Every single one of the teens at this unique graduation ceremony is on the road less traveled. Ava Pandelo has to work full-time for her family.
"I've been working ever since I was 14 years old because money doesn't grow on trees," said Pandelo.
Alex Prieto started at Cypress Lake High School but didn't feel like he belonged.
"I was, like, getting bullied and stuff," said Prieto.
Claudia Garcia was constantly on the move because of her dad's job.
"At my old school, I had a lot of absences due to traveling," said Garcia.
The Acceleration Academy takes Lee County teens who couldn't make it work at traditional schools.
"Somewhere along the line, they lost hope in themselves, and they stopped coming to school, and they just gave up because nobody was believing," said Shelley Markgraf, the principal at Acceleration Academy.
The school started with five kids in 2023. Now it has 360.
"Last year, we graduated 25. This year it was 75. Our goal was 50, and we surpassed that. Our kids are working really, really hard. And we're hoping that we have another 40 graduates by the end of the summer to earn their 2025 diploma as well," said Markgraf.
That's more than a hundred teens in Lee County this year alone who almost fell through the cracks, but are now on the road to success.
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