New Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy Construction Nears Completion

FORT MYERS, Fla. - June 20, 2013 - PRLog -- When Lee County schools open for the 2013-14 school year on August 8, the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy will open in a new location. Construction is nearing completion at the school’s new facility at 5100 Tice Street in Fort Myers.

The eight year-old school, which had previously been located at Tarpon Street and Seminole Avenue in Fort Myers, will relocate in late June. A ribbon-cutting and “school-warming” celebration is planned for July 10.

The Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy (http://www.goodwilllifeacademy.org) is a Lee County charter middle and high school for students with intellectual disabilities ages 11 through 22.  The new location will feature seven classrooms, a bus ramp area, a large kitchen, dedicated library and computer lab, and other accommodations.  

The new location is part of the future Goodwill Opportunity Center, a 130,000 square foot facility which will house Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida’s administrative offices, retail headquarters, and mission-based operations.

L.I.F.E. Academy Principal Lynn Pottorf and her faculty and staff have spent the last several weeks packing up the school in preparation for the mid-June move.

“This is the next phase in the L.I.F.E. Academy journey,” says Pottorf.  “And it’s filled with new opportunities for growth and expansion of our programs.”

L.I.F.E. Academy students have been integral in the moving process as well.  In February, students traveled to the new location, a then-vacant warehouse, to perform a ceremonial demolition. Several students, along with staff and board members, swung a sledgehammer at the walls to mark the start of construction.

“The students have been very excited because they’ve been a part of it,” adds Pottorf. “They got to see the drawings and even break the wall.  Everybody’s just excited.”

Students have also been preparing items for a time capsule, which will be buried at the new location after the Fall 2013 semester begins.

The new Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy location was designed by Lawson Group Architects and built by Owen-Ames-Kimball. Interior design consultation was provided by Norris Home Furnishings.

The Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy is a tuition-free, open-enrollment Lee County charter school.  The school’s curriculum is designed to promote self-advocacy, and develop life skills for independent living, by focusing on academic skills, daily life skills and vocational/workforce skills. The school is a program of Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida (http://www.goodwillswfl.org)

For more information about the Goodwill L.I.F.E. Academy, please visit the school’s website at http://www.GoodwillLIFEAcademy.org or call Principal Lynn Pottorf at (239) 334-4434.