About Bonanza Educational
Learn about the people, the purpose, and the history of Bonanza Educational.
In Brief
Bonanza Educational, LLC is a locally owned education and consultancy firm founded and headquartered in Chandler, Arizona. Two brothers, Jeremy and Brian Scott, lead the company and its team of friendly, knowledgeable staff and instructors, with heart and soul and a dedication to excellence. Jeremy and Brian are not franchisees or local managers for a foreign out-of-state company, which is uncommon in the industry, instead they lead their company with a personal touch, tailoring their programming to needs and character of their community. Bonanza Educational is a mission-focused company, which values partnership with institutions over profit. They write, test, and deploy curriculum based on the needs of their community, tested with students from within the community, and refuse to purchase or import stock curricula.
Our Story
Bonanza was founded by two brothers, Jeremy and Brian Scott. They were homeschooled by their awesome Mom, who encouraged exploration and discovery in their “unschool” homeschool environment. Jeremy, the oldest, loved math, and he learned as much as he could about it; finishing his first college math book at the age of thirteen. Brian, a year younger than his brother, was the “class clown” and loved; he participated in his first fine art exhibition at only the age of twelve. The brothers vividly recall being assigned projects like, “make a report about colonial life” and their mom being surprised when they used their LEGO® bricks to build an example of a colonial American village instead of simply writing a paper report.
At the ages of fourteen and fifteen, the brothers’ parents encouraged them to start a small business. They were told running a business would teach them valuable life skills. Because of their love for LEGO®, they started reselling sets on the internet via eBay and their own website. Everyone was surprised when a “school project” turned into over $100,000 of sales in their first year. The following year, Jeremy and Brian’s efforts were recognized by the LEGO® company itself, and the BrickBros were granted the first US internet exclusive retailer account, which enabled them to buy directly from LEGO®. This led to huge growth. Their success in business at a young age earned the brothers local and national media attention, resulting in invitations to speak at junior and senior high school assemblies and clubs.
Once asked by a middle school teacher during a speaking engagement to what the BrickBros attributed their success, the brothers gave credit to their parents for homeschooling them in a unique and creative way. They also attributed the fun and explorative learning opportunities LEGO® toys afforded them over the years. Inspired by these experiences, the brothers brainstormed the basic idea that would become the anchor of Bonanza Educational: using LEGO® toys to challenge children to develop their creativity and innovative abilities while practicing academic skills like science and math alongside life skills like teamwork and communication.
It took a few years before an opportunity presented itself for the brothers to actually bring classes to students. Those first classes emboldened the brothers, and with a new, fully developed curriculum, co-written by the brothers with input from local educators, the brothers offered their first Building Bonanza classes in Spring 2010 in Gilbert, AZ. After an equally popular follow-up class, the brothers saw a growing demand for classes like theirs and they formally organized as Building Bonanza Educational.
Over the next few years, the brothers gained experience that led to the development of new curricula, many of which include media other than LEGO®, like movie making and cupcake decorating. They focused on developing a company that was aware of both its community partners’ successes as well its own. With a wider focus and an ever-growing audience due to its larger scope and appeal, the company changed its name in January 2012 to Bonanza Educational to reflect its maturity and growth.
Since 2010, Jeremy and Brian Scott, along with their extraordinary team of instructors, have served over 50,000 students in various enrichment classes, summer camp programs, and on-site field trips. The brothers also draw from their experiences to support local organizations and businesses. Programming is offered valley-wide and Bonanza Educational is committed to bringing more of its creativity based programming to a growing audience in their community and across the country.
Our Mission
Bonanza Educational, LLC exists for the mission and purpose of:
First: Equipping our community with the qualifications to rise to the challenges of our changing economy, where communication, collaboration, creativity, and technical aptitude are necessary. Our carefully prepared programs challenge individuals to learn and grow, through a process of exploration, experimentation, and expression, with an emphasis on hands-on discovery.
Second: Partnering with community-based organizations, institutions, and governments to expand access to engaging enrichment educational opportunities for all.
Third: Building a workplace where creativity, passion, and play are encouraged. Our culture fosters collaboration, rewards collective successes, and provides opportunities for the personal and professional growth of our employees.
Our Pedagogy
Write about the pedagogy.