Dream Talk: Blake Buzard of Renaissance Public School Academy

The 2025 Michigan Charter School Symposium featured three “Dream Talk” speakers, who told stories of bold ideas and innovative projects that changed the way we view education. This was the speech delivered by Blake Buzard from Renaissance Public School Academy in Mt. Pleasant.

Thirteen years ago, I stepped into Renaissance Public School Academy with one dream, to help students learn by doing, not just by listening.

My students try on countless hats. They build real skills. They discover passions.

And none of it happens by accident. It happens because of a shared vision, a culture of innovation, and administrators who say “yes.”

A few years ago, my students asked if we could hatch chicken eggs. I knew nothing about chickens. No funding. No materials. Definitely no knowledge of zoning laws. Still, when I brought the idea to my principal, she looked at me and said, “I trust you. Let’s make it happen.”

That yes turned into a student-run flock of chickens at our school — cared for by a team we lovingly call the “chicken tenders.” They oversee the entire program and train the next group of tenders each year.

And then came the greenhouse. We proposed a 30′ x 84′ structure. Two adults served as the brains. Our students became the muscle — wiring thermostats, bolting trusses, and stretching plastic with a hundred hands. Now it’s a living classroom used by our entire school.

And the yeses kept coming. When our students launched Roots ’n Roost — what began as selling vegetables and eggs grew into a full business.

Students design shirts. They craft cosmetics. They even shifted from print-on-demand to purchasingtheir own heat press after visiting a local business.

They wrote the proposal —and our administrators said yes. They’ve said yes to our student-written theater production. Yes to transforming our presentation space into a full museum of ancient history. And yes, to our Lizzie Borden case, which turned our classroom into a courtroom.

And the results?

Our students become leaders. Collaborators. Critical thinkers. Presenters. Innovators. They gain real project-management experience, confidence, and the feeling of doing workthat matters.

So how do we do it?

We say yes to personalizing their education. Our administration says yes to teachers — which allows us to say yes to students.

They give us trust. They support us in writing grants —including generous support from the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe. And they back ideas even when they’re messy or risky.

Not everything works. But even the flops become learning opportunities.

In a world where it’s often easier to say no, it’s the yeses —and the culture of trust behind them —that make our school a place students can’t wait to walk into each morning.