The Roberts Academy at Vanderbilt University welcomed its inaugural class of third and fourth graders in August 2024. Since then, the school has celebrated many more firsts, from a groundbreaking ceremony to festivities and innovative collaborations.
Established in 2023 with an unprecedented gift from Hal and Marjorie Hollis Roberts, the Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center provides reading interventions and individualized instruction for children with dyslexia in a traditional classroom setting.
"There was so much effort that went into opening our doors for the 2024-25 school year," said school Director Jared Clodfelter, "and it has been a joy to watch our first group of students grow and thrive here. The program's success is due, in no small part, to our incredible faculty members and families."
Celebrating new beginnings
Operating temporarily out of a historic home on Vanderbilt's campus, the academy broke ground on February 2 on a new state-of-the-art facility that's situated within Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development. The Roberts Academy hopes to welcome students to the new location for the 2026-27 school year and will expand to offer a first to fifth-grade elementary program.
Another highlight was an October 16 opening celebration to commemorate the school's launch. Honored guests included Hal and Marjorie Hollis Roberts, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Provost C. Cybele Raver and Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, as well as students, families, and Roberts Academy faculty and staff.
In April, students showed off their reading prowess during a weeklong read-a-thon. The event culminated in family-friendly festivities, an awards ceremony, and a visit from Mr. Commodore and members of Vanderbilt Cheer. Students celebrated reading for a total of 30,864 minutes.
Unique collaborations
The Roberts Academy's affiliation with Vanderbilt University has granted opportunities not found elsewhere. For example, high schoolers in the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV), a STEM collaboration with Metro Nashville Public Schools, taught interactive science lessons to the young scholars. The Nashville Children's Theatre also provided weekly theater classes. More collaborations are underway as the academy capitalizes on the breadth of resources at Vanderbilt and within the local community.
Students and families are not the only ones to benefit from the Roberts Academy's wealth of resources; on April 30, the Roberts Academy hosted a statewide neurodiversity conference organized by the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools. The event drew educational leaders from across Tennessee and featured the expertise of Vanderbilt researchers and other professionals from around the region.
Roberts Academy scholars are experiencing marked growth, said the school's Assistant Director Samantha Gesel, assistant professor of the practice of special education. "Within the first few weeks of school, families were already sharing how they felt as if they had gotten their child's spark for school back," she said. "Through individualized goals and instruction, we have seen that spark ignite into reading and mathematics growth that is truly impressive for all our students. By bringing the students into their own goal setting, we get to celebrate the wins together, no matter how small or large. That has created a really powerful system."
Connecting with students for a bright future
The Roberts family has played an integral role in the school, visiting campus for the opening celebration and again in April for the TAIS conference. Sarah-Reilly Murphy and Finn Murphy, grandchildren of Hal and Marjorie Hollis Roberts, joined students recently to read Sarah-Reilly Murphy's self-authored children's book (which tells the story of a character facing a dyslexia diagnosis) and lead an art project with them. She plans to include the students' illustrations in the forthcoming book.
"We are thrilled to have the support of the Roberts family and of Vanderbilt University. It will be exciting to continue growing and welcoming more students to the Roberts Academy," said Clodfelter. "The future is bright for our program."
