After only five years of existence, Oakland-based Illuminations Academy is relocating to a new location to better accommodate its students and teachers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Previously located at Family Church\u2019s Oakland campus at 200 S. Tubb St., Illuminations Academy focuses on wellness, sensory and the arts, while following Florida\u2019s education standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Principal Jillian Brown said Family Church hosted the K-12 academy with great care, but as Illuminations Academy continues to grow, the space became too small.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teachers were packing up their classrooms every Friday to unpack and set up for school Monday, which is unsustainable, Brown said. The school\u2019s framework is about \u201ccurating a sensory environment,\u201d and teachers needed a more permanent space to make that environment a reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main reason we moved is because we needed more space, and we needed to be able to do things that fit our model, our brand, our framework,\u201d she said. \u201cThis new building gives us that opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The academy now will be located at 788 Montgomery Ave., Ocoee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now teachers and staff are faced with a challenge against the clock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The academy\u2019s new location is a 16,000-square-foot office building, so staff must turn it into a functioning campus before the new school year starts in August.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The hope is to start out with seven to nine classrooms, as well as a cafeteria that can turn into a theater, a media center, two libraries, a design lab and a playground.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the future, more classrooms might be added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brown said the new campus will be the perfect environment, with bright, open, vibrant, yet classy spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s kind of the vision of what it looks like \u2014 a lot of color but just enough to keep your mind awake, not enough to overwhelm you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
With a sensory environment in mind, Brown said the school will have a comforting scent, as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be like we\u2019re pumping smells into the building,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be fresh, crisp and cool. \u2026 That kind of sets the stage for the whole experience as you\u2019re in the building.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the new school year fast approaching, Brown said it will be a full-team effort to be ready for students next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinances are a big challenge, because we not only need to hire people, which is always going to be the biggest and most worthwhile expenses, but (also) we need to do a few things, like we need to put up a fence, we need to turn this into a school, so we need to have the money to implement all these great ideas,\u201d she said. \u201cThe thing my team thinks about most is being able to fund the ideas that we\u2019ve got, because our rent in the old building is nothing like it is now; it\u2019s about 10 times the amount in just rent alone (at the new facility).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond the financial need, volunteers also are needed.<\/p>\n
Brown said staff needs help with physical work, such as moving furniture, classroom essentials and materials into the new space, as well as cleaning, assembling and collating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even with less than one month to complete the transition, Brown is not stressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are no longer going to do the \u2018just getting by\u2019 thing anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI know that God would not have given us this moment to move if we were going to just get by. That\u2019s why we had to spend so long (at the Oakland campus) getting it right. \u2026 It\u2019s scary, because it\u2019s a lot of responsibility, but it\u2019s an exciting kind of scary. I know we can do this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, Brown and her team are doing it for the children, and they cannot wait to see the impact they will have now that they\u2019re able to provide them with more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole goal is student achievement,\u201d Brown said. \u201cSo you get them feeling well, you get them experiencing healthiness, and then you get them to remember stuff. \u2026 One thing that we\u2019re really proud of is that we know that not a lot of private schools, or schools in general, even public schools, will provide quality education or a really deep level of care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have struck a beautiful balance that we\u2019re able to do both,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re not lowering the standard of instruction. I know good instructional practice because I taught it. I taught it to school leaders in this district. We never sacrifice the quality instruction, but we found a way to provide for wellness for kids and grown-ups.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown is proud and excited to bring her vision to life and to see the continuous growth and trust from parents, staff and students alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Illuminations Academy began with 13 students, and today, there are around 70.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to having the ability to manage the sensory environment (and) keeping stuff on the walls,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a school all year long, all weekday, weeknight, weekend. \u2026 The teachers, they\u2019re excited, and they deserve something special so I\u2019m really excited to see them get to enjoy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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