School resumes on islands as students begin new year
Students returned to The Sanibel School on Aug. 10, kicking off the start of their new year.
“The first day was wonderful,” new Principal Jennifer Lusk said.
She reported that Sanibel Mayor Richard Johnson, the Sanibel Fire and Rescue District and Lee County Sheriff’s Office unit on Captiva took part in the back-to-school welcome during student drop off. On Aug. 11, Lee County School Board Vice Chair Samuel Fisher stopped by to tour the school and classes.
“Our incredible Sanibel PTA sponsored and hosted the annual Boo Hoo Yahoo Breakfast in our cafeteria for families to attend after they walked their child to class,” Lusk said.
“Our students are happy to be back and excited for this year,” she added.
Lusk reported that there were no major issues the first two days.
“We are fortunate that we are off to such a great start to the year,” she said. “We still have a few minor repairs taking place, but have been well supported by our school district’s maintenance teams.”
There are 235 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year.
Lusk noted that wavier applications are still being accepted for interested off-island families.
“The waiver is still open and we have availability in most grade levels,” she said.
As for faculty, there are some new faces at the school this year.
The new staff members include: Assistant Principal Jill Gurgal; second-grade teacher Alexis Suarez; third-grade teacher Vanessa Clarke; school counselor Dr. Bruce Hyman; Intervention Support Specialist Theresa Jack; and Barbara Scarnato has returned as Athletic Director and a math intervention teacher.
In terms of curriculum, the school is continuing to develop its STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — program, which now includes sixth through eighth grade. Paul Warren will teach grades 3-8 and Erica Sharp will cover STEAM — which includes Art — for grades K-2.
Lusk reported that the students in grades K-5 in environmental education will take part in interactive lessons and field trips every month with the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge staff.
“We are also building relationships with experts in STEM fields to come do presentations and provide additional hands-on learning,” she said.
The Florida Department of Transportation is making a donation to the program to provide whatever is needed to resume biking field trips, like bikes, helmets, traffic signs and instructional equipment.
New this year, the school is offering geometry for the first time to its middle school students. Lusk reported that it is an advanced high school class that qualifying middle-schoolers can now take.
“What is most impressive though is the level of student excitement to take part,” she said.
Also, the school is expanding its Cambridge Global Perspectives program to all middle-schoolers.
“This is a program that enhances students understanding of the research process, and students that participate show significant growth in all areas of literacy,” Lusk said, explaining that students were previously eligible for the program based on their standardized testing scores.
“We are going to have different levels of Global Perspectives this year to support students at all levels and maximize student learning gains,” she added.
On the subject of post-Hurricane Ian recovery as of the start of the school year, Lusk reported that some larger ongoing projects are roof repairs, the ball fields and lighting, and permanent fencing structures.
“It is important to me as a member of our island community and principal of The Sanibel School to stay actively involved in our community,” she said, citing her recent membership into service clubs. “I look forward to continuing to grow these relationships throughout the year with our Interact Club, inviting the community to our PTA events, and seeing first-hand all that we can accomplish together.”
For more information about the school, visit sbl.leeschools.net or call 239-472-1617.
The Sanibel School is at 3840 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel.