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February 28, 2008

NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED IMAGINE SCHOOLS SELECTS EVENING ROSE FOR K-8 LEARNING CAMPUS

Innovative "Project CHILD" charter school program enhances K-8 choices for residents, merchants, and the surrounding area of Evening Rose, Tallahassee's greenest and most exciting new mixed-use community

As seen at earthtimes.org, prnewswire.com, denverpost.com, digital50.com, biz.yahoo.com and biospace.com

Contact:
John Wark (850) 321.6490
Suezan Turknett (850) 264.7643

TALLAHASSEE - Imagine Schools, one of the nation's most accomplished charter school companies, announced today that it plans to open a public K-8 charter school this August at Tallahassee's innovative new community Evening Rose.

"We can think of no better place to locate one of our learning communities of achievement and hope, " said Fred Damianos, regional vice president for Imagine Schools.

"This school will provide an exciting alternative to the private-pay school system, as well as give greater choice to students and their parents in the public school system." Enrollment in the charter school is free to Leon County residents.

The school is scheduled to open August 20, 2008 in the upscale Evening Rose Town Center, located just north of Mahan Drive on Capital Circle Northeast on the city's east side.

First year enrollment for the high-tech school is to be capped at 350 students in grades K-6. In year two, grade 7 will be added and grade 8 in year three, with enrollment increasing to 726 students at the Evening Rose campus.

"Having a school that offers advanced learning techniques critical to prepare children for a 21st century economy is a dream come true for Evening Rose," said Evening Rose developer, and K2 Urbancorp Chief Executive David Wamsley.

"Evening Rose is now one step closer to our ultimate vision of having a complete community offering - a world class preschool program, a K-8 innovation-oriented charter school, a 130-home Traditional Neighborhood Development, a town market, luxury retail shops, a spa, a credit union, five great restaurants, live work units, offices and much more.

"Add to that the fact that all of the K2 homes will be LEED certified and that the entire town center will be built to the rigorous U.S. Green Building Council LEED NC (suggest you spell this out, but it's your call) standards - the nation's gold standard in building green homes and commercial buildings - and I think we're on track to deliver the kind of development Gov. Charlie Christ has been envisioning for the State of Florida. It can be done. It just takes faith."

The K-8 Imagine school will use an innovative, nationally respected curriculum delivery system known as "Project CHILD" and developed by the Tallahassee-based Institute for School Innovation.

"We have developed programs for schools across the nation, and Imagine Schools already is using our approach in a half dozen charter schools it operates in West Florida," said Dr. Sarah (Sally) Butzin, the not-for-profit institute's president and executive director and author of "Joyful Classrooms in an Age of Accountability."

"But believe it or not, this is the first whole school we've done in Leon County, so we're looking forward to introducing our hometown to the Project CHILD concept."

Project CHILD is results-oriented and transforms traditional self-contained teaching by using an innovative triangulated approach. Clusters of three expert teachers work across three grade levels to provide instruction in three basic formats using computer technology, hands-on experience, and paper and pencil.

"One other key approach is that we get the students up and moving around physically," said Butzin. "We set up clusters with three classrooms, which students rotate among during the course of the day, with one classroom devoted to reading, one for writing, and one for mathematics. Children learn better when they're allowed to get up out of their chairs regularly and move about."

The Institute for School Innovation was founded in 1995 and its Project CHILD program is now found in 41 schools nationwide, serving over 10,000 students.

Imagine Schools, based in Arlington, VA is one of the largest charter school companies in the country, operating 51 schools nationwide. Eleven of the schools are in Florida.

Imagine Schools founders, Dennis and Eileen Bakke, started Imagine Schools with the goal of restoring vision and purpose to schools and returning parents and guardians to full participation in the education of their children. Dennis Bakke is the co-founder of AES, a 4000-employee energy company and author of " The Joy of Work."

For more information please visit these Web sites:

Imagine Schools: www.imagineschools.com/

Project CHILD: www.ifsi.org

Evening Rose, a K2 Urbancorp development: www.k2urbancorp.com.