School resumes on islands as students begin new year
Students returned to The Sanibel School on Aug. 12, kicking off the start of their new year.
“We had a wonderful first day of school. We had a pep rally-style welcome back for our students,” Principal Jennifer Lusk said, explaining that the Sanibel Police Department, Sanibel Fire and Rescue District and Lee County Sheriff’s Office took part. “It was the perfect way to start the school year.”
There were no major issues for the first week back.
“There’s a little delay in our buses arriving to us,” she said. “But realistically, in the grand scheme of things, everything is running smoothly.”
Assistant Principal Jill Gurgal explained that due to a shortage of bus drivers at the School District of Lee County, the school had not yet been assigned a second bus driver like usual as of the first week.
“We are lucky to have one of the same bus driver as last year,” she said.
There are 228 students enrolled for the 2024-25 school year.
Lusk noted that every grade level, except for kindergarten and third, has two classes this year.
“We have smaller class sizes,” she said.
For interested off-island families, openings are still available at the school.
“We are looking forward to continuing to grow,” Lusk said. “Our kindergarten and third grade are basically at capacity, but at every other grade level, we definitely have room to grow.”
Families can apply through the district.
She noted that families will have to provide their own transportation.
Interested families can also contact the school at 239-472-1617 to learn more about it.
“We will happily set up a school tour for them,” Lusk said.
As for the faculty, there are some new faces this year. They are: middle school home economics teacher Karyna Diaz, who also has gifted elementary and middle; fourth grade teacher Margo Meyer; and fifth grade teacher Lori Zamniak. After taking off last year to teach virtually with the district, second grade teacher Emily Wells has also returned.
In addition, some continuing faculty will take on extra roles. Middle school teacher Barbara Scarnato will add on sixth grade math, elementary art teacher Erica Sharp will take up science, middle school reading teacher Rachel Stokes will have Global Perspectives and second grade teacher Alexis Suarez will cover English Language Arts.
In terms of curriculum, the school will continue with, expand on and add to what it has offered.
“Our Cambridge (Global Perspectives) program, we are very excited that it’s going to be continuing for our middle schoolers,” she said, adding that the school is looking to expand it to fifth graders this year, then eventually expand it to all elementary grades once staff is fully supported for complete integration.
“We’re always looking to grow and expand our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) program,” Lusk added, noting that they will focus on expanding the “Art” for elementary.
The school will also continue its partnerships with island entities, such as the J.N. “Ding” National Wildlife Refuge, Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Island Water Association and others. New this year, Adventures in Paradise will provide field trips.
Gurgal reported that another new educational component will be the introduction of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), which a team of staff learned at summer training.
“It’s a way to highlight all of the positive behavior going on at the school,” she said, explaining that students will receive a reward card and can earn points, which can then be turned in for prizes.
“It’s different ways to motivate students and help encourage that positive behavior,” Gurgal added.
As for the grounds, the school is anticipating having a new playground installed at the end of September. Hurricane Ian damaged the equipment in 2022 and it was removed over the summer.
“That is going to be a significant improvement,” Lusk said. “We’re very excited for that.”
For more information about the school, visit https://sbl.leeschools.net/ or call 239-472-1617.
The Sanibel School is at 3840 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel.