JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Two Imagine Andrews Public Charter School students stood at each open door of their newly-built school waiting to greet leaders and distinguished visitors from Joint Base Andrews and the surrounding community to the schools' grand-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony here, Jan. 14, 2013.
The partnership between Andrews and the surrounding community gives the unique blend of 65 percent military and 35 percent Prince George County, PGC, students the opportunity to learn military culture with traditional educational values.
Before the school officially opened with the snip of a ribbon, Imagine Schools' and Andrews' leadership addressed the audience of Team Andrews and PGC community members.
"We are immensely grateful for all who made this possible," said Col. William Knight, 11th Wing/JBA commander. "We will endeavor to provide the best possible community support for this school because of the role it will play in shaping our nation's future. Decades of children will benefit from your investment in our community and we're committed to ensuring the significant investment you have made will yield huge dividends."
The schools success can be attributed to the collaboration of leadership from Team Andrews and PGC.
"It takes a village of people and organizations to make a school like Imagine Andrews," said Mr. Dennis Bakke, Imagine Schools' founder. "This great new facility is a model of collaboration between the military community and local Prince George's County community."
Dr. Marquis Dwarte, Imagine Andrews principle, said the move from the original facility, was always a part of the plan.
"We've increased the size of the facility exponentially," he said. "There are 38,000 square feet here. It's conducive to being an actual public school, versus the makeshift office building we were in."
The new building will provide the 318 students currently enrolled there with amenities that will give them room to grow, as well as a change of scenery during the school day. The new school has a multi-purpose room that serves as a gymnasium and cafeteria," said Dwarte.
"The children really seem to enjoy spreading out into a bigger building," said Paula Mcllmail, third grade social studies teacher. "The best part is we are eating lunch in a cafeteria now so there's no food on the floor in our classrooms."
Conversely, the students were more excited about the gymnasium aspect of the multi-purpose room.
"I really like the gym," said one of Mcllmails' students. "Before, when it would rain outside we would have to stay in our class and learn about health; now we can always go to the gym to play."
Even without basic necessities most public schools have, Imagine Andrews lived up to its mission to serve the nation by providing students with a "world-class" education, while meeting the needs of military families, according to Bakke.
"Of more than 70 Imagine Schools around the country, this school has already been recognized for several awards," said Bakke. "They received New School of the Year Award for 2011; the yearly award for best new Imagine School in the nation, the Academic Growth Achievement Award for meeting high-marks for state assessments and significant learning gains, the Parents Satisfaction and Choice Award, and the Shared Values Award."
All of the leaders who spoke at the event that day expressed a similar sentiment.
"Imagine Andrews will be essential in making Joint Base Andrews a base of choice for American service members and deepen the already strong ties between this base and Prince George County," said Knight.
For further information on this public charter school, call 301-350-6002, or visit imagineandrews.org.