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BRADENTON, Fla. — A charter school in Manatee County just moved its students into a brand-new building last week.
Visible Men Academy in Bradenton is a tuition-free, public charter school for kindergarten through fifth-grade boys. They plan to increase enrollment by 50 percent this year.
What You Need To Know
- Visible Men Academy in Manatee County moved its students into a brand-new building last week
- Leaders of the school have big plans, including increasing enrollment from 40 to 60
- There will be a fundraiser called the “Love Lunch” on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11:30 a.m. at Michael’s On East
Every day at Visible Men Academy starts with a warm welcome from principal Tami VanOverbeke.
“Good morning everyone, how are you?” she said.
But these past few mornings for the students at the charter school have been a little different.
“How do you feel about our new school? Good? What do you like about it? Everything good?” she said.
A new school year, a new building, and a new principal.
“The students, they make my day every single day,” VanOverbeke said.
Visible Men Academy’s former location was an older building, and some classes were held in portables. But last school year, a capital campaign raised $2.2 million to purchase a new building, which has bigger classrooms and more space to accommodate new students. (Spectrum News/Julia Hazel)
VanOverbeke says one of their goals is to help underprivileged boys. All 40 of their students are low income, and some are homeless.
“Education really is the way out of poverty,” she said.
Leaders of the school have big plans, including increasing enrollment from 40 to 60. The new building will help that become a reality.
Visible Men Academy’s former location was an older building, and some classes were held in portables. But last school year, a capital campaign raised $2.2 million to purchase a new building, which has bigger classrooms and more space to accommodate new students.
“There’s been a lot of research on same-sex schools, and that they don’t have to worry about the opposite sex. They don’t have to put on a show for anybody. They don’t have to show out, or they can just focus on being who they are,” she said.
Now VanOverbeke is making sure these boys are enjoying their new building.
“This is our home now. This is somewhere that they call home, that we can have forever, that they’re proud of,” she said.
It’s a place where both the students and the school will continue to grow.
There will be a fundraiser called the “Love Lunch” on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11:30 a.m. at Michael’s On East.
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Julia Hazel
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