Pasco County Schools received more than 860 applications within the first four days of finding students for its first magnet facility, Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School.
Applications for Sanders — a school that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics — will be accepted through Jan. 15.
Lindsey Davis submitted the first application at 12:01 a.m., on Dec. 1, in hopes of securing a space for her 7-year-old son, Grant, to attend the school at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes.
Davis and her husband, Quentin, were at a news conference later that day where Superintendent Kurt Browning talked about the need for the school district to expand its educational options.
“As a district, we know that we must compete for the students we serve,” Browning said.
Davis believes that Sanders would be a good fit for her son.
“This is more his niche,” she said. “He loves science. He loves math. He loves basically everything this school is going to offer.
“I’m crossing my fingers that he gets picked.”
The school is set to open in August for the 2015-16 school year. It will serve 762 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, including a mix of children from throughout Pasco County reflecting the diverse nature of Pasco’s public schools.
The school district plans to provide bus transportation within a five-mile radius of the school. For those living farther away, the district will establish transportation hubs at Veterans, Moonlake and Trinity elementary schools where the kids can board a bus to ride to Sanders in the morning and will return to their hub after school.
Students will be selected through a weighted lottery system, with pupils from nearby Connerton and Oakstead elementary schools as well as children of Sander’s staff members given additional weight. Connerton and Oakstead are both operating with enrollments well beyond capacity.
Siblings of students accepted to Sanders also will be given extra weight in the lottery.
Once a student has been accepted, he or she student will be able to attend the school through fifth grade.
Although the standards for the students will be the same, the learning approaches will be different.
The design of the school also will foster a greater degree of collaboration between students, and between students and teachers. A wetlands area with a boardwalk also will give students a chance to get up close with nature, creating opportunities for outdoor learning.
Sanders will have materials that are similar to those in traditional schools, but there will be differences. For one thing, each student will have some type of device allowing them to use technology to help solve problems and enhance learning. They also will have the arts infused into a curriculum that aims to create independent thinkers and learners.
Sanders’ design aims to encourage collaborative learning. When construction is completed, the school will have individual classrooms that are flanked on both sides of a large space where students can work together on projects, where groups of children can work with teachers, and where larger presentations can be given.
Classrooms will have wireless technology. They also are set up to accommodate experiments. Space also will be provided within the school to allow students to store projects they are working on.
Jason Petry has been named the school’s principal, effective Jan. 6, and he’s excited about leading the district’s first magnet school. He said Sanders will emphasize collaboration, critical thinking and communication.
It will encourage children to “pose and answer questions for themselves,” he said.
Teachers and staff should be hired by early summer.
The construction is taking place on a site that was previously occupied by Sanders Memorial Elementary School. Four new buildings are being added, and three old buildings are being reconstructed at the site.
When it opens, Sanders will have a wall showcasing its history, which dates back to 1948. The display will include plaques from the original building, as well as historic photographs.
Correction
Sanders Memorial Elementary School opened in 1948. The Dec. 10 issue of The Laker/Lutz News reported an incorrect year.
Published December 10, 2014
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