Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy Celebrates Class of 2013

FORT MYERS, Fla. - June 17, 2013 - PRLog -- It may have been one of Southwest Florida’s smallest graduations, but that didn’t diminish the achievement or the occasion for the five 2013 graduates of the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy.  The L.I.F.E. Academy (http://www.GoodwillLifeAcademy.org) is a Lee County charter school for middle and high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The school’s graduation was held at the auditorium of neighboring Edgewood Academy on May 16.  

Janette Gomez, Kenya Hunt, Brandon Jolicoeur, Joshua Rohloff, and Jennifer Williams each received their Special Option 1 diplomas from Don Armstrong, Vice Chairman of the School District of Lee County. A sixth student who would have graduated with the class of 2013, Laura Jara, was posthumously recognized at the ceremony. A vase of flowers rested on the stage in her memory.

“This year’s graduation was especially meaningful to us because two of our graduates have been here since the school’s first year,” says L.I.F.E. Academy Principal Lynn Pottorf. “All of our graduates have spent six to eight years with us, and we have watched them grow from teens to young adults.  They are now equipped with the skills to confidently begin the next phase of their lives.”

In the school’s eight-year history, the L.I.F.E. Academy has awarded Special Option diplomas to 29 students.

The L.I.F.E. Academy’s curriculum is designed to help transition young adults with developmental disabilities into post-school adult living.  The school's curriculum provides training in life skills, functional academics, and vocational/workforce skills.  The school also offers a vocational training program, which promises its graduates employment after graduation, either with Goodwill or a community-based employer.  

The Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy is a program of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida (http://www.goodwillswfl.org).  The school is currently accepting students for Fall 2013 enrollment. For more information, contact  Principal Lynn Pottorf at (239) 334-4434, or visit the school’s website: www.GoodwillLifeAcademy.org.