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Bethel Grad Christian Gentele: ‘I Got Two Years Done in One’
At his old school, Christian Gentele was a standout football player and popular kid. But an excess of extracurriculars and a lack of discipline in his coursework made him fall further and further behi...
Ector Math Coach: ‘Miss, I Finally Get It!’
To Jennifer Rosario-Perez, “mathletes” and athletes have a lot in common. Just like training for success on the football field or the soccer pitch, it can be hard work to learn the moves of algebra an...
ECAA’s Kennede Thomas: ‘I’m Proud of Myself That I’m Graduating on Time’
Kennede Thomas had always been a strong student. She remembers with pride earning a place in honors geometry at her old high school. But when the Covid pandemic shuttered schools during her freshman y...
Clark County Graduates Celebrate ‘Second Chance’ During June Commencement
Surrounded by cheering family, friends and educators, more than 150 young people — the largest graduating class ever — celebrated the high school diplomas they worked so hard to earn at Clark County A...
Miami Academy Celebrates New Grads: ‘They Believed in Me’
Marcus Moore, who rose above poverty as a child to follow his mother’s footsteps into educating the next generation, looked out at the crowd of soon-to-be graduates, eyes expectant and surrounded by b...
Celebrating the LAA Class of 2023: ‘It’s Just a Completely Different Way of Doing School’
Lowcountry Acceleration Academy (LAA) celebrated its biggest-ever class of graduates, learners who arrived from across South Carolina’s Lowcountry with one thing in common — a drive to earn the high s...
Miami Advocate Erick Velis: ‘You Have to Explore the Genius Inside of You’
If graduation candidates at Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies (MDAA) are looking for a role model in developing a wide range of life skills, they need look no further than Erick Velis. The Cuban-born...
Acceleration Academies Celebrates Pride Month
At Acceleration Academies across the nation, graduation candidates who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, queer or otherwise non-binary find a calm and affirming place to learn. Educators celebrat...
Kaelob Martinez: Working with His Hands and His Head
Kaelob Martinez has the hands of a young man who knows his way around a truck — strong, nimble and proudly limned with grease. Working on big rigs is not only Kaelob’s job; it is his passion. He love...
WAA Grad Tamia King Graduates with ‘Unstoppable Determination’
Tamia King had always been a strong student. She enrolled at a magnet high school focused on legal studies, made good grades, and seemed to be on her way. But then, during her sophomore year, she gav...
In Lee County, Christian Arenas Closes the Distance to His Diploma
For Christian Arenas, doing the work of high school wasn’t the issue. Getting there was. Christian, a senior, had been doing well at his former high school in Cape Coral, Florida. But his mom, who su...
Escambia Celebrates Class of ’23: ‘I Feel Like They Saved My Life’
Family, friends and educators gathered recently to celebrate the hard work, determination and bright future of the Escambia County Acceleration Academies Class of 2023. Each grad had a powerful story...
