The Stories & Insights That Matter
Marion County Public Schools 2023-24 Schoolwide Improvement Plan (SIP)
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Sarasota TV Station Spotlights New Class of Grads
When family, friends and educators gathered to celebrate the latest class of graduates from Sarasota Acceleration Academies, which has campuses in Sarasota and North Port, Florida, the Suncoast News N...
Sarasota Grad Nathan Ricca: ‘It Was Way Different’
For Nathan Ricca, the road to finding the right high school was long and winding. He began in a traditional high school but felt overwhelmed by the crowded hallways and packed classrooms. He tried mil...
SLAA’s Ja’Quon Madaris: Gifts from the Heart and Hands
If they could find a job at all, most 15-year-olds would use the cash to buy snacks, video games or tickets to a concert — or maybe save toward their first car. Since he started his own auto detailin...
‘Do Not Give Up’ — LCAA Celebrates First Group of Graduates
Lee County Acceleration Academies (LCAA) celebrated its first group of graduates recently, as young men and women who might have otherwise given up on high school received the diplomas they had worked...
Roberto Hilarion: Making His – and his Parents’ — Dreams Come True
When Roberto Hilarion and his sister were younger, their parents moved from Cuba to Miami in hopes of building a better life for their children. Roberto Hilarion and his parents. Both his mother and ...
Fort Myers Newspaper Features New Lee County Academy
As Lee County Acceleration Academies (LCAA) prepares to celebrate its first group of graduates, The Fort Myers New-Press featured the school in an article about serving students who are looking for a ...
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...
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...
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...
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...