For New Tampa and Wesley Chapel families who consider the standardized testing and one-size-fits-all curricula that have become synonymous with public schools unsuitable to the educational needs of their children, there is an alternative.
Carrollwood Day School (CDS) — located 30 minutes from most of Wesley Chapel on W. Bearss Ave., a few miles west of I-75, distinguishes itself by offering more than academic excellence, says Head of School Ryan Kelly.
“The main emphasis (here) is character development,” Kelly says. “That’s the foundation.” He adds that the school promotes that development through its classroom instruction, which is based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) World School Programme.
The IB Programme is based on educational principles developed and promoted globally by the Geneva, Switzerland-based foundation called International Baccalaureate (IB). According to the IB website (IBO.org), its mission statement is to, “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”
Schools throughout the world, from Albania to Zimbabwe, offer IB Programmes. CDS became an IB World School in 2005.
Kelly says the curriculum provides students what they will need to be effective global citizens and healthy risk takers, and that teaching life skills, as well as academics, is an important part of a CDS education.
“At the young age it’s anything from manners to treating a friend well,” Kelly says, “and then, as you get into elementary school, it’s some of the same but we work on public speaking and a variety of other things. And, in middle and high school, it’s (teaching) what you should do in difficult situations.”
The goal is to provide knowledge and tools that can lead to success, and that includes lessons about what to do when things go awry.
Kelly characterizes this as a “wholistic” approach. “We’re looking at the whole child,” he says. “There’s a lot of pressure on teenagers today and what we work on is building resiliency within our students, learning how to fail and not let it ruin your whole life and just understanding that there are going to be obstacles in your way.”
CDS director of marketing Shannon Gauthier says the school’s curriculum of Primary Years (age 3-grade 5), Middle Years (grades 6-10) and Diploma programmes (grades 11-12) is distinctive.
“We are the sixth school in the United States authorized to offer all three levels of the IB Programme,” Gauthier says.
About 1,000 students from age two through high school attend the co-educational, private school (unaffiliated with any particular religious group) which began in 1981 as an early childhood learning center in a rented storefront space. Over the years, CDS added grade levels and moved to different locations to accommodate its growth.
It became an IB World School in 2005 and moved to its current location on W. Bearss Ave. the following year, which is also when CDS’ high school division opened.
Academic programs emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have become popular, as students and their families seek knowledge applicable to the modern workplace. CDS adds another “E” (for Entrepreneurship) in its unique STEEM program.
“I want to make sure they are exposed to the STEEM areas because research shows that’s where the jobs are going to be,” says Kelly. “I brought entrepreneurship into the STEM acronym because it’s much more than just building a business, it’s about innovation, it’s about thinking outside the box.”
The STEEM emphasis is applied throughout all grade levels at CDS. Kelly says the IB curriculum’s emphasis on character development provides students a good academic foundation and personal skills that match up well with the school’s STEEM emphasis.
“It’s about social entrepreneurship and that’s about volunteering. A lot of times math, science, engineering and computer technology all sit in their silos and my goal is that there’s much more crosstalk between them all.”
Kelly says students learn to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems, like developing a social entrepreneurship business to tutor neighborhood kids.
And So Much More!
CDS offers more than just rigorous academics. Athletic opportunities range from equestrian to football. The softball and volleyball teams have made the state final four in recent years, and the football team is always a playoff contender, to name a few athletic successes.
Several honor societies are represented at CDS and students can join with others in clubs that explore drama, rocketry, table tennis, music, yoga and more. There’s even a model United Nations and a chapter of Oprah’s Ambassadors.
Many activities take place in the new, 25,000-square-foot Hayes Family Gymnasium that cost $3.5 million to build. There also is a performing arts theater located in the main building.
Tampa Palms resident Anh Flinter’s three daughters attend CDS and says the school has served her family’s educational needs well since moving to Tampa from New Jersey in 2009.
“My children are very happy and have flourished at CDS, (thanks) to the rigorous education derived from the IB program,”Flinter says, also noting that the teaching excellence of the CDS faculty and the families who volunteer their time and talents as some of the things that have prompted her to say, “Sending our daughters to CDS was one of the best decisions we’ve made.”
Sandy Smith is a CDS teacher who started out as a parent of a student at the school. The second grade teacher has been at CDS for nine years, following 15 years in the Hillsborough County School District. Her professional relationship with CDS began shortly after her daughter transferred there.
“When my daughter was transitioning to middle school, I wanted something different for her,” Smith says. “When I came to CDS, I just loved the family environment. It’s so warm and inviting.”
Families can contact the admissions office for a tour and several Open House events are held throughout the year. The public also will have a chance to visit the campus on Tuesday, August 9, when educator and author Michele Borba presents a program in which she will, “share hands-on tools to help in parenting for success,” and will provide the audience, “immediately usable strategies and an actionable roadmap for transforming cultures and improving relationships,” according to the CDS website. Borba is the author of the book UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World, which has made the summer reading list of the staff and faculty at CDS.
CDS is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Florida Council of Independent Schools, the Florida Kindergarten Council, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
There are two CDS campuses. The main campus, consisting of primary, middle, and high school facilities, as well as the main administrative offices is located at 1515 W. Bearss Ave. in Carrollwood. The early childhood campus is located at 12606 Casey Rd., in Carrollwood Village.
As a private school, CDS charges tuition, although Kelly says scholarship opportunities are available. He notes that there is some capacity to accommodate students with Individual Education Plans (IEP), but “CDS does not have the extensive resources that public schools have in that regard.”
The 2016-17 school year begins on Tuesday, Aug. 16. Families interested in learning more about CDS can check out the school’s website at CarrollwoodDaySchool.org or by calling 920-2288.
