The Corbett Prep Difference: The Strollo family of South Tampa share why they picked this PK-8 school for their kids

Let’s hear those school bells ring! It’s school open house season, the time of year when families begin to explore all of the educational options for their kids here in Tampa Bay. And luckily for us, we have some amazing options on the table, giving you more flexibility to find the perfect fit for your family. As a mom of two, with one heading into high school, it’s been a big topic of conversation for me personally with other moms as we weigh what to do.

If you’ve been looking for the right fit for your pre-K through eighth-grade student, we’ve got one to add to your must-visit list: Corbett Prep in Tampa. Recently, I got to go one-on-one with fellow mama, Laura Stroll of South Tampa, to keep that “where will we send our kids to school?” conversation going. We’re learning more about her family’s decision to send her two sons to Corbett Prep and how it has changed the trajectory of her boys’ lives.

TBPM: What set Corbett Prep apart from all of the schools you considered for your sons?

Laura Stroll: We applied at several other private schools, but I kind of had this feeling they weren’t the right fit for Owen. So we decided to stay at our little PreK-4 nursery school versus pulling him out and sending him in because most of the private schools start at PreK-4.

I was just talking to a friend, and I was like, “I don't really know where I'm going to send Owen. I don't think public's the right fit for him. But I also don't think any of the private schools I’ve toured are.” And she was like, “Oh, you should talk to my friend Jen who goes to Corbett.”

So I hopped on a call with this woman whose children also go here, and after talking to her for like an hour, I was like, I have to go see this place. So, Matt and I came on the tour. And probably a quarter of the way through, we just looked at each other, and we're like, “OK, this is where our children are going to school.” It was just the feeling we got the second we walked on campus. It was exactly what we were looking for.

TBPM: What about the school and campus made you feel like this is where your family needed to be?

Laura Stroll: Everyone just seemed genuine. From the moment we pulled in, I didn't feel like the school was trying to prove anything. It just spoke for itself.

I just got this vibe when I walked into the office: This is a place where kids get to be kids. And yes, of course, there's learning, right? Because that's why our children go to school. But it just felt like it was about so much more than just the academics. For us, we wanted a place where we felt that it wasn't just focused on academics; it was focused on the whole child.

It just so happened that one of the days I came on the tour, some middle schoolers

were over here. And the way they looked you in the eye and said hello to you without anyone prompting them. It was just this culture and how genuine everybody felt. It was magical, actually.

Related: Rooted in Learning: Local Farm Helping to Grow Young Minds at Corbett Prep

TBPM: Why was it so important for you for the school to go beyond academics?

Laura Stroll: I feel like at the end of the day, if we just raise our kids to be happy and good humans, we've all succeeded, and I just feel like Corbett is the perfect partner in that. It's raising them in an environment of acceptance, and I think it is so, so important, especially in today's world. I just feel it's allowed them to be who they are and be the best they can be and the best version of themselves. I just don't feel like my kids have any pressure to be somebody or something else.

I mean, Owen has a bearded dragon that he takes to school with him. He’s very into nature, and he's allowed to explore that side of him. Instead of it being like, okay, we need to get back to math, they have figured out a way to tie his extreme passion for nature into the learning and just allowed him to be who he is.

When he started at this school, he could barely get out of the car. He has a lot of anxiety and some other issues. Now he begged me to let him be head of school – “Can you win it in the auction at the big [school] event?” He wants to get up in front of the entire school and go and speak. The fact that that child even wants to do that is wild to

And, two years ago, when he was in second grade, Mrs. Papalis, who's a teacher here, reached out to me that the Jane Goodall Foundation had reached out and they wanted to know if Corbett had any kids who would come and speak for Earth Day. And she was like, “What do you think? Do you think Owen would do it?” And I said, “I honestly don't think he'll do it, but let me ask.” And he was like, “Yeah, I'll do it!”

He went to the aquarium. He was the youngest one there by a long shot, and all these other kids were in high school, and he spoke probably better than all of them did and was able to talk about his passions. That's not us; that's 100% Corbett, so it's just been amazing to watch. And it’s the same thing with Eli; they've allowed him to become the best version of himself as well, and I feel like there's not this need to conform here.

They've fostered that love for nature, the environment, and not even just with nature. It's just helped both of them grow. Loving other things that are alive, whether it's nature, other humans, people with differences. I almost feel like it doesn't have to be taught here because it's just the culture. I think kids are so young that if you start at the right age, Corbett really helps with that. It's just a way of life, I guess.

TBPM: What is the parent culture like here?

Laura Stroll: It’s been great. I think we've really been able to find our people here. They're not all just one group. It's different parents with different likes and interests. But it does feel like one big family here.

I know everyone uses that term village. But I do think you have your village and your family here at Corbett. We don't have family that lives near us down here. And I think coming to Corbett … you feel like you belong somewhere.

Like these groups of friends that we have, whether it's playing pickleball or, you know, doing dinners or things like that, and then getting together and volunteering for the school, I think that's been actually the most amazing thing to see.

So even when it comes to our annual fundraiser in the spring. I mean, we spend days here, and I love it because we're with other moms and sometimes dads too, and even grandparents, and just everyone doing what they can to help the school. So it’s been this great sense of community and just finding your people. And I think it's fair to say that … a lot of these relationships will be lifelong relationships.

Related: Teacher to Know: Madeline Olivera- 5th-grade teacher at Corbett Preparatory School of IDS

TBPM: How do you think Corbett Prep is shaping who your kids are going to be when they grow up?

Laura Stroll: I think this school does everything that you want a school to do and more. It’s really raising good humans to put back into our community and into our society. The academics are amazing here. I think it's very rigorous academics, but I like the way it's done. It's done in a sense that allows children to be children and follow research and follow the science.

I think it's great that these kids are moving and they're not just expected to sit at a desk all day. The schooling I had, and I can remember feeling like I was just gonna crawl out of my skin sometimes, and I think it's just amazing that these kids are allowed to come here; they’re allowed to be kids.

I definitely think that this is going to mold who they are. I think these younger years are the formative years, and they are so important. And I just think that having the opportunity to have this whole place, the culture from everybody at the school, not just the teachers, the staff, everybody, the students, the families, it's really a gift. I think it's going to be something that we look back on when they're older and talk about what Corbett did for them and how it molded them.

TBPM: What has the experience been like in the classroom as far as academics?

Laura Stroll: I have two very, very different children, and it's an amazing fit for both of them. They teach to where the kids are and then push them an appropriate amount. We're talking about math for him for next year and how he really needs to be at a much different level than where he was last year. And that's something that, over the summer, I've had multiple conversations that were brought on by the school, not by me calling and saying, hey, you know, pushing him and meeting him where he is and then pushing him even more, which is far beyond where his grade level is. And then you might have the flip side in other subjects, and they can support all of it.

TBPM: Do you have anything you want to add?

Laura Stroll: There's something about when you drop your kids off to somebody, and they spend most of their time here during the school year. There's this comfort that you have as a parent that you know that they're surrounded by people who not only are going to give them the best education possible, but they're also going to love your children like they're your own. And then there's this culture here that I have seen that it's not just supporting the kids; it's supporting the teachers, supporting the staff.

It's just really special. It really does feel like one big family here. I could talk about Corbett all day long. I absolutely love it. I love it.

Related:

• Uncovering the Gift in Every Child – Corbett Preparatory School
• Kids to Know: Jacob Pham, 8th grader at Corbett Prep, Performed as Simba on Broadway in New York City
• Corbett Prep: Building Confidence Through Public Speaking at Every Grade

Originally published in the September 2026 Issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine