Slope School | Founder | Provo | 36
Hit the slopes with Matt Clayton — Slope School, to be exact. Slope School is working to make the most innovative, child-centered schools in the world, with Utah being the light on the hill for what’s possible in K-12 education. Matt was inspired by the discovery of Acton Academy (where he functioned as COO), a string of mega-fun microschools that “didn’t quite feel like a school; it felt like a workshop run by young people, with brilliant design and an overarching storyline that made it all possible.” Matt and his team started the first Slope School (which is part of the Acton Academy network) near the mouth of Provo Canyon in 2019. How is Slopes School different? Rather than rows of desks with a teacher at the blackboard, students work collaboratively like at Google or Facebook. Every student also has the opportunity to be a teacher, and school becomes a journey rather than a lecture-hall. Rather than memorization and testing of rules and facts, students learn real skills and apply them in projects — which are enhanced with professional tools for art, engineering and more. Matt Clayton and Slope School are empowering children to become the world-changers they are destined to be.
MAIN MOTIVATION I feel lucky that my work is all four parts of “Ikigai”: 1) What I love. 2) What I’m good at. 3) What makes a good living at. 4) What makes the world a better place. PERSONAL GROWTH My two big goals are to be “warm-hearted” and “tough-minded,” which I believe comes from Kim Clark. Tough-minded means reliable, excellent and capable. Warm-hearted means empathic, full of love and an amazing listener. I love picking one component every few months and working on it. I’m guessing it’s a lifelong journey. SHARPER SKILLS Going to bed early is a skill I’ve gained along the professional journey. COMBATING DOUBT I go for a long run. The more discouraged, the longer the run. CAREER DREAM To bring world-class K-12 education at under $2,000 per student per year. GOOD BIZ ADVICE “Wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove.” MENTOR WINS I look up to Lowell Bennion and his “learn to like” camp philosophy — look it up.