A very large crowd gathered—and huddled together in harsh winds and with a very low temperature—early Friday, February 21, for a ribbon cutting celebration for Ambleside School of Ocala.
The building, now located at 420 SE Watula Ave., is a historic home that was built in 1913 and, until a few months ago, was situated at 121 SE Watula Ave.
Through a partnership that included the school, City of Ocala, Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board, Ocala Historic Preservation Society, Benmar Construction and private donors, the home was moved to the new site and now will accommodate Ambleside’s high school students. The main campus is at 507 E. Broadway. The ribbon cutting was organized by the Ocala Chamber and Economic Partnership, or CEP.
Ambleside was founded by Shari and Ken Ausley. The principal is Jill Romine. According to information they provided, Ambleside School of Ocala is a private, faith-based school centered on the educational philosophy of British educator Charlotte Mason. Ambleside, which currently serves grades K-10, will be K-12 in 2022 once the current sophomore class reaches their senior year. The inaugural Ambleside High School class is significant in that they were also the first stand-alone kindergarten class at Ambleside back in 2009/2010.
Ambleside School of Ocala is part of the Ambleside Schools International network, which was founded in 2000 by Maryellen and Dr. Bill St. Cyr. The first Ambleside school was in Fredericksburg, Texas and Ambleside School of Ocala was the fourth school to join the network, which now encompasses schools in the US, Europe and South Africa. Ambleside School of Ocala is currently the largest US Ambleside School.
The Ocala school opened for its first year of instruction in 2006, with seven students. Currently, the school has more than 170 students in grades K-10.
To learn more, visit www.amblesideocala.com or call (352) 694-1635.
