Kenny Bazile couldn’t stop grinning. As he and other members of the newly minted St. Lucie Acceleration Academies Class of 2021 strode across the stage to receive their high school diplomas, he knew that he had earned something huge.
Kenny had cycled in and out of school, but it wasn’t just the coursework in math, science and social studies that taught him lessons. It was also the experience of spending time in jail and in a halfway house filled with older men who urged him to avoid making those same mistakes.
“He just really realized what he did not want his life to be,” remarked SLAA Director Paige Latham. “He learned a lesson. It was a hard lesson, but he got it.”
Kenny was not alone in pushing through adversity to reach Graduation Day. The 31 young men and women who were celebrated during the June commencement ceremony at Fort Pierce Central High had overcome struggles — including poverty, overwhelming work and family responsibilities, frustration inside traditional classroom and their own poor choices— to earn the diplomas many had once thought beyond their grasp.
“Each of you has something in common,” Latham told the grads. “You’ve proven yourself to be tenacious — a quality that will serve you well in life.”
SLAA Director Paige Latham offers a fist bump to new grad Kenny Bazile.
Olivia O’Neil is one of the tenacious ones. She was an “F” student who dropped out of traditional high school before finding her way to Acceleration Academies, where a personalized curriculum and plenty of one-on-one coaching helped her find her way — even if she sometimes fell off track.
Olivia credited Latham and Graduation Candidate Advocate Emerald Jamison with reaching out to her repeatedly when her motivation flagged. “I almost gave up a few months ago and they just blew my phone up,” she recalled with a smile.
She’s glad that they did, and that she responded by completing high school at age 21 and making plans to join the Air Force and become a pilot. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this day.”
Juvan Lester is another of the tenacious ones. At the beginning of his high school career, and he and a friend made a reckless decision to burglarize a building. That resulted in jail time and the need to find a non-traditional high school option.
Juvan said that the educators at SLAA did not judge him for his mistakes, but instead helped him to focus on his positive qualities and potential for the future. He realized that the diploma would help balance his earlier woes and open doors that might otherwise have remained shut.
“I’m going to college,” said Juvan, 18, who is exploring career options including becoming an electrician or a graphic designer. “I’m definitely going to do that.”
As the grads processed out of the auditorium and into the sunshine of an early June morning, family members, friends and educators gathered around them to offer hugs and whoops of joy.
One of the people celebrating was Dr. Sunny Booker, Director of Alternative Education for St. Lucie Public Schools. In addition to leading the partnership between Acceleration Academies and the school district, she regularly takes the time to personally encourage individual grads along the way.
Kenny Bazile was one of them, and he got a big hug from Dr. Booker, who exclaimed, “I’m so proud of you, Kenny!”
He and all the other grads had reason to be proud.
“You’ve opened doors for yourselves that will not close,” Latham told them. “You’ve gotten this far. Push farther.”
Here are the grads celebrated in the June commencement: Kenny Bazile, Calissa Cox, Venecia Daley, Andrew Downing, Desiree Fortini, Sharrod Fulton, Megan Gargon, Jenna Gomes, Justin Gonzales, Karen Gutierrez, Mason Hamilton, Veronica Harrison, Jazmin Hernandez, Jeremiah Jackson, Wilson Jean, David Jones, Juvan Lester, Nathan Lindsey, Mercy Marquez Alvarado, Angelique McIntosh, J’Mari Miller, Alyssa Morman, Olivia O’Neil, Meylianne Perez, Sean Robinson, Nathalie Rodriguez, Mauricio Sevilla, Rosnel St. Julien, Jordan Stevens, William Wallace, Amber White.