Florida School Unveils New Building for Students with Dyslexia

Middle school students began classes on Monday at the newly constructed building at Roberts Academy, a private school for students with dyslexia, reports The Ledger. Students in sixth through eighth grade have their own building apart from two other buildings used by students in second through fifth grade.

Founded in 2010 and located on the campus of Florida Southern College, the school is the only transitional elementary school in Florida dedicated to students with dyslexia, Head of School Kim Kelley told the Ledger. The school uses the Orton-Gillingham Approach for teaching language comprehension to students with dyslexia. The school has 145 students and 75 are in grades six through eight.

Construction on the new building began in March, after the school began remote classes for the rest of the school year. The fall semester began on Aug. 24 with in-person classes, but the new building wasn’t ready until Monday.

Blue, red and yellow primary colors are found throughout the two-story building. The new building has a bigger cafeteria than the original building, but it isn’t in use yet due to COVID-19 precautions. On the second floor, the school will eventually have an information technology room with the science lab in the adjoining room. In addition, the school has new smart boards in each classroom.  

“It’s beautiful,” Marissa Smith told The Ledger. “I’m so excited to have the space and a place where middle school can really feel like it’s their own and thrive and grow and learn.”

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • University of Illinois Moves Forward with College Sports’ Largest Digital Scoreboard

    The University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., recently announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include the largest scoreboard in college sports, according to a news release.

  • Houston K–12 District Opens New Elementary School

    The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) recently announced the completion of a new elementary school in a western suburb of Houston, Texas, according to a news release. Haygood Elementary School measures in at 110,000 square feet, has the capacity for 854 students, and is the first of three new schools scheduled to be built in the Cross Creek West community.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.