Acceleration Academies_Spring2023_Pathways Magazine

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LEE COUNTY ACCELERATION ACADEMIES Lee County Learner No Longer Has to Decide Between Hunger and Hope “It was kind of like, eat or get your diploma.” ~ Sam While still in her teens, Sam White knows all too well about the need to make her own way in the world. She lives independently, has to work full time — and found she couldn’t fit her life inside a traditional school day. So, while she was a strong student at Riverdale High, she saw no choice but to drop out. “It was kind of like, eat or get your diploma.” Then she found out about Lee County Acceleration Academies (LCAA). Here, she is able to do most of her schoolwork when she gets home from work in the evening, getting support from educators via Zoom or phone after the normal school day ends. She also takes one day off work during the week to visit the campus for intensive support. “You should be proud of yourself,” graduation candidate advocate Jonathan Pauyo tells her. “You’re doing awesome.” It hasn’t always felt that way for Sam, now 19. After turmoil at home led her to move in with her college student boyfriend, she had to work nights at a gas station to make money to pay her share of the bills. Good fortune came her way when one of her gas station customers, the owner of a family pool repair business, noticed her solid work ethic and positive attitude and offered her a job in his office. The daytime hours came as a relief, but they still didn’t leave time for normal school. “You’re going to finish strong,” he tells her. She flashes a quiet smile, nods toward Pauyo and says, “He’s motivational — to say the least!” That’s not a problem at LCAA, which operates in partnership with the Lee County School District to provide a non-traditional path for students who are coping with challenges including the need to work to support themselves. For Sam, it’s proven the perfect fit. And if she ever feels her momentum slow, she knows educators like Pauyo will be there to cheer her on. “You’re going to finish strong,” he tells her. She flashes a quiet smile, nods toward Pauyo and says, “He’s motivational — to say the least!” 12 Pathways | Spring 2023
ST LUCIE ACCELERATION ACADEMIES St. Lucie Grad Summer Worthington: ‘Hey Girl, You Got This’ For Summer Worthington, high school was hard enough. The crowded classrooms and lack of hands-on help combined with turmoil in her personal life to make her decide to drop out. Then she decided to give herself one last chance — at St. Lucie Acceleration Academies, where the quiet environment, flexible scheduling and intensive one-on-one coaching promised to help turn her high school career around. Then she got pregnant and had a baby boy, Marshall. She didn’t have a babysitter or the money to hire one. How in the world would she devote herself to her studies when her infant needed constant care? “I’m stuck. I don’t know what to do,” she told SLAA educators. “They said, ‘Bring him in.’ I was like, ‘Really?’ ” Really. Summer came to the campus on the weekends and after-hours, ready to work, and the staff took turns looking after Marshall while she studied. In January, she joined a group of her fellow graduation candidates in becoming graduates — celebrating the occasion not only for herself but also for her little boy. “He was my main reason to go and do this,” said Summer — who at 21 was close to the deadline for “ “I’m stuck. I don’t know what to do,” she told SLAA educators. “They said, ‘Bring him in.’ I was like, ‘Really?’” earning her diploma. And if it weren’t for St. Lucie Acceleration Academies, “I probably never would have even attempted to get my high school diploma.” Summer hasn’t had an easy journey. She had a rough home life growing up, was twice held back in school, and was kidnapped just after her 16th birthday by a man she met online. The trauma led to her spending five months in a residential mental health facility, putting her even further behind in school. Acceleration Academies celebrates our recent graduates! After enrolling at SLAA, Summer struggled at times to stay on track. But she says the educators there never gave up on her. Especially helpful were graduation candidate advocate Coralynn Long and social studies coach Orlando Ashah. “They would push me every day, say, ‘Come on Summer, you need to come in and do your work,’ ” she recalled. Sometimes she wouldn’t answer her phone, but they persisted. “It was like ‘Hey girl, you got this.’ ” Eventually, she did. Now that she has her diploma in hand, she’s making plans to study mortuary and forensic science in college. “I want to jump back into school,” Summer declares. “I’m not stopping.”
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