Former mini golf course now home for K-6 school

Cindy Peterson
·2 min read

MOUNT DORA − After months of renovations, makeovers and digging up golf balls, CREATE Conservatory has officially moved into its new location: the former Adventure Cove Miniature Golf.

And they’ve already outgrown it.

Phase One of the project included renovating the main building into three classrooms and play area for the existing 28 students. However, August is fast approaching, and they already have 26 kids on the waiting list for the fall.

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The initial storyLake County school transforms mini-golf course into K-12 classrooms

“Phase Two is a lot of hoping and praying,” founder Nicole Duslak said. “I’m working as fast as possible to come up with a solution because there’s nothing more heartbreaking than turning families away.”

CREATE Conservatory moved into the former Adventure Cove Minature Gof location in Mount Dora.
CREATE Conservatory moved into the former Adventure Cove Minature Gof location in Mount Dora.

Funding is the top hurdle

As with all major projects, funding is the top hurdle. After investing more than $60,000 into the existing building, funds are depleted. Moving forward, the school will need a survey of the whole property and plans drawn up for all future use. That will cost nearly $30,000.

The project to replace the former Adventure Cove Miniature Golf in Mount Dora has been broken into three phases. Eventually, the site will house 13 classrooms for K-12.
The project to replace the former Adventure Cove Miniature Golf in Mount Dora has been broken into three phases. Eventually, the site will house 13 classrooms for K-12.

“We are looking at a couple different solutions for additional classrooms for the fall,” Duslak said. “We want to get a permanent building for an additional two classrooms and cafeteria next. Each year we’ve been open, we double our attendance, which is making us quickly outgrow our space.”

Phase Three will include the leveling of the rest of the golf course to make way for a K-12 school with a theater.

All about the school

CREATE is Lake’s first art-integration school. It focuses on individualized learning in a non-traditional school setting.

Kids work on their math lesson at CREATE Conservatory in Mount Dora.
Kids work on their math lesson at CREATE Conservatory in Mount Dora.

“We have a wide spectrum of kids, from fifth graders scoring in the 11th grade level to kiddos right at their grade level,” Duslak said. “One thing we do is celebrate our differences. They all know not every student takes the same test and those that excel in certain areas become tutors to those who struggle more.”

The learning style is described as setting up fence posts and goal lines, then getting out of the way to see how the student soars.

“So many times, we test a student to see what they don’t know,” Duslak said. “Instead, we flip that around. I’ll ask them to tell me 20 things they learned from this lesson and you’d be amazed at what each student picked up and what they learned from their perspective.

Nicole Duslak works with students at the CREATE Conservatory in Mount Dora.
Nicole Duslak works with students at the CREATE Conservatory in Mount Dora.

"They are so proud of themselves when they can solve problems and work through them. In real life, you won’t be using bubble tests. I want to help them be successful in life.”

For more information or to schedule about a tour, visit https://createconservatory.com/.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: CREATE Conservatory school now occupies former mini golf course