Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies celebrated a new class of graduates recently, honoring young people who had pushed through adversity to claim their dream of a high school diploma.

An alarming rise in bullying and violence in high school has made it even harder for young people to focus on their studies and realize their dreams. Increasingly, students in search of a peaceful place to learn find their way to Acceleration Academies.

For Briseyda Valdez-Alonso, the last chapter of high school was anything but carefree. One of her cousins got in a terrible car crash. Another cousin, a baby, died. Heartbroken at home, Briseyda felt unmotivated to show up for classes at her former high school.

There is no denying that high school is hard for a lot of teens. As we head into 2025, students are navigating a complex world filled with unique challenges that affect their academic and personal lives. And, as educators and mentors, it is our job to understand these challenges so we can better...

While some high school students worry about getting their homework done in time to meet their friends at the mall, Que’vieon Preyer had a list of responsibilities that would burden people twice his age.

The recent commencement ceremony for Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies (MDAA) turned out to be very much a family affair.

Bryanna Olalde is a Carolina Shores Acceleration Academy OG, one of the first students to enroll at the academy when it opened in the fall of 2023.

Acceleration Academies of Ector County (EAA) celebrated its newest class of graduates with shouts of joy, tears of gratitude and words of inspiration.

As a Mexican-American, my Latina heritage has long evoked pride and a deep sense of belonging to a rich culture with a heart-centered, familia primero (“family first”) approach. But it wasn’t always that way.