February 20, 2024 | Jeffrey Good
Kaylee Holt had always been a strong student, earning As and Bs and making steady progress toward her high school diploma and college education beyond. But then she began algebra and, suddenly, all those plans seemed in question.
“I enjoyed math until it came to algebra,” she says. “Then it didn’t click for me anymore.”
She failed the class and, as she struggled, rapidly lost ground in other subjects. She switched to a non-traditional school but that didn’t work, either. Finally, she began considering settling for a GED. “I thought I was out of options.”
Then she found out about a new program offering a personalized, web-based curriculum and in-person, one-on-one help — Marion County Acceleration Academies.
Here, she discovered just what she needed. Math coach Rob Boulais sat down with her, patiently broke down problems into understandable pieces and helped her regain her stride.
“He explains it to the point where I understand,” says Kaylee. “To learn it, I have to have it explained to me in detail. Once I get it, I get it.”
Kaylee also enjoys the campus, which is spacious but cozy, full of comfortable chairs and with a kitchen stocked with drinks and snacks to fuel her studies. There’s no need to ask for a hall pass or permission to walk outside for a breath of fresh air; graduation candidates are treated like the young adults they are.
“You do everything as if you were a college student, and yet it’s still a high school environment,” she says.
She comes to campus 3-4 days each week, on a schedule that’s flexible enough for her to keep her job as a cashier at a local restaurant. That’s important. “I’m at the age when I have to pay for my own things, my own bills. I have to work to support myself.”
She’s grateful for the support she’s receiving at MCAA and planning to go on to college and become a traveling ultrasound technician. Would she recommend the program to others who are struggling to complete high school? Absolutely.
“It’s a very caring environment,” she says. “You never go unheard or unseen.”
Marion County Acceleration Academies accepts new students year-round. For more information, check out the academy web page and fill out an online enrollment form.