School of Arts and Sciences on Thomasville Road celebrates its 25th anniversary
The School of Arts and Sciences opened in 1999 on Thomasville Road to offer students an advanced, hands-on learning experience. The K-8 charter school's campus resembles a small village, a characteristic the school's principal says reflects and cultivates its community-focused culture.
"We can overcome anything that comes our way together," Principal Eirin Lombardo told the Tallahassee Democrat about the campus environment. "We want everyone to feel a sense of belonging, and we want our students and staff to feel true to themselves."
On Sunday, students, parents and staff will gather to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the school's founding, a milestone for the close-knit community that has supported innovative teaching for more than two decades.
"It's the school's birthday this Sunday," second grader Leon Esnst said when approached on campus by a reporter.
The "birthday party" will be held 2 p.m. Sunday with an open house on campus. Members of the community, parents, staff, and alumni will get the chance to explore the campus and hear what the A-grade charter school has to offer.
The school started 25 years ago with about 200 students, now the Thomasville Road campus supports about 450 students. Lombardo said the attraction to the school prompted the opening of a second SAS campus inside The Centre (formerly the Tallahassee Mall) on North Monroe Street in 2015.
The campus operates independently of the Thomasville Road site, but both are managed by the board of the School of Arts and Sciences Foundation.
According to state records, the student body is 66% white, 14% Black, 10% Hispanic, 2% Asian and 7% report being two or more races. About 53% identify as girls and 47% as boys. Roughly 8% are "economically disadvantaged" and 14% have a disability.
Lombardo, and Assistant Principal Ashley Arrington, said the school has a knack for recovering from tough times, citing the pandemic and, most recently, three classrooms that flooded following a severe storm, delaying anniversary celebration plans.
She said that spirit of resilience is because community is the driving force of the school's culture. She said the amicable and friendly nature between students, teachers and administrators is genuine, not forced, and based on an understanding that everyone deserves respect.
"It is the perfect atmosphere to get involved in as a person and an educator," said Pamela Muhammad, who has taught at the school for 14 years. "Evolving from teachers to friends, those are some of my best memories."
Second grader Estella Driscoll Kingt said she feels at home on campus where she learns something new every day: "I like how they teach here, and I like how protected the school is. I just felt really happy when I first got here, and I love coming to school every day."
She says her favorite classes are math and science. Lombardo said students pressure their peers to partake in activities that encourage a healthy lifestyle, not bullying or negativity.
"The people are always super kind and there is never bullying here, which is really good," said Vivian Zolotoukhine, an eighth grader. "The teachers are good teachers, and they pay attention to all of us and check in on our needs."
She added: "It's not just staring at a book, it's learning how to be a good person."
Lombardo said the school offers unique and fun elective courses to keep students engaged with common core subjects and it inspires them to be creative. For instance, the school offers a gardening class that all students must take. It is considered a hands-on learning tool used to teach classes in the sciences.
Other courses are offered in robotics, 3D art and there's even a rock band class, where students learn to play electric and bass guitar.
"What's kind of special for us is finding ways to make the learning experience interesting and engaging, and, really empowering teachers to come up with those new and different ideas," Lombardo said.
Esnst said his favorite memory at the school was in gardening class where he pulled a thistle weed that was taller than his teacher.
In the gardening classroom at the front of the campus, students sit on tree stumps and watch their teacher surrounded by raised garden beds with lettuce, kale, herbs and berries. The school is more than the garden you see when you step foot on the school's campus, the garden is a reflection of what happens there: Growth.
"The school isn't all about gardening, but it speaks volumes about the school, because it's a whole approach to a healthy lifestyle and it's something everyone does together," said Ann Marie Kovacik, a parent of two students. "They have good people skills, and they are taught to breed friendship and respect for everyone."
If you go
What: School of Arts and Sciences 25th anniversary celebration
Where: 3208 Thomasville Road
When: Sunday, April 21, 2-4 p.m.
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: School of Arts and Sciences on Thomasville Road turns 25 this month
