Written by Katie Ballah, Rhode Island Managing Director of External Affairs On Friday, September 11, 2026, we gathered at Achievement First Envision Middle School’s St. Bart’s campus to celebrate something special: the opening of our eighth school in Rhode Island. The founding school team was joined by members of our Rhode Island Regional Leadership Team, our Board of Directors, Mayor Brett Smiley, other elected and government officials, community partners, and school leaders from across the region. Throughout the celebration, students came downstairs class by class for cupcakes and drinks, met some of our guests, and invited them upstairs into their classrooms. The celebration was simple, joyful, and centered exactly where it should have been: on our kids.

A School That Feels Like Home

Walking through Envision Middle School, I was struck by how quickly Principal Angie Martinez, Director of School Operations Natalie Gilpin, and the founding team have made the school feel like home. You could see their care everywhere. Team members welcomed guests, looked after students, solved problems as they came up, and created an experience that reflected the community they are building every day. That matters because opening Envision is about much more than opening another building. As our third middle school, Envision helps us continue building a K–12 pathway for Rhode Island students and families. Today, Achievement First Rhode Island serves more than 3,500 students with a team of more than 400 staff members. This new school is another step toward delivering on the promise we have made to them.

A Milestone for Our Rhode Island Region

For me, the celebration also showed something important about who we are becoming as a region. Leaders from across our now eight schools came to celebrate Envision’s founding team. Seeing school leaders alongside our regional team, board members, elected officials, and community partners, I felt the strength of the community behind this new school. As we continue to strengthen our regional model, we are building a deeper sense that a win for one school is a win for all of us. Envision’s opening belongs first to the students, families, educators, and leaders who are building its community every day. It is also something our entire Rhode Island region can celebrate. Most of all, I’m excited about what this school will mean for its students. Middle school is a time of profound change and growth. Kids deserve a place where they feel safe, seen, known, and loved, and where the adults around them hold a high bar for what they can accomplish. I have seen Angie do exactly that. In her previous leadership at Providence Mayoral Academy, she brought a deeply kids-first approach to her work while creating space for students to thrive as learners and as people. She brings that same expertise, joy, and fire to Envision, alongside a team of educators and school leaders who are already making the school their own. Walking through Envision that Friday, I felt tremendously hopeful. We celebrated the opening of our eighth school, and another place where Rhode Island kids can learn, grow, belong, and become who they are meant to be. That is worth celebrating.