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In the heart of Coconut Grove, lies a small and unassuming street named Commodore Plaza. If you wander down the road, you’ll stumble upon an abandoned building.
What was once filled with laughter, joy and talent is now covered in graffiti and has been left to rot. To those who are simply passing by, this once school is nothing but an old building but the local community and previous students hold on tightly to the memories shared within those walls.
The Academy of Arts and Minds — otherwise known as A&M, was first founded in the Miami-Dade District in 2003 by Manuel Alonso-Poch who was a real estate attorney. He wanted to give students an opportunity to study in a unique manner and discover who they truly were. By 2010, the school had achieved an “A” grade, meaning it was known as one of the top institutions. Unfortunately, when 2013 rolled around, the grade declined to a “C” and the school started facing controversy about the level of education its students were receiving. The school eventually closed in 2018.
I attended A&M from 2010 to 2014. The school was the first of its kind in the district, providing world class instruction in the arts, despite its reputation. It had a ’70s feel with bright colored walls and large windows, inviting natural light in throughout the day. The school quickly grew to 450 students, becoming a place students and faculty would call home.
A&M stood out among the other schools, because it placed an importance on the arts.
Academics were equally as important but the arts were seen as a crucial element to A&M’s curriculum and experience. Acceptance was based upon a students’ application to a specific “art strand.” These included dance, theater, singing, creative writing, photography and film. A&M gave students a chance to get the experience they desired, improving their chances of obtaining a professional role in their respective field upon graduating.
This school was more than simply a place young adults would come to learn the basics in English, Math and Science. It wasn’t your typical run-of -the-mill high school that would soon be forgotten after graduation. Rather, it offered support and love to those who had never believed that their passions could someday be a reality.
Ensuing my time spent after graduation and once the school was abandoned, I contacted countless alumni who were willing to reflect on their time at A&M and further illustrate the impact it had on their lives and now careers. It’s my hope that the community can see the school through our eyes, instead of looking at what it’s become and shed light on the positive influence it had on its many talented students.
After speaking to the former dance director and teacher, Karen Zoeller-Bejerano, also known as “Mrs. B,” it’s clear that the students weren’t the only ones to have loved this school.
When reminiscing about her time at A&M, she said, “Little did I know that I would be smitten by a beautiful, tiny dance studio in a quaint, equally tiny building that just begged for attention and love.”
Knowing how her experience with dance would impact the students immensely, she took on the challenging work of running the dance program. Her passion and love for the arts shone above the hard work that went into making the program a success for her students, having around 100 students in the program each year.
She refused to walk away from those in the program no matter how difficult some days were, explaining how, “the artistic and technical level of the students grew rapidly because they were so eager and trusting
of us.”
Each teacher could see how committed the students were to perfecting our craft, no matter the cost. They supported us endlessly.
As we see in many schools throughout the country, there wasn’t enough funding.
“Teachers were underpaid and there was a lack of resources, but those underpaid teachers were the most nurturing and loving individuals,” explained alumnus Elio Diaz.
Knowing that our teachers wholeheartedly believed in our talent and work ethic, only pushed us to work harder to achieve the success we desired. I think we can all agree that being a teenager is a confusing time. Being surrounded by educators who understood what’s like to be “different” or not fit into the typical moulds we are bound by in society, made a world of a difference.
Having the opportunity to learn in an untraditional manner was a unique experience.
Learning was fun and we didn’t have to drag ourselves out of bed each morning. Even classes like Science and English were made interesting with field trips year round and taking part in projects that pushed us out of our comfort zones and encouraged creativity.
One example of how our learning differed from other schools can be seen from a specific assignment given by a young English teacher, Ms. Aguirre.
A previous student, Adrian Delgado, explains how the assignment involved listening to music by The Black Keys and Cold War Kids, looking at how writing can be used as a tool of communication and detecting good writing skills.
Ms. Augirre continued by reading a review that compared the two albums. The descriptive language and articulate points had students jumping out their seats with questions, not only related to the music but to the vocabulary, grammar and other essential skills we learn when studying the English language.
The class dynamic shifted from mediocre to enthralling, as we learned that how we expressed something could be more significant than the specific point we were working to express or argue.
Further touching on the students’ musical diversity and avoidance of conformity.
Alumni Elio Diaz said, “A&M offered a way for us to learn the tools of self-expression so that we may acquire our sense of individual thought and insight and to be able to make something coherent and special in a way that remained in accordance to educational standards.”
Alumna Sol Potenzoni also loved how the school broke boundaries and allowed her to experience being part of a pre-professional dance company. Having those experiences are life changing and show students what the real world outside of a formal education can look like.
Aside from the incredible faculty of the school, was the location. The grove was an amazing place to explore after school and go on little adventures with friends. The community also welcomed the school and the students embraced the community members in return. Many of us would take the metro to school and while it wasn’t the most glamorous, we made the most of it and will cherish those memories.
Bullying is a common issue among high schools but things were different at A&M.
Alumnus Keana Marie, declared that there were “no cliques, no bullying, just love.”
This was just another one of many reasons as to why this high school had a magnetic pull and positive impact on all. Everyone was able to accept each others’ differences much more easily than in a traditional high school, as we held a level of respect for each individual’s passion.
Another noteworthy aspect of A&M was the food. The students’ couldn’t get enough of the mouth-watering pasta that could take your day from alright to amazing in the blink of an eye. The school also often held a performance known as A&M pops that gave different students an opportunity to perform for the entire school. It allowed us to build a sense of community, support each other and get comfortable jumping out of our comfort zone without judgment.
If acting was your cup of tea, A&M had a place for you as well. Alumnus Guillermo Rodriguez had always dreamt of a life on stage but fear had been holding him back, until he attended our school. He found success after trading in the painter’s palette for theater and creative writing, which would go on to change the course of his career.
The faculty and colleagues of A&M worked collectively to embrace each and every art form. What could be called the epicenter of artistic studies and creativity, was also described by a former science teacher, David Ardelean, as an “intersection of optimism, innovation and creative boundary”.
As mentioned, the school no longer stands proudly as it once did just a few years ago.
Before officially closing in 2018, it was able to touch the hearts and souls of hundreds of students who would leave knowing that the sense of community would exceed the four years we spent diving into our deepest passions.
While it deeply saddens me to think that future students will not have the opportunity to experience a high school where acceptance of your individuality is so highly regarded, it’s my hope that the shared stories from teachers and alumni alike will shed light on what the school was really like. By sharing its history and epic legacy, it’s without a shadow of a doubt that A&M will live on in the hearts of many.
Maia Botero, a proud alumna of Academy of Arts and Minds, recently graduated from FIU with a BS in Political Science and a BA in Public Relations.
