"Community Day School is noted for its rigorous academic program, distinguished by hands-on learning and partnerships with area organizations that help to bring learning to life." - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

On March 19, middle school students at Hershorin Schiff Community Day School participated in sheep heart dissections, led by local cardiology specialist (and Community Day parent) Dr. Vivek Kumar.

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In just four months, a school has taken shape on the corner of Wilkinson and McIntosh roads. The future home of the Hershorin-Schiff Community Day School is under construction, with the global pandemic doing nothing to slow it down. 

It's been a whirlwind year for Community Day School. In just 11 months, the school raised more than $5.5 million, purchased a nine-acre site and began construction on a 45,000-square-foot facility. This summer, the school will move from its current site at Temple Beth Sholom, and in August the new building will open to the 300 students enrolled at the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school. 

And it all came about because of – not just in spite of – COVID-19. 

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As Hershorin Schiff Community Day School prepares for its move to a new, nearly nine-acre campus in central Sarasota for the 2021-2022 school year, it has recently partnered with Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation to lower barriers to enrollment and ensure more families are able to benefit from the school’s academic excellence and purposeful pluralism. Barancik Foundation has awarded $100,000 to bolster the school’s existing scholarship program for low-income families and another $50,000 to serve as a match to expand early learning efforts. “Community Day School has enhanced its reputation for outstanding educational programming and remain focused on being a diverse and inclusive school,” said Teri A Hansen, President and CEO of Barancik Foundation. “These efforts ensure more students will have the benefit from an exceptional education, especially those who need it most.”

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When a family outgrows its one-bedroom apartment, it looks for a new space in which to grow.

The same thing is happening at Hershorin Schiff Community Day School, just on a larger scale.

The school, which enrolls 270 students from 12 months to eighth grade, will move from 1050 S. Tuttle Ave. to the intersection of Wilkinson and McIntosh roads, giving it a capacity of 300 students and additional facilities.

The new location will not only offer the school a chance for expansion, but it also will be more centrally located in the county, which Head of School Dan Ceaser said would allow the campus to serve more families throughout the county.

Since Hershorin Schiff became an independent community day school five years ago, the demand has tripled.

“We’ve just outgrown the campus,” Ceaser said. “We’ve been renting it, and it’s been a dream of our board of trustees for us to own our own space, and we’ve been working toward that goal for several years.”

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On February 11, the students at Hershorin Schiff Community Day School enjoyed the annual Panther Pride / Spirit Day, with various activities to build teamwork and showcase school spirit, with the added bonus of a Valentine’s Day-related “Ahavantine” community service project to help spread some love. (“Ahava” means “love” in Hebrew.)

This year’s community service activity featured the making of “Healthcare Hero Bags” in appreciation of those on the front lines of the pandemic who are working to protect our community from infection and heal those who fall ill. 

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