Pathways Magazine - Winter 2022 Edition

PATHWAYS
Acceleration Academies
Winter | 2022

17 Locations in Seven
States Across the U.S.
| FLORIDA
» Escambia County
• Pensacola
» Lee County
• Fort Myers
» Marion County
• Ocala
» Miami-Dade County
• Homestead
• Miami
» St. Lucie County
• Port St. Lucie
• Fort Pierce
» Sarasota County
• North Port
• Sarasota
| GEORGIA
» Gwinnett County
• Duluth
| KANSAS
» Wichita
| NEVADA
» Clark County
• North Las Vegas
• East Las Vegas
• Southeast Las Vegas
| SOUTH CAROLINA
» North Charleston
| TEXAS
» Ector County
• Odessa
| WASHINGTON
» Bethel School District
• Spanaway

Offering a flexible, personalized
path to success in high school
and beyond.
You can graduate.
We can help.

network by the numbers
Our Graduation Candidates come from all backgrounds and
experiences. They include learners who struggle in a traditional school
setting, need additional one-on-one support or work jobs that don’t fit with
a typical school schedule. Some are young parents; new Americans learning
English; or students who faced bullying, racism or social anxiety in larger
schools. Some are managing medical conditions; others want to accelerate
their studies, graduate early and move on to college, trade school, the
military or professional sports careers. Whatever your circumstances,
Acceleration Academies is here to help you #OwnYourSuccess.
AT
17
ACADEMIES
ACROSS
THE UNITED STATES
MORE THAN
3,600+
GRADUATION
CANDIDATES
CURRENTLY
ENROLLED
CELEBRATING
2,000+
GRADUATES
SINCE 2014

Contents
6
7
A Flexible Education Experience
Meeting the Needs of Today’s
Families
In Wichita, Best Friends, Young
Moms Thrive
15
16
Gwinnett County Director
Seeks to Change Trajectories
Lowcountry Guest Speakers
Offer Real-World Lessons in
Career Success
8
Ector County GC Finds the Recipe
for His Future
17
Friends Find Fuel for Their
Dreams in Miami
10
12
14
15
Hour of Code Introduces Learners
to Exciting and Growing Field
Marion County Artist Finds
Encouragement and Support
Escambia County Director Helps
GCs Make Better Choices
St. Lucie Graduation Candidate
Advocate Uses Data to Inspire
Learners
18
19
20
22
Siblings Find Success in
Sarasota
Bethel GC Coming Out And
Into Their Own
A Big Year In The News
Class Notes: News from All
Academies
PATHWAYS MAGAZINE
© December 2022
EDITOR & DESIGNER
Lisa Meckley
WRITERS
Jeffrey Good
Hali Schaefer
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Sarah Campbell
Jeffrey Good
Patrick Gray
Drew Perine
Andrew Whittaker

Acceleration Academies: A Flexible Education Experience Meeting
the Needs of Today’s Families
According to the Choose To Learn 2022 report recently
released by Tyton Partners, “Parents prioritize
their child’s happiness over any other outcome.
What this tells us is striking: While parents have
several expectations for their child’s education, ultimately
its impact on their child’s emotional state —
their happiness — is what matters most.”
We couldn’t agree more.
According to the post-pandemic report, parents
highly value education programs that provide personalized
academic support. At Acceleration Academies,
each Graduation Candidate (GC) — that’s
what we call our students
to remind them of their
goal — receives a learning
plan that is tailored to their
unique needs and schedule.
Personalized Learning
Plans (PLPs) are established
during orientation and are
regularly updated throughout
the GC’s lifecycle at Acceleration
Academies. The
constant re-evaluation and
updating of PLPs keeps
students in control of their
unique timeline for graduation.
One of the top program
features valued by parents
is “flexibility for my child.” Scheduling and environmental
flexibility is a foundation of our program. Our
blended learning model utilizes in-person support
and a web-based curriculum. While there are minimum
requirements for instruction and learning on
site at each academy, students are also able to complete
coursework around their schedule and life circumstances,
and at their own pace.
Unlike many 100% virtual models, at Acceleration
Academies, our experienced educators and counselors
are on site to work one-on-one with GCs from
the moment they walk through the door. They’re
also available when a GC isn’t in the building but
has questions or needs assistance as they complete
coursework remotely.
To ensure that our Graduation Candidates are successful
after receiving their high school diploma —
another flexible education program feature valued
by parents, according to the Tyton Partners report —
our on-site career counselors help each GC prepare
for their next steps after graduation by providing access
to certification and community programs, and
helping GCs navigate postsecondary opportunities
and funding such as applying for student aid, joining
the military, applying
for free career programs,
and more.
to students and families.
While many families
are interested in exploring
flexible, alternative
education
experiences for their
K-12 students, access
and affordability are
often barriers. At Acceleration
Academies,
though, we work in
partnership with public
school districts to
provide a flexible and
personalized learning
environment at no cost
While this is in no way an exhaustive list of how Acceleration
Academies supports learners with a flexible
path to a high school diploma, the values we
note are what set us apart and make us a leading
provider of flexible education nationwide. And as
we continue to partner with a growing number of
school districts, we are excited to offer our unique
program to more families seeking a flexible education
in which their students not only thrive academically
but also emotionally.
6 Pathways | Winter 2022

Best Friends, Young Moms Thrive
with Tenacious Advocates and Dedicated Content Coaches
WICHITA ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
For best friends Magalie Salas
and Celeste Medina, high school
had never been a comfortable fit.
Volatile social dynamics, a need
for more personal attention from
teachers, and the isolation of the
Covid pandemic created a miserable
mix.
Add in teen motherhood and these
young women wondered if they
were ever going to become high
school graduates.
“I’ve been to four different schools.
I started hanging out with the
wrong crowd so I started skipping
a lot,” says Celeste, 17. She tried
an alternative program but hated
only being able to come to campus
on certain days and decided to drop
out.
ble, personalized path through high
school — and invited her to bring
her baby daughter, Camila, with
her to campus.
“They told us you can bring the
baby,” she says. “I like that I can
bring her and I can do my schoolwork
and the teachers will help
me.”
Her friend echoes that appreciation.
“There’s no other school
like this one that helps,
especially when you don’t
have a babysitter,”
says Magalie, whose son Gael
recently turned one.
One recent morning, these young
parents and their babies joined others
in a room at the school dubbed
“the nursery,” and plugged away at
“
“I never enjoyed
school before, but
now I actually like it.”
Then she saw a post on Facebook
about the new Wichita Acceleration
Academies, which offered a flexitheir
coursework surrounded by other
young parents, children and an unfailingly
enthusiastic crew of educators.
To name just two examples: when she
was struggling with algebra, Celeste
said math and science content coach
Troy Criss worked patiently with her
to break the problems down into manageable
parts and helped her fit them
together. When she felt exhausted by
her responsibilities as a graduation
candidate and a new mom, Magalie
said that her graduation candidate
advocate provided caring-but-firm
encouragement.
“They don’t let us give up,” says Celeste.
“They tell you every day you’re
going to graduate. And if you don’t
go to school, they’re blowing up your
phones.”
“I never enjoyed school before but
now I actually like it.”
Pathways | Winter 2022 7

ACCELERATION ACADEMIES OF ECTOR COUNTY
Marco Salazar Finds
the Recipe for His Future
Many high schoolers work low-wage jobs or none at
all. They make plans for building careers after getting
their diplomas, often with help from college, trade
school or military training. When they describe their
adult selves, it’s in the future tense. Not Marco Salazar.
At 17, the Ector Acceleration Academies
learner has joined his older brother Raul to
build a gourmet catering business in West
Texas. The enterprise, Ratengo, features their
unique blend of Mexican, Asian and French
cuisines — and is so successful that they were
recently featured on a CBS news program.
Marco couldn’t pursue his career and his dream
without the flexible, personalized education offered at
Acceleration Academies of Ector County (EAA).
“I just didn’t have time to do full-time school
and full-time work,” says Marco. “It made it
a lot easier for me to actually do school and
graduate instead of missing a bunch of days.”
Marco hasn’t lived a charmed life. Far from it: He
and his brother grew up in a struggling family and
community, and Marco saw many friends cycle in and
out of jail. His brother urged him toward something
better — starting with a high school diploma.
“He doesn’t want me to end up like how some
of my friends are,” says Marco. “Graduating
high school is a big thing for him.”
“Man, to work with my brother, who, when I say we
come from humble beginnings, I mean we come from
very humble beginnings… it’s an absolute blessing”
Marco and his brother were recently
featured on a CBS news program.
Raul told CBS. Marco added, “Now I see a career
path. I see goals in life. I see being successful in the
future. I’m excited for that, that excites me.”
It wasn’t always a big thing for Marco. After
their business took off earlier this year, he
grappled with whether to continue his
education at a school with a traditional
schedule. “I already found what I loved, and I
was like, I don’t want to do school any more.
I was ready to just drop out — but then I
found this program.”
EAA allows the young chef to organize his
coursework around his other obligations. Sometimes
he and his brother will serve at a tuxedo dinner
party late into the night, and then he’ll work on a
math or English class in the wee hours. Other times,
Marco will come to the academy site located at the
Prosperity Bank building and take advantage of the
one-on-one coaching provided by caring teachers,
counselors and advocates.
“Everyone just kind of gives you that home
feel; everyone’s here for you,” Marco says of
EAA educators. “It’s not just like, oh, you’re
just the student. They know you by name
— they come with a real personal approach
and it makes you more motivated to actually
do your schoolwork and get graduated.”
Marco and his brother began their business by
selling their original Mexican sushi and have seen it
grow explosively in 2022. After earning his diploma,
Marco plans to continue working with his brother,
and to pursue a post-secondary education that will
support his dream of traveling internationally and
blending native cuisines into an original, delicious
fusion.
“If it weren’t for Acceleration Academies,” he
says, “I probably would have dropped out.”

“
“They come with
a real personal
approach and it
makes you more
motivated to
actually do your
schoolwork and
get graduated.”

“Hour of Code” Introduces Learners to
Exciting and Growing Field
An $80,000-plus annual salary, a career turning
creative ideas into video games and data visualizations,
even a Bronze Star in the U.S. Army
— all these and much more can come your way
if you learn skills in the expanding world of
computer coding.
That’s the message graduation candidates at
Acceleration Academies across the nation heard
recently as educators invited them to participate
in the Hour of Code event during National Computer
Science Education Week.
“I never would have thought that I would be an
IT person, but for me it changed my life,” said
Brandy Gordon, the career and life coach at Wichita
Acceleration Academies.
Gordon spent 13 years in the U.S. Army, entering
as a skilled vehicle mechanic but recruited to join
the satellite communications team helping coordinate
battles in Afghanistan and other war zones.
She told the GCs, “We literally had lines where
the president was talking to the generals, so having
those lines operating was critical.”
Gordon learned so much about coding and other
technology that she was able to overhaul a troubled
system at a key point in the conflict, earning
her a Bronze Star for service.
10 Pathways | Winter 2022

WAA social studies coach Kevin Farlow served 24 years
in the Army, as an infantry sergeant in hot spots including
Iraq. Farlow told Wichita learners that he had made
a “bad choice” in dropping out of high school during
his senior year. But after enlisting in the Army, Farlow
was able to study computer science at the college level.
He put those lessons in coding and other skills to work
maintaining networks that, among other things, pinpointed
the launch sites of enemy missiles.
“I just fell in love with
coding,” Farlow says.
“You’re taking an idea
and making something
from it. It can be a game,
it can be a tool, it can be
a business app. If you
can think of it, you can
code it.”
“Why should I learn how
to code?” Farlow asked
the GCs. Well, for one thing, you can make $80,000,
$100,000, $130,000 or more a year in a rapidly growing
field. “This is why coding can change your life.”
While college study is the most thorough preparation,
Farlow said that shorter-term programs can equip coders
with the knowledge needed to become an expert in one
computer language or another.
“You do not need a college degree. You just need to be
proficient in your language,” he said.
ACCELERATION ACADEMIES NETWORK | CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION
At Acceleration Academies
across the country, coaches and
learners engaged in a variety of
fun and educational activities
during National Computer
Science Education Week.
In Wichita, KS, the coaches invited GCs to
create a simple video game, using code to create
graphics, engage targets, keep score and introduce
sounds. At Lowcountry Acceleration Academy in
Charleston, SC, learners used coding to create
their very own dance routine. In Miami, FL, they
tried their hand at Desmos graph and programming.
In Bethel, WA, they had fun weaving coding
into games. In Escambia County, FL, they
learned that coding is a path
available to everyone, not
just computer geeks. And
in Clark County, NV, they
learned coding basics including
the algorithms now
at the heart of everything
from Instagram to Google to
TikTok.
The Hour of Code activities
are the latest example of an
increasing emphasis on career and technical education
(CTE) at Acceleration Academies, ways to
help learners explore college and career pathways.
“By applying the learning in the Hour of Code
event, you start to see the possibility of doing that
in your career pathway,” said Monique Anair,
model fidelity coach for CTE across the network.
“It’s a skill set that is cool now,” Anair said. And
it’s also practical. “Almost every pathway right
now requires some understanding of coding.”
Pathways | Winter 2022 11

Mako Velez:
‘I Feel Much Better Here
Than At Any Other School’
Mako Velez is a strong student from
a family that values education. Until
she found Marion County Acceleration
Academies, though, she had begun to
wonder if a high school diploma was
within her grasp.
“Education is really important in my
family,” says Mako, who is the youngest
of three children born to Mexican
immigrants. “My parents moved here
for a better life. They want to see us
succeed. And to them, education is the
first step in succeeding in life.”
Like her siblings, Mako had been a
student in the rigorous International
Baccalaureate program during the first
part of high school. But she found the
structure of traditional school — arriving
early in the morning, juggling multiple
courses, and navigating classrooms where
teachers lacked the time to provide oneon-one
support — discouraging. “You
were just like a number.”
As a visual artist who likes to dress with
flair, she also found the social dynamic
to be suffocating. From her classmates,
“I felt an extreme sense of judgment.
There’s no room for style or selfexpression
without feeling weird. I think
it’s okay to be weird.”
During her sophomore year, those
frustrations combined with medical
issues to prompt her to drop out. She tried
virtual school for a time, but found she
had a hard time focusing while studying
at home. “There wasn’t anybody to keep
me on track.”
In her artwork, graduation candidate Mako Velez
including watercolors. Above, Mako used her i
Her older brother and sister had gone on to
college, but Mako feared she wouldn’t even
make it through high school.
“I was like, ‘I’m done with school. I’m just
going to get a GED.’ ”
Then an enrollment counselor from
Acceleration Academies called to tell her about
a new school opening in Marion County, FL,
that offered a flexible, personalized path to a
diploma.
From the time she started in August, she knew
she had come to the right place — a school like
none other she had known.
The differences began with the physical
environment. Rather than bustling
hallways and classrooms crowded with
desks and classmates, her new school
offered a wide-open learning space with
big windows, comfortable seating, and
an ample supply of snacks.
12 Pathways | Winter 2022

MARION COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
thing, it makes it much easier than six other
things.”
After earning her diploma, Mako hopes to go
on to apprenticeships and further studies that
will help her build on her strong drawing skills
to become a tattoo artist, graphic designer or
other creative professional.
Academy Director Wayne Livingston says
Mako has been a wonderful addition to the
MCAA community. “She’s just a very positive
spirit. She’s making great progress here.”
Mako returns the praise for Livingston and
his team. “I feel much better here than at any
other school.”
incorporates both digital and traditional media
Pad to create this image of her classmates.
“School always felt like a cage,” she
says. At MCAA, “it feels spacious. I
love it.”
Even more important, the educators
— who are called coaches — offer
guidance whenever she needs it. For
example, she said that ELA coach
Annette Maldonado-Garcia regularly
checks in to offer encouragement and
academic support.
“She cares about me,” says Mako. “My
old teachers, they didn’t care about
me like that.”
Mako also likes MCAA’s flexible
scheduling, which allows her to get a
good night’s sleep before coming in
mid-morning to start her school day.
Also helpful is the ability for graduation
candidates to take one course at a time,
demonstrating mastery before moving
on to the next. “If I can focus on one
After earning her diploma,
Mako plans to go on to
apprenticeships and
further studies that will
help her build on her
strong drawing skills to
become a tattoo artist,
graphic designer or other
creative professional.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
ECAA Director Mathew Taylor:
‘I Want to Help Kids Make
Better Choices’
The new director of Escambia County Acceleration Academies
is a career educator. But that doesn’t mean he’s always
been keen on education.
During middle school and into high school, Mathew Taylor
acknowledges, he often didn’t show up for class — or
for his learning. A hotshot basketball and baseball player
during middle school, he figured he would glide through
high school and into the pros.
Unfortunately, administrators and teachers allowed him
to coast through his classes without engaging. “That’s
where they were failing me, they weren’t preparing me
for the future,” he says.
By the time he reached junior year, Taylor had given up
his pro dreams and realized he didn’t know what the terms
“noun, verb, adjective and adverb” meant. A caring English
teacher told him, “Hey, you’ve got to do better.”
What is a GCA?
At Acceleration Academies, students
are called “graduation candidates” to
remind them of why they’re working so
hard. Nobody works harder to support
them than their Graduation Candidate
Advocates (GCAs), who help and encourage
them stay on track with their
studies and overcome personal barriers
to success.
“That challenged me — and I realized she was right.”
Inspired by his teacher’s high standards, Taylor tapped
into his potential and began putting in the effort to
excel. He went on to college, initially majored in accounting,
but then realized he wanted to follow in the
footsteps of his parents — both veteran public school
educators in Escambia County — and teach.
After working as a 5th grade teacher, technology coordinator
and assistant principal in traditional public
schools, Taylor says he jumped at the chance to lead
Escambia County Acceleration Academies as it enters
its second year of operation.
“I want to help kids make better choices,” much as that
English teacher did for him, he says. “Acceleration
Academies has given me the opportunity to do that.”
Some graduation candidates “are going to be the first
ones to graduate high school in their families. They
might be the first ones to attend college,” he says. In
one of Florida’s most economically struggling school
districts, that can make a huge difference.
“When these kids have that diploma and can get better
jobs, they are going to be better able to support their
families — and contribute to the community.”
14 Pathways | Winter 2022

SLAA’s Coralynn Long Uses
Data to Inspire Learners
ST. LUCIE ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Coralynn Long loves education, data and the way the human brain
operates. At St. Lucie Acceleration Academies, she’s found a way to
blend all three.
“My data drives conversations, and my conversations drive the data,”
says Long, a graduation candidate advocate. After taking stock of the
progress a GC is making in a course, she helps them set specific goals,
saying, “If you can do that, you can finish this course in this amount of
time. I try to make it very concrete for them.”
Long brings not only passion to the job, but also expertise. She holds
two master’s degrees - one in developmental neuroscience and
another in educational psychology - and is pursuing yet another
master’s in school counseling. She has also nearly completed her
doctorate degree. Her goal: To use those insights to help graduation
candidates realize their goals. “My goal is to get them to graduate.”
GWINNETT COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
GCAA Director Brings Long Experience, Big Ambitions
After 29 years working in Gwinnett County Public Schools, Clent Chatham decided to enjoy his retirement.
For a minute.
Shortly after wrapping up his career, Chatham heard about a new
school opening in his birthplace of Duluth, Georgia. Gwinnett County
Acceleration Academies was looking for someone to lead a program
that offers young people a chance to pursue their diplomas in a school
with flexible hours and a rigorous-but-personalized curriculum.
“We’re talking about kids who for whatever reason dropped out,” says
Chatham. “They’d gotten off track – and off track in a way that can ruin
the rest of their lives.”
Chatham couldn’t resist the opportunity. Today, he leads a powerhouse
team of educators. “You’ve got people doing this because they want to
help these kids.”
Chatham, 52, is a product of Gwinnett County Public Schools and
the first in his family to go to college. Inspired by a fun and creative high school math instructor known as
Coach K, Chatham decided on a career in education. After 11 years in the classroom, Chatham moved into
leadership roles, most recently as principal for a middle school with 2,400 students.
GCAA is considerably smaller, and no learner slips through the cracks. “We can have a huge impact not only
on individuals but also on the county,” he says, noting that high school grads are significantly less likely to
end up on public support or, in the worst cases, in prison. “You can completely change that trajectory once
they get back in school.”
Pathways | Winter 2022 15

LOWCOUNTRY ACCELERATION ACADEMY
Real-World Lessons
in Career Success
Each Wednesday morning at Lowcountry
Acceleration Academy, successful professionals visit
to tell graduation candidates about their journeys —
and inspire the learners to plan their own.
At one Working/Wellness
Wednesday, the featured speaker
was Mike Warren, a Charleston
native and founder of Kreative
Jooce Art & Design. “When you
hear graphic design, what comes
to mind?” Warren asked the group
of GCs gathered around him.
They ticked off items ranging from
posters to t-shirts to websites.
Warren asked one to lend her
plastic Starbucks drink cup to
point out the holiday cup design.
“Graphic design is not just an island
onto itself. It’s all around.”
From a young age, Warren said he
had been passionate about making
art. Making a living at graphic
design involves not just technical
and business skills, but the ability to
listen to a client’s vision and turn it
into a design. Starbucks, for instance,
wanted a design that would convey
holiday spirit and, presumably,
prompt customers to buy the drinks.
“I have to take what’s in your mind and
paint a picture,” he told the GCs. “It’s
being able to sit with people and listen
to what their needs and wants are —
and make that happen.”
Warren said it’s important to learn
design skills, but that it needn’t take
years to get a start. He got a 4-year
bachelor’s degree, while others opt for
a 2-year associate’s degree or a shorter,
more specialized training program.
Working/Wellness Wednesdays is the brainchild of LAA career
coach Aisha Montgomery, and another example of Acceleration
Academies’ growing emphasis on career and technical
education (CTE).
Launched in August, the weekly program was designed to
introduce graduation candidates to successful professionals in
careers GCs might want to explore.
The presenters who have shared their insights included pastry chef Christiana Fields, merchant mariner
Curtis Pinckney; realtor Ankara Grant; entrepreneur Courtney Shaw-Scipio; trucking company CEO
Tristen Mustapher Simmons; cosmetology expert Sharmin Washington, and digital strategist LaCrystal
Robinson.
The successful professionals encouraged the young people to dream big. Truck industry veteran Tristen
Mustapher Simmons, for instance, left them with a journal and told them to write down their plans no
matter how outlandish they might seem. Cosmetology expert Sharmin Washington advised them to
embrace changes, even unexpected ones, because they open the door to new opportunities.
They also provided practical advice rooted in real-world experience. Digital strategist LaCrystal
Robinson told them to explore careers in science, math and technology (STEM) because demand is
high, especially for women. And like her fellow presenters, entrepreneur Courtney Shaw-Scipio said big
dreams require hard work. Put in your best effort and success will follow — in school, at work and in life.
16 Pathways | Winter 2022

Tim Friday & Anaya Garnes:
Friends Find Fuel for Their Dreams at MDAA
“
“He’s very motivating,
always positive. He
gives me the energy
to keep going.”
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
After facing bullying in elementary and middle school, Anaya Garnes decided she was going to map her
own way through high school. During the Covid pandemic, she shifted to an online program but found that
working alone too often meant feeling abandoned by her teachers. “If I could email them, call them, text them,
it would take them ages to reply,” she recalls. “No one would help me.”
Then her friend Tim Friday told her about Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies, where he had found the
guidance and inspiration he needed. “Everybody cares about the students here, and the students here care
about the staff,” says Tim. “Some people don’t get that kind of love in their own household.”
Anaya decided to join her friend at MDAA. And in January, both plan to walk across the stage and receive
the high school diplomas they’ve worked hard to earn.
Tim is a talented and charismatic young man, a musician whose first original song — First and Foremost,
about the need to set priorities — got more than a million listens online. But for too long, he acknowledges,
education wasn’t his first priority. “It took 3 years of going through what I was going through to come to the
realization that I needed high school,” says Tim.
At MDAA, he found a team dedicated to encouraging him to become the best possible version of himself,
citing in particular graduation candidate advocate Erick Velis. “He’s very motivating, always positive,” says Tim.
“He gives me the energy to keep going.”
Anaya found similar support. Among those who’ve made a difference is math coach Eliane Hernandez, who
helped her work through the challenges of advanced algebra. “She takes the time to slow down and explain
the problem.”
After graduating, Anaya would like to go to beauty school and eventually start her own salon. For his part,
Tim would like to not only pursue his musical interests but train to be a boat mechanic and eventually create
business enterprises. “One of my biggest things is giving back to others. If I can help somebody out spiritually,
mentally, helping them find a job, I want to do that.”
- Tim, referring to his
GCA Erick Velis
Pathways | Winter 2022 17

SARASOTA ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Siblings Find Success in Sarasota
When Lilly Fotheringham got pregnant during her
junior year at her old school, she despaired that she
wouldn’t have the time to fit her high school studies
in with her responsibilities as a new mom. She tried
virtual school for a while, but that didn’t work either.
Then a friend of hers who was studying at Sarasota
Acceleration Academies suggested she check
out the non-traditional school and its flexible,
personalized approach to high school. Lilly took her
friend’s advice, loved what she found, and is now a
grad looking back with gratitude.
“Once I came here I was hopeful, and it all went
better,” she says. “And now I’m in college!”
Lilly’s younger brother, Aiden Sonner, also needed
a different path. At his old school, he felt lost in the
crowd and unable to engage fully in his studies.
“Waking up at 6 a.m. every morning, sitting in a
room with a bunch of people who don’t want to
learn … it just doesn’t work,” says Aidan. At SAA, he
found educators who tailor a learning plan to each
graduation candidate’s strengths and challenges.
“It’s easier to focus on my work and do it at my own
pace.”
Both Aidan and his sister say they like the
Acceleration Academies’ approach of taking one
class at a time and receiving one-on-one coaching
from caring educators and advocates. “They don’t
act like normal teachers,” says Lilly. “They definitely
care.”
The siblings both singled out graduation candidate
advocate Frank Cruz for not only encouraging their
academic progress, but also helping them sort
through the kinds of life issues that can get in the
way. Says Lilly, “He was always there to give good
advice — and not just about school.”
Lilly works at Walmart, a company that will pay
her college tuition as long as she keeps up good
grades. She’d like to earn a bachelor’s and then a
master’s degree and build a career in health care,
focused particularly on care of the elderly. “There’s
a lot of people in health care who don’t really care. I
want to be one of the ones who do care.”
For his part, Aidan plans to join the Army and learn
underwater welding. But he knew that he’d need a
diploma rather than a GED to enlist. “I wouldn’t be
able to get into the military with that GED.”
18 Pathways | Winter 2022

BETHEL ACCELERATION ACADEMIES
Jaden Bell:
Coming Out and Into Their Own
While Jaden Bell spent the first decade of childhood
being raised as a girl, Jaden says, “I just felt that wasn’t
right.”
Rather than wearing dresses, Jaden pulled on pants. Instead
of frilly blouses, Jaden donned t-shirts. The term
at the time was “tomboy,” but at age 11 or 12, Jaden
began learning about the lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender
and queer (LBGTQ)
community and thought, “Oh,
that sounds like me.”
When Jaden (who uses they/
them pronouns) was 13, they
walked into the living room and
shared their realization. Shortly
after that, they dropped their
birth name, Kaili, and adopted
their gender-neutral middle
name, Jaden.
Jaden’s parents had a mixed reaction,
with dad more comfortable
with the news than mom.
Heading into high school, Jaden
found a similar range of reactions — and even some
hostility from classmates.
“There was so much drama. A lot of different people
were harmful,” Jaden recalls. “I didn’t feel safe in
school.”
In February 2021, during their junior year, Jaden transferred
to Bethel Acceleration Academies. There, the educators
welcomed Jaden exactly as they are. To Jaden’s
relief, so did classmates, many of whom had faced poisonous
social pressures in their former high schools.
“It’s been so much better. The coaches here are a lot
more helpful, a lot more accepting. I feel much safer
here than I did,” says Jaden. And the students — called
“graduation candidates” to remind them of their goals —
are “definitely much different. I wasn’t used to such an
accepting community… It’s easy to make friends here.”
It’s not just the social dynamic that has improved, Jaden
says. While they had fallen behind
academically, Jaden has
picked up momentum at BAA.
One important factor is the way
BAA’s academic, life coaches and
GC advocates have made it easy
for Jaden to ask for help.
At their old school, Jaden says,
“I thought ‘I have to do it myself,
I can’t ask for help,’ I knew it
was their job to help me, but my
brain was like, ‘You’re bothering
them.’ ” In the quieter, more personalized
learning environment
of BAA, Jaden felt that tension
melt away. They credit BAA educators,
particularly coaches Stacy Nikolaisen and Kevin
Torres.
“He’s very helpful in getting you back on track. He’ll
give you an explanation you can understand,” Jaden says
of Torres, who also serves as assistant academy director.
“Ms. Stacy has also been very helpful. Her energy kind
of bounces off of you.”
After earning their diploma, Jaden plans to move to
Michigan and study nursing. They can’t say enough
good things about the safe haven provided at Bethel
Acceleration Academies. “It’s very validating to know
you’re not alone.”
Did you know...
Acceleration Academies is a tuitionfree,
nationally accredited program!
Pathways | Winter 2022 19

2022
A Big Year for
Acceleration Academies
in the News
The innovative approach to public high school
offered by Acceleration Academies made a big
splash in national and local media this year.
CLARK COUNTY RIBBON CUTTING
In August, Las Vegas television stations
flocked to the ribbon-cutting ceremony
for the third campus of Clark County
Acceleration Academies. CCAA now serves
more than 1,000 high schoolers who needed
a flexible alternative to traditional high
school.
Clark County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jesus
Jara addressed the audience to say that his district’s
partnership with Acceleration Academies offers
a vital option for students who have struggled in
traditional settings. While he enjoyed his high
school experience while growing up in Miami, for
example, his brother graduated late “because maybe
he didn’t have the right schedule, didn’t have the
right teacher.”
“What that tells me is that we, as a school system,
have to meet our kids where they are,” said Dr. Jara.
“And this is what we’re doing here. And we can’t
do it alone. All of you who are working, are helping
mentoring, supporting our children, thank you.”
20 Pathways | Winter 2022

ECTOR COUNTY RIBBON CUTTING AND PRESS EVENT
In Odessa, Texas, Acceleration Academies
of Ector County has also drawn extensive
media attention. “The Ector County
Independent School District has partnered
up with the Acceleration Academy to
help out high school students get their
diplomas,” reported NewsWest9 TV.
“Many of these students were dealing with family and personal
problems, which led to them dropping out. The program does not
only help these kids get their diplomas, but also allows them to
get the one-on-one help they need to succeed.”
The station interviewed one of the program’s early graduates,
Mariah Arriaga. "My experience here overall was really excellent
like they helped me graduate of course, and obviously it’s not in
a hall full of students where I get anxiety. It really helped me a lot
to get to where I am now. My next step in life is to go to college. I
have always wanted to be a nurse ever since I was little."
FEATURED IN EDUCATION WEEK SPECIAL REPORT
In late summer, an Education Week special report
on re-engaging students who dropped out during
the Covid pandemic put a spotlight on the flexible,
personalized option offered by the rapidly growing
network of Acceleration Academies across the
nation — and featured interviews with passionate
educators and re-engaged graduation candidates
in Nevada, South Carolina and Florida.
“Across the country, more districts are opening or
expanding dropout-recovery programs — via district
alternative schools, charters and contracted services — and
the educators in these programs say they must provide
more hands-on care than before the pandemic for students
disenchanted with online remote learning,” Education
Week editor and reporter Sarah D. Sparks wrote in a
package of articles carrying the headline Dropouts Now
Face a Steeper Climb to Earn a Diploma Post-Pandemic.
Pathways | Winter 2022 21

class notes
Bethel, WA
In August, 17 BAA graduation candidates
joined students from other schools, the School
Board, families and friends to celebrate earning
their diplomas. Our very own Ariana Quituga
was selected to lead all the grads through the
turning of the tassel, and Faith Goulding-Booth
was able to have her 4-year-old son accept her
diploma with her. “I didn’t do this alone — he
was with me every step of the way,” she said.
November brought our biggest-ever group of
grads — 35. — Alison Roseboro, Director
Ector County, TX
At our grand opening ceremony in August, recent
grad Mariah Arriaga told the audience and
local news reporters that she had gotten her high
school career back on track with help from the
academy’s coaches, counselors and mentors.
Our GCs require so much more than academic
content; this fall, EAA educators delivered 20
boxes of food to families, most donated by a
local church. We also partnered with our local
Food Bank to become a West Texas Food Bank
distribution site. — Virginia Hunt, Director
Miami-Dade, FL
What an amazing time we had at our recent
Graduation College & Career Fair event, attended
by more than 50 GCs who heard from
representatives of colleges, military, and employers.
One newly minted alum exemplifies
the opportunity young people find with us.
Gemima Barreauny took advantage of MDAA’s
flexible approach to finish her coursework
ahead of pace. When Gemima encountered
additional personal challenges, she refused to
allow it to change her demeanor and work ethic,
and found strength in the guidance of graduation
candidate advocate Nadiuski Sambrana
and the MDAA team.
— Marcus Moore, Director
Sarasota, FL
Gratitude is a two-way street in Sarasota. We
are grateful for the GCs who decide to reengage
in their education regardless of the obstacles
they face. In August, SAA educators gathered
at Suncoast Technical College to celebrate
the graduation of 16 hard-working learners,
and we look forward to honoring at least eight
more grads in February. Theirs is not an easy
road, but our GCs are far from alone. Families,
friends, district and SAA educators fill our
commencement ceremonies; hearing their uplifting
stories reminds us of how lucky we are
to help these young people own their success.
— Michelle Llinas, Director
Lowcountry, SC
LAA launched a “Working/Wellness Wednesdays”
series to give graduation candidates the
opportunity to hear from local business owners
and leaders about career paths including
pastry chef, cosmetologist, merchant mariner,
and real estate agent. LAA launched its Career
and Technology Education website to provide
information to GCs, parents and community
partners. And Career Coach Aisha Montgomery
organized a week-long series of sessions
to invite learners to reflect on their paths after
high school. — Amber Speights, Director

Clark County, NV
In December, we celebrated our biggest-yet
graduating class, with 102 new alumni bringing
the CCAA total to 372 since inception in 2018.
Six are Millennium Scholars, qualifying them
for up to $10,000 in tuition at a Nevada college
or university. Some 37 are going on to college at
UNLV, CSN, Nevada State, Truckee Meadows,
Harnell, New Hope and Arizona State Nursing
Academy. One grad is joining the Air Force
and 41 are pursuing careers in health care,
cosmetology, auto tech and the construction
trades. — Wendy Thompson, Director
Marion County, FL
Marion Acceleration Academies is growing despite
the challenges that come with opening a
new school and getting word out to prospective
graduation candidates, families and the community.
It is encouraging to watch graduation
candidates come to our new campus eager to
work, get coaching on academic and personal
challenges and be pioneers in our new learning
community. We have grown to 140 GCs, and
it is wonderful to hear from GCs that they are
thankful for the opportunity they once thought
was lost. — Wayne Livingston, Director
Escambia County, FL
Escambia County Acceleration Academies is
going strong at our new location. We are having
fun with “holidays” — for instance, we
celebrated National Pancake Day and National
Chocolate Milk Day by serving up pancakes
and chocolate milk. We celebrated our first 12
graduates in December. In the new year, we will
begin a peer mentoring program, and launch a
student government that will oversee events,
provide a GC perspective at staff meetings and
advocate for our program in the community.
— Mathew Taylor, Director
St. Lucie, FL
A year and a half in the making, the new St.
Lucie Acceleration Academies site in Port
St. Lucie is finally open and will be celebrated
with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony in
January. In our first week, we welcomed more
than 60 GCs into our expansive space. As we
continue to grow our enrollment, which at 234
is the highest since 2019, we look forward to
helping the young people of St. Lucie County
build their success. — Paige Latham, Director
Gwinnett County, GA
Gwinnett County Acceleration Academy is
open for business, enrolling our first two
GCs in October and growing to more than
50 as 2023 begins, with the grand opening of
our permanent site coming soon. As a retired
principal from Gwinnett County Public
Schools, I could not be more proud of the work
and commitment I’m seeing from our young
people and our team of passionate educators.
— Clent Chatham, Director
Wichita, KS
WAA recently started its “End of the Month”
celebration to recognize GCs who are completing
classes and staying on track, step by step, to
graduation. Last month, we invited 123 GCs to
participate. Although these incremental actions
aren’t as glamorous as some achievements,
we feel that the small steps toward success are
commendable — and at WAA we strive to elevate
them. — Chris Turner, Director
class notes

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