When schools finally reopened after being closed for months during the Covid pandemic, Olivia Jones had fallen far behind. And the large, traditional high school to which she returned only made things worse.

Even before the car crash, traditional high school wasn’t working for Nathan Godwin.

Walk into Acceleration Academies of Ector County and you will find sisters Alliyah and Kaisa Navarrette hard at work on the courses needed to earn their high school diplomas and move in the direction of their dreams.

To see Peyton Campbell glide around the room at Wichita Acceleration Academies, you’d never guess that he’s a young man who’s seen more than his share of struggle.

When her baby Esme was born with her intestines outside her body, Trista White and the child’s dad lived in the hospital room for months, supporting their child as doctors performed surgery after surgery and dealt with complication after complication.

In 35 years as a Florida public school educator, Wayne Livingston saw that when it comes to meeting the needs of each young learner, one size does not fit all. That’s why he’s excited to serve as the first Director of Marion County Acceleration Academies.

With proud family members and dedicated educators cheering them on, the latest class of graduates from Sarasota Acceleration Academies celebrated their high school diplomas and the futures they have just made that much brighter.

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.

At Acceleration Academies across the nation, graduation candidates and educators found ways to celebrate Black History Month by taking a fresh look at American history — and the way African American leaders, their families and the GCs themselves enrich it.