Our History

In 1969, Judge Frank A. Orlando was looking for an alternative for a few juvenile boys who had become wards of the State of Florida. He suggested to Bob Rosof, a local citizen, to put them to work on his marine research vessel. Through this unusual "sentence," the boys had been given the opportunity to learn to respect the sea but more importantly they learned to respect the crew and themselves.

This remarkable progress prompted the Judge to refer more youngsters to what eventually developed into the Florida Ocean Sciences Institute. One year later, the Florida Legislature contracted with FOSI to provide training to establish additional programs. In 1974, the Associated Marine Institutes (AMI) was formed to consolidate contract negotiations and management of the six newly existing schools. AMI currently manages 58 schools in eight states. AMIkids Space Coast was established in 1988 with an autonomous and voluntary Board of Trustees.  Our Board of Trustees are dedicated to supporting our mission.  They are the link between AMIkids Space Coast and the community we serve. 

Our program is governed by our local Board of Trustees.  These community leaders and stakeholders provide guidance and direction to our Executive Director, Marvin Ferrell.  The four major roles of our Board of Trustees are: governance, educating policy makers, community development and resource development.  AMIkids Space Coast is grateful four our Board's continuous support and participation.

Our Board of Trustees

    Some of our board members at the 2004 dedication of our new Student

     Services Building. Left to Right: Dan Richards, Susan Answay, Linda May, Bjorg

Hermansen, Edie and Doug Sedgwick, Brad Roub, Judy Roub, Brian Fisher,

                                        Janice Kershaw and Wendell Watson.                                                                    

Our Accomplishments

EDUCATION:

As a Brevard County Public Schools alternative site, our educational curriculum meets Sunshine State standards to employ highly qualified teachers. Our class levels range from Exceptional Student Education to GED Preparation. Many of our students enroll with few or no high school credits but with the help of our intensive program and dedicated teaching staff, our students advance an average of 2.5 grade levels during the typical six to nine month stay. In the 2009-2010 school year, 16 of our students have prepared for, attempted and earned their General Equivalency Diplomas while enrolled.

LIFE SKILLS:

In 2003, we incorporated a Culinary Arts Program into our academic curriculum. While our students have always participated in “kitchen duty,” we can now offer our students the opportunity to earn their Food Handlers Safety Certification, which is required in the state of Florida to gain employment in the food service industry.  This is one way we prepare our students for immediate employment upon release. In 2005, we partnered with the Brevard Workforce Development Board and the Brevard County School Board to expand the program.  Utilizing the same curriculum used in high schools, we are able to allow students to earn credits toward vocational certification in the field of Culinary Arts. This is the first step toward our focus of expanding vocational programs to meet the needs of our students.

CONSTRUCTION:

AMIkids Space Coast has completed a three-phase plan to replace our old modular buildings with permanent cement structures.

The first building, a 36-bed dormitory, was dedicated in 2002 in memory of Paul Andre Hermansen, the late son of Bjornar and Bjorg Hermansen. Mrs. Hermansen is an active and dedicated AMIkids Space Coast Board Member. In 2003, AMIkids Space Coast dedicated the second of three permanent structures, our Classrooms and cafeteria facility, as Linda May Hall in honor of her continued support and tireless fundraising efforts.  Mrs. May is an active AMIkids Space Coast Board Member and community volunteer, along with her husband Randy. With careful budgeting and creative fundraising, the third and final building, the Douglass A Sedgwick Student Services building, was completed. Generous community donations and foundation grants provided funding for the construction campaign, enabling us to pay for each building as construction was completed.

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