Academica, one of the nation’s leading charter school service and support organizations, has announced that Sports Leadership and Management Charter Middle and High School (SLAM) — a specialized Miami- Dade County public school featuring a sports-directed curriculum — will be expanding to a new location for the 2013 academic year. The innovative school also will have new neighbors, the Miami Marlins.
The newest addition to the Mater Academy network of high-performing charter schools, SLAM currently is operating at a smaller capacity within Mater Academy East Charter High School, at 998 SW First St. However, come August, the school will open within a state-of-the-art, seven-story facility overlooking Marlins Park, located at NW 12th Avenue and Sixth Street.
The school, which currently is under construction, will feature a 500-seat gym and is poised to compete in a wide variety of sports as the “Titans.”
“It is a privilege for those of us at Academica to be working with SLAM,” said Fernando Zulueta, founder and president of Academica. “We are thrilled to take this next step in the school’s evolution and are confident that its new location will provide outstanding opportunities to the students we serve.”
With a capacity of 980 students, the school now is enrolling students, in grades 6-12, who are interested in pursuing sports-related professions. SLAM students choose a program focus from three academies — Sports Management and Marketing, Broadcasting and Communications, and Medicine and Health Sciences — and are exposed to various career fields within their area of interest.
Tailored curriculums prepare young minds for futures in:
• Athletic training;
• Media and public relations;
• Physical therapy, and
• Sports-related advertising, agent representation, business management, medicine, entertainment marketing, journalism, psychology, and nutrition.
SLAM students are encouraged to participate in community service initiatives associated with their concentration. Additionally, the school aims to provide students with ongoing opportunities to intern with local athletic teams and professionals within the sports arena.
“SLAM is off to an amazing start and will only continue to gain momentum at its new home,” added Alex Tamargo, principal of Sports Leadership and Management Charter Middle and High School. “Featuring a oneof- a-kind curriculum and unmatched experiences, the school will serve as a catalyst for other Sports Leadership and Management Charter Schools throughout the nation. I am honored to be tasked with heading the SLAM team into its bright future.”
As a charter school management company, Academica serves in a similar capacity to a school district’s staff and board’s role in managing a traditional public school. The Florida-based organization has a proven track record of developing and growing networks of successful charter schools throughout the U.S. and currently serves the largest population of high-performing charter schools in the state of Florida. Academica’s strategic formula of establishing schools in areas of great need has made them an instrumental resource in accelerating student and school performance nationwide for the past decade.
Interested parents should call 305-324- 6963 or visit the SLAM website at www.slammiami.com to register or for more information.
