Community. It’s the first word that comes to mind when parent Christi Reinhart reflects on her family’s experience at Academy at the Lakes. For Christi, husband Joel, and their children, Lauren ’20 and Jack ’24, community means being a part of something bigger than themselves. Christi, who previously worked as a counselor in public schools, saw first-hand...Read More

Paul Hagenau’s career as an educator spans five decades, three schools, and two states. You could say that Hagenau has seen it all during his time attending, visiting, and working at schools. And yet, he says, “Academy at the Lakes is different.” “This school has more of a sense of community than the other schools...Read More

This year, Academy at the Lakes’ Founders’ Day included a special twist. On October 9, the school continued its tradition of celebrating Academy’s founding year (1992) and honoring long-time employees at an annual assembly. However, following the Founders’ Day assembly, the festivities spilled out onto the newly renovated Upper Division patio for a ribbon-cutting ceremony....Read More

For years Kirk and Aileen Downing planned and saved so they could fulfill their dream to build a basketball court in the backyard of their Lutz home for their sons, Denzyl ’20 and Dwight ’21. But when the time finally came to make their dream a reality, the Downings had second thoughts. Their hesitance wasn’t...Read More

Six years ago when her family first enrolled at Academy at the Lakes, the Wendlek Campus was, as Kara Sartain put it, “a little sore on the eyes.” However, based on the recommendations of several AATL families, Kara and Jim Sartain looked past the physical appearance of the Lower Division and enrolled their oldest daughter,...Read More