Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School (BDCHS) is founded on the belief that, given the necessary resources and opportunities, every child has the potential to realize his/her dreams. Further, by providing youngsters a high quality, challenging education with rigorous and relevant curricula, students will be equipped to make valuable and productive contributions to our community. The underlying purpose of the Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School is to prepare all students for successful post secondary education opportunities.

For some segments of the community, building a successful academic career that leads to a productive lifestyle is as daunting as a complex puzzle. At BDCHS particular emphasis will be placed on developing potential first-generation college attendees who may lack the acuity to build support networks necessary to advance their goals. In Ruby Payne's work with impoverished communities she states, "The two things that move a person out of poverty are education and relationships." Brooks-DeBartolo, Charities, Inc., maintains an extensive network of community supporters and is committed to bridging the access gaps between youth, education, and community resources. Access and exposure are two important pieces of the success puzzle as well.

Assisting students in their efforts to "complete the puzzle" of academic success is central to the mission of BDCHS.

• Our Mission Statement is to provide a rigorous and relevant academic environment where both students and teachers achieve excellence through high expectations, collaboration and support.
• BDCHS  aligns our academic design with the College Board EXCELerator Schools model and  concentrates on their five key components: implementation of a rigorous curriculum, extensive professional development, data driven teaching, learning and assessment programs, college planning and counseling, and developmental support.
• The core curriculum is taught through college readiness programs, including Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment courses, enhanced by AVID instructional delivery, enforced through the use of modified block scheduling, global and distance learning opportunities, is centered around community & service learning, and is continued throughout the year using Summer Bridge

The 2011 - 2012 school year brings with it a new addition to Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School - Mrs. Kristine Bennett.

Kristine Bennett understands the charter school system and wants to provide students with a positive learning atmosphere.

As the second principal at Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School (BDCHS), Bennett said she is excited about providing a collegiate environment to all students.

“It is important to teach kids how to think and make decisions,” she said. “It’s not just about content; they need to learn to apply what they have learned.”

Bennett’s goal is to improve student achievement and teacher performance. She said she plans to increase expectations while supporting the students, teachers and parents to meet these expectations.

One of the ways Bennett plans to facilitate increased student achievement is through the school’s dual enrollment program with Hillsborough Community College (HCC). Through the free program, students are bussed to HCC for morning classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. Students simultaneously maintain their college coursework and high school assignments.

Bennett, 36, started her career in education after graduating from USF with a bachelor’s degree in English Education and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership.

She taught reading and writing at the Academy of Holy Names in Tampa and language arts at Hudson Middle School in Pasco. Then, she moved to Terrace Community Middle School (TCMS).

There, she taught language arts, history and math. She was also a team leader at TCMS from 2001-07. TCMS awarded Bennett “Teacher of the Year” in 2002.

Bennett was liaison between TCMS and the University of South Florida (USF) College of Engineering/Research Experience for Teachers. The program was sponsored by the National Science Foundation to excite local middle school students about early engineering focus.

Bennett was promoted to TCMS’s building administrator and assistant principal for the last four years of her tenure there. She handled the day-to-day operations of the school and oversaw curriculum and instruction.

She said she is honored to have some of her TCMS students have followed her to BDCHS.

Bennett is originally from Florida and grew up in the Tampa Bay area. She lives in Temple Terrace with her husband and two children. She enjoys doing anything outdoors, including tennis, volley ball, boating, surfing, parasailing, cruising and camping.

BDCHS’s ninth-grade orientation is scheduled for Aug. 17, and orientation for all other grades is Aug. 19.

Applications are being accepted for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years. A series of recruitment open houses are planned.

The BDCHS website is currently being updated and the new one will launch soon. Please check back with www.bdchs.org. 

For more information about the school, please visit the school's website at www.bdchs.org or contact kbennett@bdchs.org