A&M SACS Executive Summary Report Submitted by School

8/4/2019 A&M SACS Executive Summary Report Submitted by School

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORT INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE 1

DEMOGRAPHICS 2

EXECUTIVE INSTITUTIONAL SUMMARY 3

Section 1: Introduction 3

Section 2: Student Performance 7

Section 3: Challenges and Opportunities 10

Section 4: Conclusion 12

Academy of Arts & Minds



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REPORT INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

Your ASSIST-Generated Executive Institutional Summary

The Adaptive System of School Improvement Support Tools (ASSIST) is a new, state-of-the art alternative that allows schools to

streamline and enhance their efforts to boost student achievement. Using ASSIST, a school can gain a better understanding of its past

successes and opportunities and confidently build a solid, research-based plan for the future.

Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and student learning takes place influences the processes and

procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way

school leadership considers how to organize, maintain order, and stay faithful to the school's vision. A description of the level of

stakeholder engagement, trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that the school implements to

support student learning also contributes to the overall narrative.

The purpose of the Executive Institutional Summary (EIS) is to give schools an opportunity to tell their story, to describe their context

both strengths and challenges so that the public and members of the school community have a more complete picture of how the

school perceives itself and what it is deliberating as it engages in the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement.

This report is structured into 4 sections that give context about what the school faces on a day-to-day basis in providing teaching and

learning in its community:

Section 1: Introduction Describes the community in which the school is located. Identifies the unique features and special challenges of this school

community. Provides brief demographic information with regards to both students and staff and the community at large.

Section 2: Student Performance

Gives a brief description of the school's vision about students and their performance.Provides a brief summary of student performance in this school. Identifies the school's goals and how the school will know

they have achieved them. Describes the variety of the school's student performance assessments. Identifies how the staff

engages in meaningful analysis of student work in order to modify instruction.

Describes the school's student support programs and services. Identifies the ways in which the school ensures

community/parent involvement in the life of the school.

Section 3: Challenges and Opportunities

Identifies the major challenges the school has faced in the last 3 years and how it has addressed those challenges.

Section 4: Conclusion

Identifies what the school is most proud of and why.

Relates other information the school would like to share with the public and the school community.


Page 1 ©2010 AdvancED www.advanc-ed.org



DEMOGRAPHICS

Institution

District

Country USState/Province FL

City Coconut Grove

Governance Public, Startup

Setting Urban

Type High School

Grade(s) 09, 10, 11, 12

Religious Denomination Not Applicable

Gender Coed

Enrollment 440

Contact

Head of Institution Mr. William Machado, Director

Phone (305) 448-1100

Email [email protected]

Address3138 Commodore PlzCoconut Grove, Florida 33133-5814





EXECUTIVE INSTITUTIONAL SUMMARY

Section 1: Introduction

Describe the community in which your school is located. What are the unique features and special challenges of your school

community?

Briefly provide demographic information with regards to both students and staff and the community at large.

Narrative: The Academy of Arts & Minds is the only public high school in Coconut Grove, amongst a village of schools. Our neighborhood is a

patchwork of the very affluent and the abject poor. Fortunately, the Grove sustains a viable art colony and is rich in heritage as well as

architectural and natural beauty. We are a unique boutique school nestled in the heart of the Grove on Commodore Plaza.

We are A&M; we are the “Stars”.

The Academy of Arts & Minds is located in the center of Coconut Grove, which is surrounded by shopping malls, popular restaurants,

art galleries and Biscayne Bay. The Grove, as the locals refer to it, is a residential community within the City of Miami. We are

surrounded by the natural beauty of Miami and are a short walk from Biscayne Bay’s mangroves. Sites well known in the Grove are

Peacock Park, CocoWalk, and the Shoppes of Mayfair. The artistic and professional area attracts both Miamians and tourists. Rich with

its diversity, Coconut Grove is a cultural Mecca in the City of Miami. Students, families and visitors often take a trip to various hotspots:

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, The Barnacle Historic State Park, Coconut Grove Playhouse, or the Miami Science Museum. After

school, students can visit these areas and sometimes have a quick workout in Peacock Park's State Park. Grammy Award winning

musician, songwriter and performer Timberland is frequently at the park with his son, and often offers A&M Stars inspirational words on

following their dreams as performing artists.

The Academy of Arts & Minds is located in an area that is tourist driven and is at the focal point of the Grove, which by day and night is

always alive with activities. The community attracts a diverse crowd that breaks the barriers of age, culture, and socioeconomic status.

The Grove is historically an arts community that has been home to many well known musicians, actors and writers. The streets are

commonly seen on television screens from shows like Burn Notice to the movie screens of Bad Boys. The area attracts many new

residents, such as the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, who is frequently seen at the school’s neighboring restaurant Green Street Cafe

and who doesn’t mind signing autographs or taking pictures with our A&M Stars.

Coconut Grove is home to several educational institutions, ranging from elementary to high school, and offers students an array of

educational options of public, charter or private schools. The Academy of Arts & Minds is the only public high school in Coconut Grove.

These are:

Elementary schools (public):• Coconut Grove Elementary

• Frances S. Tucker Elementary

• George W. Carver Elementary

Middle schools (public):

• George Washington Carver Middle

High school (charter):





• Academy of Arts & Minds Charter High

High schools (private):

• Ransom Everglades School

• St. Hugh Catholic School

• LaSalle High School

• St. Stephens Episcopal Day School

• Carrolton School of the Sacred Heart

• Coconut Grove Montessori School

The Grove is a small village just getting used to the idea that it takes a whole one to raise a child. It is an insular community of long

established families, and at the same time, attracts tourists passing through, provides housing for singles establishing themselves, as

well as families enjoying the Grove’s unique Miami ambiance. Special challenges involve getting the neighbors to warm to the new high

school that is six years old, and to trust the direction of its leaders. It is difficult to galvanize the community so small in circumferences

and so wide in its diversity. With a new administration that has worked with the faculty for just two years, we are learning as we go and

making great strides.

The Academy of Arts & Minds High School is very unique, not only because we are one of a kind for the area, but because of the

location and surroundings of the school. Viewing our building from the sidewalk, many cannot tell we are a school because the

architecture of a specific time period offers an open space, boutique style, with classrooms that have full floor to ceiling windows. Our

student population is small, and small communities allow students and faculty to develop a tight knit rapport. The Grove offers students

resources that are literally in our streets – a plethora of arts festivals and rich green vegetation provide hands on learning for our

students. Relationships with the community, allow our school to participate in various community service projects to give back to the

community. The school attracts students from all across Miami Dade. They have to audition for their seat and despite the distance our

“Stars” must travel, they want to be at A&M.

Thomas Carlyle once said, “Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains.” As with everything that grows, there are challenges and

growing pains. The school continues to evolve and we continue to encounter challenges that force us to become creative problem

solvers. The three main obstacles our school faces are transportation, space and resources.

Transportation for students can be a challenge, since we have students traveling from as far south as Homestead and north as Carol

City. Students utilize various transportation methods that include parent drop-off to public transportation. Some students drive to school

and have parking available on the streets, at off-street facilities or the City of Miami parking garages. The school continues its effort to

work with neighboring parking facilities to provide students with a discounted student rate. Our students ride together on the Metro rail

and Metro bus services and are dropped off at the corner of Grand Avenue, a block from the school. Students who withdraw from A&M

very often return saying, “The school is worth the long ride.”

Space also provides a challenge. Space in the Grove is at a financial premium and the structure of the school does not allow for

expanding classrooms. The school’s campus was once a shopping mall, restaurant, and theatre. It was sheer genius to convert this

architectural plan into a charter school. Small classrooms, however, are a plus. They keep us honest in restricting class size to twenty-

five or less. In the past year, the school has been resourceful and was able to expand the art room by knocking down a wall. The

physical education classroom was retrofitted with a dressing room that had once been used for an after-school tutoring service. We

obtained two new classrooms after small businesses vacated their shops. In the coming year, the school will obtain more space when

the remaining shop keeper moves to another location.





Lastly, the school is challenged by limited resources. The areas of technology and media are deficient in our school. This year the

Parent Teacher and Student Association (PTSA), in its second year of existence, has worked diligently to raise the necessary funds to

purchase 25 laptop computers on a portable charging station. This will decidedly upgrade computer access and relieve technology

demands in our computer lab. In addition, the school provides free wireless services that allow students to work together in classrooms,

using the internet to do research, write papers, visit teacher websites or check on their grades. Many students bring their own laptops to

school to utilize while on the campus as a means to access the web. A&M does not have a typical library and media center as do other

high schools. In the spirit of innovation, we have established an important relationship with the Coconut Grove Public Library. The

Language Arts Department coordinates frequent class visits so students can obtain orientation and familiarity with the public library

system.

We have a population of 440 students: 59 gifted, 28 ESE and 15 ESOL. Of the 440, 211 are on either free or reduced lunch (170 free/

41 reduced). A&M students represent the broad spectrum of our community, both in ethnicity and in socio-economic levels. Our

teachers reflect a mirror image of the ethnic diversity of the student body and the community. The faculty/staff is racially diverse. The

Coconut Grove community is divided into three distinct areas: the northeast grove that is predominantly white, the southeast grove that

is predominately hispanic and black, and the west grove that is primarily of Afro-Caribbean descent.

Student Enrollment: 440 (as of October FTE)• 9th grade: 162

• 10th grade: 130

• 11th grade: 79

• 12th grade: 69

Student Ethnicity: 435

• Hispanic: 299

• White: 95

• Black: 38

• Asian: 3

Student Sex: 435

• Male: 155

• Female: 280

Free/Reduced Lunch: 211

• Free: 170

• Reduced: 41

Exceptional Education: 91

• Specific Learning Disabled: 16

• Autism Spectrum Disorder: 1

• Other Health Impaired: 11

• Section 504: 4

• Gifted: 59

English Speakers of Other Languages: 21

• Level 1: 5





• Level 2: 2

• Level 3: 2

• Level 4: 6

• Level 5: 6

Administration Experience: 38 years

• William Machado, Director: 29 years total, 2.5 at A&M

• Ileana Valdes, Assistant Director: 9 years total, first year at A&M

Faculty: 26

• First year teacher: 5

• 1 – 5 years experience: 13

• 6 + years experience: 8

• Advanced degrees: 14

• Highly qualified: 25

• Reading endorsed: 1

• National Board Certified: 1

• ESOL Endorsed: 2• ESE Endorsed: 2

In its diversity, A&M mirrors Miami-Dade. We claim that status with a sense of pride and achievement. Evidence that we practice equity

and a sense of fair play in all that we do can be found in the diversity of our faculty and student body. Our gates are open to all students

and teachers with a talent to create and a desire to learn. We are the only public high school in the Grove. We are A&M.





Section 2: Student Performance

Give a brief description of your school’s vision about students and their performance. Provide a brief summary of student

performance in your school. What are your goals and how will you know you have achieved them?

Describe the variety of your school’s student performance assessments. How does your staff engage in meaningful analysis

of student work in order to modify instruction?

Describe the school’s student support programs and services. In what ways does your school ensure community/parent

involvement in the life of the school?

Narrative: The present administration and office personnel have only been in place for the last two years and they started very nearly from the

ground up. This was hard work but it also had its merits. Parent, student and teacher handbooks were written and revised by the staff.

They listened to and incorporated the ideas of all stakeholders. Disciplinary protocols were designed by the school community and its

leaders to address the unique needs of this school. It involved hard work but it allowed the very capable staff to craft their own

processes and procedures to meet the needs of a very different school population. Where at one time discipline was lax, attendance

was poor and tardies were a way of life, disciplinary rules were laid down and adhered to. One mandate of leadership is to provide

educational stability within a safe learning environment. To date, our data show that attendance is at it peak, tardies are a fraction ofwhat they were, and discipline is a well-oiled machine. Ms. Valdes, assistant director, meets one on one with students who have a

preponderance of absences and tardies. Parents are called and consequences are meted out and there is follow through. Now that

students are in school regularly, they can learn and scores will and did rise.

Our graduation rate was at 71% in 2009-2010, a figure we intend to improve. There were 62 seniors of whom 55 were graduates.

Seven students were behind in credits due to the previous administration's inability to implement Pupil Progression Plan guidelines.

Over the course of four years at A&M, many students were lacking credits in their core courses. Many of those students got the surprise

of their lives in their senior year, they were not on track to graduate. A young and extremely talented, well educated counselor, Ms.

Caryn Zusman turned the situation around. She scoured records, met with every senior and got most on track to graduate. Of the 7

who did not graduate, 6 entered and are still in adult education working on their diplomas. One elected to drop out. We hosted a college

fair on the plaza, with 11 universities represented and we invited the community to visit the booths of university representatives. The

younger students got an eyeful as the seniors looked at future options and set their hopes on university life. Ms Sandii Sellers, registrar,

comes to A&M after retirement and decades of experience. She is the guru of registrars and knows regulations inside and out. This is a

very complex network of rules and technological know how, and Ms. Sellers is a storehouse of information. We do not intend to surprise

a senior with the information that he or she will not march at graduation, and with our team we will not have to. Ms. Ileana Perez, the

office manager, is trained to input data and produce the attendence bulletin. She also monitors the electronic grade book. On a day to

day basis, we know that attendance data is accurate and that teachers are in compliance with state mandates regarding grades. This is

a failsafe mechanism in support of equity for all students. If grades do become marginal, the administration talks to students and

parents, and keeps them informed in a timely manner. Ms. Perez has a strong voice in procedures for accurately taking attendance and

for the ways student attendance has improved. Another example of stakeholder input is that one of the parents in an EESAC meeting

felt we needed to do a better job with an awards program to recognize outstanding students. She proposed and is in charge of a night

referred to as the AMYs, like the Grammy's. We will have a red carpet and paparazzi at the celebration. This is an exciting project for

which many students, parents and teachers want to take part. We better serve our students because we all take part in the decision

making.

Collectively, one goal at A&M is that every student gets the chance to take one advanced academic or Advanced Placement (AP) class

In the last two years, AP classes have multiplied; enrollment in those classes has doubled; the number of exams have almost tripled

and most importantly, scores of 3-5 have increased. The due diligence of our teachers and staff has made this work and is attributable

to assisting in our receiving an "A" in 2010.

Student performance opportunities include: dance productions, theater performances and State competitions; chorus shows and State





competitions; art and photography showcases; spoken word/poetry readings, and musical performances.

With increased AP offerings comes the necessity of professional development. Whenever AP workshops are offered, our teachers are

given the opportunity to go. Dr. Susan Hildenbrand, the reading and ESOL teacher, must attend workshops regularly in order to keep

up with the ebb and flow of new regulations, assessments, and learning strategies. Each Thursday, Ms. Valdes reads Miami-Dade

Schools' News Briefs and sends listed professional development opportunities to the entire staff. Teachers meet with Ms. Valdes

individually and write their PEPs. They sign off on the plan. They look at student data, FCAT and AP results, and then, they set goals.

From there, the discussion turns to: What professional development will get you to these goals. There will be a follow up at the end of

the year.

The art strands perform during school time at POP Rallies (Performance on the Plaza Rallies) that mimic a traditional school pep rally,

festivals, State or local competitions, and at local businesses and schools. In addition to student assessments and performances, The

Academy of Arts & Minds utilizes a variety of resources to communicate student progress. These assessments include, but are not

limited to: written or oral communication with parents, standardized exams (PSAT, ACT and SAT), competitions, progress reports,

report cards, progress notices, failure notices, interim assessments, individualized educational plans (IEP) goals and benchmarks,

transitional services for ESE students, annual goals for gifted students, attendance, effort and conduct.

One goal is to ensure that every child takes at least one advanced course or AP exam. We just earned our “A” status and will work to

retain it. We want to increase the graduation rate, improve our percentage in attendance, utilize measurable data as the core of all we

do to improve. We want to do a better job in meeting the needs of all of our students.

We need to incorporate after-school programs that give students the time they need to sharpen their skills and fine tune their talents.

This is a difficult objective given our longer school day and the fact that our students travel from all parts of the county to reach A&M.

At the Academy of Arts & Minds, our goals are developed on an annual basis, based on assessed needs. We measure progress and

achievement by examining outcomes. One measure is the success in post-secondary endeavors – whether students enter

conservatories, colleges, the workforce, the military or pursue the arts. Advanced Placement and Florida Comprehensive Assessment

Test (FCAT) scores offer data of proficiency level and learning gains of students. Lastly, financial stability is measured by the school’s

ability to provide students and staff with adequate materials, supplies and resources.

The Academy of Arts & Minds is a small school with 26 faculty members who have close relationships, professionally and personally.

These relationships are created around the academic and performing arts, within and outside those boundaries. As such, teachers

discuss student progress with each other, both formally and informally. During departmental and faculty meetings, standardized testing,

FCAT, in-class assessments, reading strategies, ESE strategies and best practices are shared and discussed. Peer walk-through

across the curriculum are practiced and strongly encouraged. At A&M, you will often find a teacher sitting in the back of the classroom

grading papers or just sitting in order to observe how students learn in another classroom or to view a new technique or methodology

being practiced by a colleague. The school utilizes the exceptional student education consultative model. The ESE Chairperson meets

with ESE and/or gifted student’s teachers, minimally once a month, to review student progress aligned with goals and benchmarks

attainment and/or needed intervention strategies. Teaching strategies are also discussed that may enhance instruction and promote

student progress.

The Academy of Arts & Minds provides students with a variety of programs and services for support, both academically and socially.

There are many clubs available to students for social and community service endeavors, such as the: Black Student Union, Gay

Straight Alliance, Anime Club, Environmental Club, Spanish Club, Reading Club, Bible Club, Dance Club, Stepping and Hip-hop club,

and Fashion Club. Students participate in student leadership positions within the junior and senior committees to plan fundraisers,

activities and school sponsored events, as well as student representatives that are part of the Parent Teacher and Student Association





(PTSA) and Educational Excellence School Advisory Committee (EESAC). For academic support, A&M offers participation through the

National Honor Society clubs in English, Math, Science and Social Studies. Through these clubs and programs students are given peer

support and sponsor support, as a group and as individuals.

Counseling services are available to students, on a first come first serve basis. Because our school is so small and students and

teachers have such good rapport, teachers will provide the counselor with recommendations on students to see based on changed

behavior or sudden change in academic standing. At the same time, when teachers see adverse behaviors occurring in ESE students,

teachers communicate this to the ESE Chairperson who meets with the students to ensure that help is available. The ESE Chairperson

works in tandem with the school’s counselor.

At the Academy of Arts & Minds, parent participation and involvement is valued and encouraged with the many opportunities that are

available. Parents participate in booster clubs, which are in place for each strand. They are able to use their talents to help raise money

through fundraising activities and events to support their progress. The membership in the PTSA has more than doubled in the past two

years. Parent attendance in the Educational Excellence School Advisory Committee (EESAC), where parental input and participation

has been a critical part of the school’s growth, has also doubled. These organizations are visible at school sponsored events where

they are encouraged to participate. The A&M family understands that students and families have different schedules and travel far

distances. In order to accommodate this and increase the number of parents in participation, PTSA meetings are scheduled alternatingfrom morning to evening times.

The faculty and staff are immersed in an inclusive school culture that provides students individual attention from an academic, artistic

and social perspective. The high school experience at the Academy of Arts & Minds Charter High School is exceptional and rewarding.

The Academy of Arts & Minds is dedicated to a balanced curriculum where no child is left behind. We are an “A” school. We are A&M.

We are the “Stars”.





Section 3: Challenges and Opportunities

What are the major challenges your school has faced in the last 3 years and how have you addressed those challenges?

Narrative: The Academy of Arts & Minds is still in its infancy stage as a school and welcomes opportunities that challenges have brought forth.

One of the most difficult challenges that the school faced in the past three years was finding an administrator to efficiently run the

school – not only to provide leadership for the technical aspects of an educational institution, but to instill a culture and symbols that are

representative of the school's vision and mission. In all, the school has had three different administrative teams assist in the direction o

the school: the first team was in place the first two years the school opened, years three and four had a different group and for the past

two and a half years, a new administrative team is in place.

In each administrative leadership teams, each director has had his own impact on the school. The data below highlights that impact:

• No one (teacher or staff member) remains from the first administration

• From the second administration, 6 teachers remain on staff from a population of over 20 teachers/staff members.

• At the onset of the current (third) administration, 2009, 9 teachers remained at the beginning of the school year. One assistantdirector with elementary school experience was hired and no other office personnel was in place (counselor, registrar, office manager

or clerical staff) four weeks before the opening of school.

This problem of leadership and personnel rollover does not foster programmatic continuity. It places the school in a continual re- start

mode.

The goal of attaining 500 students will be reached in the school’s 8th year, 2011-2012.

Currently, the entire administrative team (which includes the office staff) under the leadership of Director William Machado, has over

100+ years of experience in the field of education. This benefit provides our charter school with the fundamentals of an educational

institution. Prior to his arrival, the school experienced an identity crisis where the road to growth was extraordinarily wide and the vision

clouded. However, under his leadership, faculty and staff participate in reflection and formulation of who we are and where we want to

be in order to develop the culture, environment, symbols and direction of the school. As the school has grown and improved, so has the

school grade improved from a “B” to an “A”. With this success comes an increased expectation for students, faculty, parents and the

community. In-house professional development with the addition of an experienced and knowledgeable leader such as Ileana Valdes,

assistant director, provides an arena for training and the concomitant professionalism. With the changes over the past two years, we

have experienced a high turnover of faculty, but we now hire super star educators who share a like vision and understanding of the

school’s goals and culture.

The Academy of Arts & Minds academic programs are annually modified to address the unique characteristics and trends for every

school year’s incoming students. The academic and visual and performing arts department chairpersons, along with the director and

assistant director, comprise the Curriculum Council, which uses information from all school members in order to provide

recommendations and ideas to guide the direction of the school. We engage in a School Based Management platform of leadership.

One issue the school faced is student attendance/tardiness. We have institutionalized policy and procedures and increased the

participation of parents in the accountability of their child’s on-time arrival to school. Thus far, it has had a positive effect in this school

year. Additionally, the Star Spangled Banner is performed on the plaza by music students at 7:20 a.m., which serves as a notice of the

impending start of the school day, and has decreased the amount of tardiness and increased pride in citizenship. Lastly, as a uniform

wearing school, we now offer students a variety of uniform styles and sizes, to address previous PTSA members, parent and student

dissatisfaction with virtually no variety. This encourages their use.





At the Academy of Arts & Minds, students, parents, faculty and staff are very proud of our school. The highly professional A&M staff is

abundantly talented, tirelessly dedicated and enormously resourceful in meeting the needs of our students. They rise to this occasion.

Our students achieve acclaim in the arts and scholarship; this is tangible testimony of their dedication. The caliber of education A&M

provides is competitive with and often surpasses private and public schools with larger facilities, budgets and equipment and stuff. The

location and design of our school is unique, providing an inspiring ambiance along with inspirational and knowledgeable folks. Students

parents and staff are talented, enthusiastic and motivated. We are A&M!





Section 4: Conclusion

What is your school most proud of and why?

Is there any other information you would like to share with the public and the school community?

Narrative:

The obvious moment of pride for any school community is the attainment of an “A” grade by the State Department of Education, as is

the case in 2010. However, there are factors that have contributed to this level of rating that was earned. It begins with the Governing

Board and the co-founder’s trust in the current administration to manage their educational institution, honoring their founding

philosophical platform and belief statement, while generating the school they envisioned. Contributing to this level of achievement has

been the faculty, staff, students, parents and all stakeholders, who have supported the changing of the school’s leadership. The

initiation and acceptance of the School Based Management approach of leadership which empowers and requires multi-tasking of

responsibilities has been embraced by the total professional team in managing the school. Everyone manages their primary

responsibility and understands the auxiliary role that is adapted to enrich the school’s total educational platform.

Students have responded to the importance to pursue their education vigorously and with passion. They understand that contributing to

their success is daily school attendance/promptness, home learning, seeking rigor in their level of course selection and a good workethic. Understanding that an advanced course in their schedule is an expectation, they have sought to invest in their ability to accept

rigor as the norm and adapt to the educational expectations of the school. As a result, the school’s once poor reputation throughout the

local and educational community has been reversed. Today, there is the realization that a quality, first rate education will be attained at

A & M. Potential student candidates offered a seat for the upcoming year will join their peers in a rigorous and challenging educational

environment, both in the academic and the performing arts arenas. The number of student applicants ensures that the 500 seat cap will

be reached for the 2011 - 2012 year.

Parents and other stakeholders are beginning to become more visible throughout the organizations that support the school’s initiatives

and programs. Utilizing the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), booster clubs and Educational Excellence School Advisory

Committee (EESAC), these stakeholders have emerged to assume an active role on the school’s support team. Their investment

fosters a synergy in a community that creates the village in which to educate the child. Currently, business partnerships are on the

horizon to actively join in the school’s agenda as participants in the school’s growth and development.

Finally, there is a dedication on the part of the faculty/staff that embraces the small college like environment that is Arts & Minds.

Students are nurtured throughout the day and in after-school activities and functions. There is a feeling of family throughout this village

whose beneficiaries are all those who inhabit it.

Highlights from 2009 – 2011

2011

• Amanda Cancio Semifinalist at Miracle Theatre’s Young Talent Big Dreams Competition

• Emilio Blanco takes 1st Place at the University of Miami’s Beaux Arts Festival

• Fernando Ramos awarded “Best of the Show” at University of Miami’s Beaux Arts Festival

2010

• Katrina Bishop performs in Phantom of the Opera

• Nicolette Hernandez & Angel Montaner star in Drowsy Chaperone

• Academy of Arts & Minds Charter High School - Makes the A+ Grade

• John Lennon Educational Bus Tour Music Video





• Willy Schalaudek and Stephanie Garcie win “All Star Cast” at Florida Theater Conference Festival

• Joseph “Tony” Manning named National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalist

• A&M's 2010 – 2011 Silver Knight Nominees Isabella Diaz, Nichole Acosta, Chelsea Brandon, Amanda Cancio, Sloane Garcia,

Stephanie Diaz, Andrew Chaliotis, Julia Roos, Stella Herard and Emilio Blanco

• A&M's Silver Knights for 2009 – 2010: Aline Manella Pereira, Andrea Aguilera, Walter Marion Baker, Geilyn Susana Diaz, Vanessa

Alexandra Guiracoche, Rubi Rosalie Ruiz-Bruzos, Alexandra Lauren Riviere

• Ashley Noelle Everett Silver Knight Honorable Mention Award Plaque for Speech

• Andrea Cortero's art chosen for Official 4th of July Poster & T-Shirt

• Andrew F. Chaliotis. Andrew finalist and performs poetry at Adrienne Arsht Center

• Victoria Marie Gonzalez featured in The First Call published by St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church Creative Writing students selected

and published in A Celebration of Poets in Florida edition, Fall 2009

• A & M's Creative Writing students win 20 first, second and third place ribbons at Miami-Dade County Youth Fair

• Andy Gonzalez and Sebastian Delgado for being selected to the new Adrienne Arsht All Star Jazz Band

2009

• Five A&M ninth graders have been designated by the Sunshine State Scholars Program

• De’Andre Roesteven Holton becomes member of the Editorial Team for the new glossy magazine publication IE2 Inspire, Enrich &

Empower

• 2009 Advanced Placement Award designees: Recognized as AP Scholars are Daniel Barrios, Ashley Noelle Everett, Ricardo Lopezand Liana Salinas. Receiving the designation of AP Scholar with Honor are Kymberly Malek and Andrew James Webster. Xuan Duong

is an AP Scholar with Distinction recipient

• A&M stars enrolled in prestigious colleges and universities, including American Musical & Dramatic Academy, Dartmouth College,

Duke University, Florida State University, New College, New York University, Parsons Paris School of Art & Design, Pratt Institute,

Ringling College of Art & Design, Temple University, Tulane University, UC Berkeley, and University of Miami

• Chorus students ranked "Superior" and "Excellent" at the Florida Vocal Association Festival and the Music Federation Festival

• A&M alumna Camila Banus (Drama, '08) plays the role of "Lola" in television soap opera One Life to Live


A&M SACS Executive Summary Report Submitted by School

Documents

Transcript of A&M SACS Executive Summary Report Submitted by School