Air Base Elementary School

Infobox School3
name =Air Base Elementary School
motto = Soaring on the Wings of Cultural Discovery
established =1958
type =Public
head_name =Principal
head =Raul Calzadilla, Jr.
city =Homestead
state =FL
country =USA
mascot = Explorer
website = http://abe.dadeschools.net/

Air Base Elementary School, The Center for International Education, is a primary school located at 12829 S.W. 272nd Street Homestead, Florida. Its principal is Raul Calzadilla Jr and it is part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools System. The school's mascot is the Explorer, and its colors are black, teal, and white. Its total enrollment for the 2005-2006 school year was 451 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The school has been recognized as a National Magnet School of Merit.

The school opened in 1958. The following year, on September 7, 1959, Air Base Elementary and Orchard Villa Elementary became the first two desegregated schools in the system.

The school originally was built to serve children of families at Homestead Air Force Base. After Hurricane Andrew damaged the air base in 1992, many Air Force personnel were relocated and student population dropped. To maintain enrollment, in the 1996-97 school year the school was converted to a magnet school offering an international program. [Farrell, Jodi Mailander. [http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=0EB4D981451F08B6&p_docnum=26&p_queryname=NaN&p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=N53L52CJMTE4NTg0NzQ0OS4yODY4NjU6MTo3OnJhLTE4ODg "A Magnet for Learning in Homestead"] , "The Miami Herald", February 8, 1998. Accessed August 8, 2007.] [ [http://abe.dadeschools.net/school_history.htm School History ] ] Extensive foreign language instruction is offered, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Spanish for Spanish speakers, and Spanish and French as second languages.

Awards and recognition

The school has been recognized with the Magnet Schools of America Award every year from 1998 through 2007. [ [http://www.magnet.edu/modules/content/index.php?id=20 Schools of Merit - 2001] , Magnet Schools of America. Accessed August 8, 2007.] [ [http://www.magnet.edu/modules/content/index.php?id=18 Schools of Excellence - 2002] , Magnet Schools of America. Accessed August 8, 2007.] [ [http://www.magnet.edu/modules/content/index.php?id=15 Schools of Excellence - 2003] , Magnet Schools of America. Accessed August 8, 2007.] [ [http://www.magnet.edu/modules/content/index.php?id=13 Schools of Distinction - 2004] , Magnet Schools of America. Accessed August 8, 2007.] [ [http://www.magnet.edu/modules/content/index.php?id=41 2005 Schools of Distinction] , Magnet Schools of America. Accessed August 8, 2007.] The school has been rated as an "A" school for five consecutive years. [ [http://abe.dadeschools.net/magnet_office.htm Magnet Office] , Air Base Elementary School, The Center for International Education. Accessed August 8, 2007.]

References

External links

* [http://abe.dadeschools.net Air Base Elementary School Homepage]
* [http://www.dadeschools.net Miami-Dade County Public Schools]