For Zamaria Farris, there were so many reasons to leave her traditional high school behind: sweaty hallways, teachers who lacked the time to help her, a social life that led her to the shopping mall rather than study hall.

While many students lost ground when the Covid pandemic temporarily shut down schools, Alivia Angelina Erbella Apodaca found her sweet spot studying remotely.

When Devon Linhardt moved to Pensacola with his father, a spell of hard times forced them to live in a van and made Devon uneasy about enrolling at a traditional high school to finish his diploma.

Adrianna Wann and Leilani Brown walked very different paths to Marion County Acceleration Academies, but these besties have something vital in common: a drive to move past adversity into a promising tomorrow.

Twin siblings Michael and Catherine Gorey have been at Lowcountry Acceleration Academy since the day it opened in 2021, and they’ve felt at home ever since.

From the time he was young, Christian Johnson has been a gifted trumpet player. That spark grew into a flame when he was in fourth grade and got invited backstage to meet legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

At Lowcountry Acceleration Academy — like its sister schools across the United States — it’s impossible for young learners to get lost.

To Rhyannon Jovan, there’s nothing more rewarding than helping a young learner find their voice through writing — especially if it’s a voice that’s been squelched through racism, poverty and other forces of exclusion.

When Malu Montero Britto moved to the United States from Peru as a 5th grader, the transition was rough. In addition to adjusting to a new country and language, she had to deal with an unjustified hostility from some of her peers.