of kids who just aren't finding success at a mainstream school because they were not made to fit in to an educational system that was designed to turn out complicit soldiers and workers. They were made to question the systems in place, design innovative solutions for tomorrow, and finally unite humans together towards a common goal. This school is designed with these orchid kids and their needs at the forefront.
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Unable to think of anything they thought was any better, the class agreed Orchid Community School was the new name. (Leo wanted Community to be our middle name.)
Mx. Leo Wilder
he / they
is the founder, director, and teacher at OCS. So far, it is a one-person show, but Leo hopes to grow and expand within the coming few years to be able to serve more and more local students by recruiting genuine, loving, understanding, inclusive educators, therapists, and community members to help support our continued growth. Leo has a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois at Springfield and around a decade of experience in K-12 public and private special education. They are openly non-binary and are horrified by the current violence and mental health statistics with regard to LGBTQIA+ youth. Knowing that education can and should improve drastically in our country, Leo is setting out to work alongside their students in imagining and creating a better way to lead school, and ultimately a better way to lead our community, country, and world.
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