Academy at the Lakes
Encyclopedia
Academy at the Lakes is a private
-independent college preparatory co-educational JK–12 school in Land O' Lakes, Florida
(metropolitan Tampa
).
The school is non-denominational school and has two campuses separated by Collier Parkway. The Wendlek Campus is located on the east side of the street and the McCormick campus is located on the lakefront of Lake Myrtle on the west side.
The Academy currently educates more than 400 students each year and provides its students with abundant opportunities in athletics, the arts, character formation, and community participation. Students and families are divided and assigned within a "house system". This system provides students and families with many cross-age and cross-campus experiences and furthers the Academy's focus upon building community-based relationships.
Beginning in the Lower School, students have opportunities to participate in the arts as a part of their core curriculum, taking such courses in subjects such as strings, band, instrumental music, choral music, choruses, theater, dance, and a full range of visual arts, including photography courses, videography and sound mixing. Performance is a routine part of the student experience.
The school is fully accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools and the Florida Kindergarten Council, and is a full member of the National Association of Independent Schools. Locally, Academy at the Lakes is a member of the Bay Area Association of Independent Schools.
In 1992, the Academy at the Lakes opened its doors to its first classes. A few years later, the small elementary school
had expanded to include a middle school
. Overcrowding concerns led parents Mary and Gerry McCormick to donate additional property to the school. In 1996, the McCormick Campus opened its doors designed as a middle school. In 1998, an Upper Division was created to serve high school
students.
In February 2008, the Academy opened a $3.1 million gymnasium, which includes locker rooms, coaches offices, a weight room, and a stage. Athletics, interscholastic sports, clubs, service programs, extended travel opportunities, academic fairs, and internships (for seniors) help to form what the school believes is a well-rounded liberal studies school experience.
Since the school's inaugural graduating class in 2002, graduates of Academy at the Lakes' Upper Division have been accepted to colleges around North America. Currently, Academy students attend or have attended schools such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and Northwestern.
, swimming, golf
, volleyball
, varsity football
, boys' and girls' basketball
, baseball
, track and field
, tennis, cheerleading, and softball
. The football team won the 2006 Florida state six-man championship.
Middle school sports offered at the Academy include soccer, swimming, golf, volleyball, boys' and girls' basketball, baseball, cheerleading, track and field, tennis
, and softball.
) the plays had been produced and directed by Aleida Morse, long time Academy music director. The 2005–2006 production, A Midsummer Night's Dream
w/the rock of The Beatles
, was directed by Katrina Stevenson, high school English and theater teacher. Stevenson is also a member of Tampa's Jobsite Theater
. The 2006–2007 musical was Guys and Dolls, directed by Katrina Stevenson. The performance was performed on March 3, 2007. The 2008 production of Fiddler on the Roof
was April 4, 2008. The performance was directed by Chris Holcom and produced by Gary Compton. Some of the more recent musicals have included HMS Pinafore
, The Sound of Music
, and Oliver!
also directed by Chris Holcom. The newest musical is Wizard of Oz, directed by Gale Sheaffer.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
-independent college preparatory co-educational JK–12 school in Land O' Lakes, Florida
Land O' Lakes, Florida
Land O' Lakes is a census-designated place in Pasco County, Florida, in the United States. Land O' Lakes is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida MSA. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 31,145. The city grew rapidly during the 1990s, growing from 7,800 residents to...
(metropolitan Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
).
The school is non-denominational school and has two campuses separated by Collier Parkway. The Wendlek Campus is located on the east side of the street and the McCormick campus is located on the lakefront of Lake Myrtle on the west side.
The Academy currently educates more than 400 students each year and provides its students with abundant opportunities in athletics, the arts, character formation, and community participation. Students and families are divided and assigned within a "house system". This system provides students and families with many cross-age and cross-campus experiences and furthers the Academy's focus upon building community-based relationships.
Beginning in the Lower School, students have opportunities to participate in the arts as a part of their core curriculum, taking such courses in subjects such as strings, band, instrumental music, choral music, choruses, theater, dance, and a full range of visual arts, including photography courses, videography and sound mixing. Performance is a routine part of the student experience.
The school is fully accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools and the Florida Kindergarten Council, and is a full member of the National Association of Independent Schools. Locally, Academy at the Lakes is a member of the Bay Area Association of Independent Schools.
History
Academy at the Lakes was founded by educators Richard and Constance Wendlek in September 1991.In 1992, the Academy at the Lakes opened its doors to its first classes. A few years later, the small elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
had expanded to include a middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
. Overcrowding concerns led parents Mary and Gerry McCormick to donate additional property to the school. In 1996, the McCormick Campus opened its doors designed as a middle school. In 1998, an Upper Division was created to serve high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students.
In February 2008, the Academy opened a $3.1 million gymnasium, which includes locker rooms, coaches offices, a weight room, and a stage. Athletics, interscholastic sports, clubs, service programs, extended travel opportunities, academic fairs, and internships (for seniors) help to form what the school believes is a well-rounded liberal studies school experience.
Since the school's inaugural graduating class in 2002, graduates of Academy at the Lakes' Upper Division have been accepted to colleges around North America. Currently, Academy students attend or have attended schools such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and Northwestern.
Administration
Mark Heller serves Academy at the Lakes as the Head of School. Administrators of the school include Upper Division Director Robert Sullivan, Middle Division Director John Pitcairn, Lower Division Director Annie Kapetanis, Admission Director Judy Kent, Marketing Director Lisa Taylor, Dean of Student Services Sarah Ivie, Athletic Director Tom Haslam, Financial Officer Dorie Burnham, and Facilities Manager Don Bellefeuille.Sports
High school sports offered at the Academy include soccerFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, swimming, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, varsity football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, boys' and girls' basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, tennis, cheerleading, and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. The football team won the 2006 Florida state six-man championship.
Middle school sports offered at the Academy include soccer, swimming, golf, volleyball, boys' and girls' basketball, baseball, cheerleading, track and field, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and softball.
Houses
Following the example of British prep schools, Academy uses a house system. The student body and faculty are divided into four houses: Osprey (blue), Nighthawk (yellow), Peregrine (red), and Kestrel (green). The houses compete against each other in an annual House Day. Other house events include the Kindergarten and Senior Picnic, Buddy Reading Days, intramural sporting events, and family gatherings.Annual musicals
Every year in the spring, in conjunction with Friendship Week, the Academy's drama department produces a full scale musical production for the school community. Up until and including the 2004–2005 production (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
) the plays had been produced and directed by Aleida Morse, long time Academy music director. The 2005–2006 production, A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
w/the rock of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, was directed by Katrina Stevenson, high school English and theater teacher. Stevenson is also a member of Tampa's Jobsite Theater
Jobsite Theater
Jobsite Theater is an American professional theater company founded in 1998 located in Tampa, Florida, and is the resident theater company of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts . Co-founder David M. Jenkins serves as Producing Artistic Director.-History:Founded in 1998 by David M...
. The 2006–2007 musical was Guys and Dolls, directed by Katrina Stevenson. The performance was performed on March 3, 2007. The 2008 production of Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
was April 4, 2008. The performance was directed by Chris Holcom and produced by Gary Compton. Some of the more recent musicals have included HMS Pinafore
HMS Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, and Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
also directed by Chris Holcom. The newest musical is Wizard of Oz, directed by Gale Sheaffer.