Roots Nature and Leadership Academy

Our Saplings class (5th and 6th grade) took their learning beyond the classroom and into the kitchen at for a hands-on crepe-making workshop as part of their Entrepreneurship Expedition this trimester.

These students aren’t just learning how to cook — they’re learning how to build a business. After conducting real market research, surveying potential customers, and analyzing their data, they discovered that crepes and smoothies were the clear winners.

At our Maker’s Market in March, this team will work together to run a made-to-order food booth, bringing their ideas from concept → research → production → sales. We can’t wait to see this vision come to life! Thank you Chef Dennis and Chef Josie at Young Chef’s Academy for your inspirational and fun cooking class. 🙏❤️

✨💗 What a truly magical Valentine’s Day at Roots! 💗✨

We believe love is something you live, not just something you say and our students showed that beautifully this week.

They spent the morning creating heartfelt Valentine’s cards and then walked to a local seniors home to deliver them in person. They handed out their handmade cards, performed a sweet little piano concert, and gifted homemade chocolate-covered strawberries they had lovingly prepared themselves. 🍓🎶

What a meaningful way to give back and to show our students that Valentine’s Day is about treating others with kindness, intention, and joy.

Throughout the day, parents joined us to drop off delicious heart-shaped pizzas from their local restaurant and to sit alongside students making thoughtful Valentine’s crafts. The classrooms were filled with laughter, creativity, and connection.

After dismissal, our incredible team gathered around the fire for a beautiful fire-cooking celebration. We took time to slow down, connect, and embrace the gift of community with one another. 🔥

And as the sun set, Hartwood Hall came alive for our annual Valentine’s Day Dance for our Saplings and Roots class students (grades 5+). With games, music, lights, dancing, an incredible spread of food, and special goodie bags, the joy in the room was undeniable. The students had an absolute blast!

We are so deeply grateful to the amazing parents who helped bring this entire celebration to life, making it heartfelt, intentional, and truly unique.

This is what celebrating love looks like at Roots:
Service. Community. Connection. Joy. ❤️💕

The winter solstice is a timeless reminder to honor light, growth, and renewal. As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, the winter solstice invites us to pause, gather, and celebrate the return of the light. For centuries, lights and laurels have symbolized hope, renewal, and the honoring of growth—reminding us that even in the quietest season, something beautiful is unfolding.

At Roots, this celebration is also about our students—the light they bring, the growth they’ve achieved, and the many ways they’ve shown courage, curiosity, and care throughout the year.

Our community came together to mark this special moment with warmth and joy. Students and families gathered around the fire to sing songs, share hot cider, and connect. In their classrooms, children created candlelight-inspired lanterns and beautiful seasonal crafts, enjoyed delicious snacks and holiday treats, and celebrated the season in ways that felt meaningful, cozy, and full of wonder.

Moments like these remind us that light lives not only in candles and fires—but in community and in ourselves. ✨💛

Our Thanksgiving Feast at Roots was nothing short of magical.

Our students took time to reflect on what they are grateful for and brought that gratitude to life—creating beautiful gratitude placemats, mindfully setting the table, and gathering in community to celebrate together. With the incredible support of our parent community, we shared a nourishing feast made with care and intention: green beans, roasted maple cinnamon carrots, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce sweetened with maple syrup and clementine juice, organic turkey with gravy, and a delicious gluten-free pumpkin pie topped with coconut whip.

Students shared what they are thankful for, cleaned up together as a team, and spent the afternoon laughing and playing—tug-of-war, three-legged races, potato sack races, and wheelbarrow races filling the day with joy.

Moments like this remind us that learning happens in community—and gratitude grows when we slow down, gather together, and appreciate the people we get to walk alongside in this life. 💛🌱 A huge thank you goes out to our amazing Roots parent Doogie at for capturing this enchanting day through his camera lease. 📸

Our students took learning beyond the classroom in their recent Natural Sciences expedition! From studying the sun’s effects, protecting Sarasota Bay, preparing for storms, to redesigning our campus swales, they explored real-world challenges and discovered solutions that make a difference.

In this video, you’ll see their curiosity, creativity, and leadership in action—from handmade field guides and all-natural sunscreen to PSAs, T-shirts, and even home-built radios. Their passion and stewardship are leaving a lasting mark on our community and inspiring us all. 💛

This fall, as part of our Natural Sciences expedition, our students had the incredible opportunity to visit Mote Aquaculture Research Park, part of Mote Marine Laboratory. This research facility—normally not open to the public—welcomed our students and gave them a rare, hands-on look into the world of marine science.

Our students are exploring how what we do on land impacts the water around us, and at Mote they learned directly from scientists about how human choices—including land pollution—affect vital ecosystems like Florida’s Coral Reef, the only coral reef system in the continental United States.

As part of a major coral reef restoration project on the East Coast of Florida, students didn’t just observe—they participated in real, meaningful scientific work and experienced life as marine scientists for the day. 🐠🔬

This unforgettable experience brought learning to life, helping students deeply understand how the traces we leave behind impact the environment—and why caring for it matters. 🌍💙

A heartfelt thank you to Mote Marine Laboratory for hosting us and welcoming our students. And a special thank you to our Roots mama, Sandy, for chaperoning and helping capture the magic of the day on video—we’re so grateful for you!

On October 31, our campus came alive with creativity, laughter, and a whole lot of spooky fun as we celebrated Halloween with our Fall Festival & Costume Parade! After showing off their incredible costumes, students jumped right into festive fun—painting and carving pumpkins, scooping for apples, and playing classic fall games like pumpkin ring toss and pin the spider on the web.

And of course, the crowd favorite made its triumphant return: the pumpkin catapult—a student-built contraption that brings excitement and big smiles all around!

A very special thank you to our amazing Roots dad Doogie ( ), for capturing this magical day through his lens. His photography truly brings our students’ joy and spirit to life, and we’re so grateful for his talent.