2022 Q2 Pathways Quarterly Magazine

SARASOTA ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Sarasota Grad Tyler Marcoaldi:
Moving from Dropout to Successful Grad
During the final half of his senior year at Sarasota High,
Tyler Marcoaldi simply gave up. He had a full-time
job, was covering his own bills and thought he could
“He’s always been mature, but in the last year, leaps and
bounds,” says Hayes. “I know he always had it, but he’s
shocked me with the young man he’s become.”
do just fine without a diploma. So he walked away.
Tyler said he was never the type to spend long hours in a
“I had already made my mind up I wasn’t getting a
diploma,” says Tyler, 19.
traditional classroom listening to teachers lecture. He’s
a quick study and likes to work at
a quicker pace — but he also appreciates
But then he heard about Sarasota
Acceleration Academies,
which provides a flexible
the one-on-one support
provided by SAA educators when
challenges arise.
schedule and personalized approach
to students like Tyler,
who could no longer fit a traditional
school day into a schedule
that included working fulltime
as a mechanic at Toyota.
Curtis Hayes & Tyler Marcoaldi
Tyler credits Hayes with getting
to know him as a human being as
well as a student; social studies
coach Angelik Byrd with working
with him to master complex topics;
and coach Fred Thomas with helping prepare him
And now, he has walked across the graduation stage for the ACT exam.
and claimed his diploma. Among those celebrating will
be Curtis Hayes, the SAA graduation candidate advocate
who told Tyler about Acceleration Academies in
“Everybody here’s really helpful,” he says. “They know
we’re smart and will do the work.”
the first place.
Did you know...
We call our students
“Graduation Candidates”
(GCs) to remind them
every day of the reason
they are working so hard.
Our proprietary Graduation
Persistence Index allows us to
assess non-academic factors
known to impact student
success, providing an important
guide for customizing each
student’s learning plan.
Upon entry into our
program, GCs take a
career interest survey so
we can begin mapping
out their future career
and education plan.
Pathways Magazine | Summer 2022 11