Dual language Dreamers Academy opens new school facility in Sarasota

SARASOTA — The long-awaited opening of the first-of-its-kind charter Sarasota County school, Dreamers Academy, became a reality last week as instructors and administrators at the bilingual elementary school in north Sarasota opened to its teaching staff ahead of the first day of school on Aug. 10.

Dreamers Academy is a vision come to life.

The newly constructed 43,000-square-foot school is the culmination of years of work. Slowed by a two-year delay −first due to siting and then by the pandemic − school leaders moved the school into Temple Beth Sholom’s educational complex in February 2021. 

In case you missed it: Bilingual charter school Dreamers Academy breaks ground on a state-of-the-art campus

Now, the school's permanent home at 2146 Myrtle St. gives it roots in the community as the only tuition-free public charter school in the region that offers a dual language curriculum model. Students in K-fifth grades are educated in both Spanish and English by multilingual instructors.

The school is led by Dr. Catherine Rodriguez, an experienced educator with a background in clinical psychology who has studied and implemented dual language education across the country. Under her leadership, the school's board of directors and school district leaders say the transformative curriculum is on track to serve as a model for dual language instruction and curriculum models for other schools in the near future.

For now though, the school will welcome its first set of young learners to the state-of-the-art campus Thursday. The school will serve 428 students this academic year and administrators expect the school to be at its full capacity of 640 students by August 2025.

Dreamers has a diverse teaching staff of 28 experienced instructors for the upcoming school year as well. The curriculum, science-backed instruction, and leadership at the school continue to gain praise from parents, students, and support from district administrators.

'Happy kids, create happy classrooms'

About a dozen teachers were busy setting up their respective classrooms a week ahead of the first day of the new school year.

The two-level school features a stocked Biblioteca with a diverse range of books in both Spanish and English, a garden, a music room, an art center, and a combination cafeteria and gymnasium. Teachers throughout the school were visibly excited about their new classrooms and the long-awaited home for their students.

"I absolutely love it," Ortega said about her dual language instruction.

"It invites those children into their culture. It's comforting to them when they come to school that they have a teacher that speaks the English language and the Spanish language. It builds their confidence that someone can help them learn a new language," she said. "Kids love it, they are sponges, they think it's really cool and they find it very exciting. The dynamics are just beautiful, to come in and watch how these kids flow, to see how teachers make the transition and how we blend classrooms, it's a beautiful thing to watch and be a part of."

Founder Geri Chaffee said the head of the school's careful selection of instructors has been an integral part of what makes Dreamers Academy a success for not only the students but for the entire school community, and she isn’t alone.

Bilingual model a draw for students and families

Xander Francois was one of the first kindergarteners to enroll at Dreamers Academy in 2021. Now entering second grade, Francois couldn't hold his excitement in as he met his new teacher on Thursday.

In his home, Francois' father, a Caribbean islander, speaks not only Spanish but French and Patois (a unique blend of languages and dialects spoken in many Caribbean islands). His mother Briana Francois says their household is a melting pot and she and her husband sought a similar space when it came time to send their gifted 7-year-old to public school.

"We heard about Dreamers before COVID, since 2018 when Geri first mentioned she was thinking about opening. My husband is multilingual, he speaks four languages and when Xander started school in pre-K, his teacher at the time didn't speak English, she only spoke Spanish. So for him growing up in this environment is all he knows."

Francois said Dreamers Academy felt similar to her experience attending IMG Academy, then known as Bollettieri Academy, where the international population and cultural melting pot gave her a unique education experience.

"I love the idea and this concept. It's so multicultural," she said. "I think it's important for students to see people that are a representation of themselves. It builds character and this is a big melting pot, it's normal here and what they've done here makes it feel like one big family."

Paige and Penelope Bombella are incoming third- and fourth-graders at Dreamers whose parents were also drawn to the school's dual language model.

The younger Paige was the first to transfer into the charter school as a second-grader from Ashton Elementary. Her older sister Penelope soon followed, their mother Meredith said. The family also has native Spanish speakers and Bombella said she's felt the push to learn the language.

"My brother-in-law is bilingual, a native of Colombia, my nephews spent years living and working in Mexico, and my youngest stays home with his grandmother who only speaks Spanish," Bombella said. "We are in the state of Florida, we speak Spanish here and I want my girls to have something that gives them extra knowledge, language, and brain development.

"It was kind of scary leaving Ashton, we knew in our hearts we wanted them to be bilingual and there were so many questions, but we knew in our gut that this was right for us. We love the teachers, they’re incredible. Will always be ups and downs in any school, but the downs are so minor.”

Bilingual school model approved by School Board

Sarasota County School Board Member Karen Rose applauded the work and development of Dreamers Academy ahead of its opening on Aug. 7. The former Sarasota Middle and Brookside Middle School principal has been supportive of founder Chaffee's long-awaited vision coming to life.

"She’s taken that research in-depth and educated herself in a multitude of ways, she’s invested with leaders in the community and the Spanish community, she’s created a program that I am amazed," Rose said.

"It is a stellar program that’s a win-win for students. I especially like what is being implemented because non-English speaking students have the ability to learn in their native language but also in a new language... Long term that expands their income and work opportunities. I'd very much like to see those opportunities be available at our public traditional schools.”

Dreamers Academy will welcome parents, families, and community members during its open house on Aug. 7 beginning at 9 a.m. in its permanent location at 2146 Myrtle Ave. in Sarasota. The day will include a ribbon-cutting, campus tours, and more. For more information, call 941-888-4000 or visit https://www.dreamersacademy.org/.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: The bilingual charter school opens doors for 2023-2024 academic year