Welcome to the "About Us" page. Here you will find basic information on the Blessed Teens Academy. Currently in its 9th year of existence, the Blessed Teens Academy was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization in Colorado on March 18th, 2009 and became a 501(c)3 federally recognized program on February 24th, 2010. The Blessed Teens Academy was founded by Steve and Jeri Tamayo as a way to give Unificationist youth, generally fourteen to eighteen (high school age), an alternative to going to public school and to give them an environment where they could grow their faith, spirit, and character. Although beginning as an unofficial home-stay homeschooling program without a name, the Blessed Teens Academy in its present day has become officially recognized by the Colorado Department of Human Services as a Religiously Exempt Residential Child Care Facility and has a 17,356 square foot facility located in Greeley, CO.

In 2003, out of their desire to care for and educate young people, Steve and Jeri Tamayo opened their home to young people who were looking for an alternative to public schooling. This became the beginning of what is now known as the Blessed Teens Academy, although it started as just a small unofficial home-stay homeschooling program in Reno, Nevada. There was not even such a name as Blessed Teens Academy at that point. From that time on, the program began to develop and evolve as more and more youth decided to join. The program, due to its need to expand to larger facilities to incorporate its growing attendance, began to seek out new locations to move to. Also, other people such as Andrew and Laurie Shoultz and Richard and Kazuyo Wiltermood began to take notice of the program and its good qualities and wanted to become involved. After moving…

Students at the Blessed Teens Academy are enrolled in nationally accredited homeschooling curriculums. These curriculums are regionally and nationally accredited, and the diplomas are widely accepted by colleges and employers. It is important to note that the Blessed Teens Academy is not a school. As such, it does not have an academic curriculum or teachers of its own. Parents must independently enroll their children into a homeschooling program before their children arrive at the BTA. Starting in 2011-2012, the Blessed Teens Academy will be enrolling all of its students into an online public charter program developed by the Colorado Department of Education. This online charter program uses the Pearson Education system. Although the Blessed Teens Academy is not a school itself, through the online charter program, students are assigned local teachers who regularly monitor their progress and meet with them personally. It provides easily accessible teachers and a facility for…

In addition to academics being of utmost importance, our primary focus at the Blessed Teens Academy is in the internal education. Internal education given at the BTA is based on the Divine Principle, discovered by Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The application of the Principle is one's daily life is the heart of the education that is given. As a group and as individuals, students are encouraged to learn to apply the Divine Principle in their daily lives. Every day begins with 5:00AM Hoon Dok Hae/Morning Service where a staff member typically leads a daily devotion. Many times, there are Evening Services to offer further internal education. Students at the Blessed Teens Academy are divided into groups (often referred to as trinities) which are led by a staff member. The staff member is responsible for all aspects of the students' experience while they are in that person's group. This includes the…

Students at the Blessed Teens Academy go on many outings throughout the year, such as sightseeing trips, fundraising, trips to the mountains, fishing, road trips, and more. These outings stimulate the students through experiences in nature and through learning to challenge themselves. Below are just a few of the outings that students at the Blessed Teens Academy may participate in throughout the school year.Fundraising TripsSightseeingFishingRoad TripsHiking in the Rocky MountainsInner TubingSwimmingRoller SkatingBowlingOrganizing and Participating in WorkshopsService ProjectsMillionaire Mind SeminarsElitch's Theme Park (Six Flags)and many more!   Students at the Blessed Teens Academy will also travel to many locations during the year. In the past several years, there have been trips to Reno, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, Lake Tahoe, the Bay Area, Texas, and New Mexico just to name a few. On the trips, students will often fundraise, hold workshops, and/or do service projects in the areas that are…

Part of the experiential process of internal education at the Blessed Teens Academy is that students participate in many service projects throughout the year. These service projects can vary greatly, but they all allow the students to practice caring for their community and serving the greater good. The Blessed Teens Academy has worked together with many different organizations throughout the years to do service projects. The following are just a few...   Habitat for HumanityService for PeaceWilderness on WheelsWeld Food BankFood Bank of the Rockiesand many more... 

Blessed Teens Academy students organize and attend many workshops throughout the year. There are several workshops held specifically for the education of the students. These workshops are given and organized by the older students, interns, and staff members. During these workshops, students simply learn and absorb new material. However, this experience alone is not enough for students to retain the content or understand the deep value of it. This is the reason why the BTA students are at one point asked to organize local workshops and travel to other communities as well to share with others. As the students grow in their understanding of their faith, it becomes necessary to have experiences teaching it and helping others to understand what they've learned as well. These workshops have been held as far as Spain. In addition to these workshops, the BTA has been privileged to be able to attend workshop with…

*Coming Soon*

In addition to being an official satellite location of Lovin' Life Ministries, the Blessed Teens Academy is privileged to be able to attend numerous Lovin' Life events throughout the year, including but not limited to Lovin' Life services and galas in Las Vegas, the CARP Winter Gala in New York City, and the Commencement Gala in New York City.  The Blessed Teens Academy is privileged to be able to attend services of Lovin' Life Ministries, both live and by satellite feed. Also, because of its proximity to Las Vegas, the BTA is able to attend the Lovin' Life services there as well as the galas and other events such as the Original Divine Principle workshops and Charity Slot Tournaments (age permitting).