Around 50 Hernando County students quietly listened to 18 year old Sam Vrinios, a track state champ and teen entrepreneur speak about his successes in life and how he got there. His mother followed, Jamie Cruz Vrinios in which she boldly described the harsh treatment from her family due to her teen pregnancies. She found herself in poverty as a result, but was able to navigate beyond this and become a highly successful entrepreneur in her own right, author and inspirational speaker. She encouraged the students to “Play to win. Don’t play not to lose.”
The middle school students they addressed are all critically below grade level (at least 21 months behind) and part of the new Discovery Academy which aims to get these kids into high school through a highly tailored program. By grouping below grade level students together, the testing pressure from the school will be lessened for the individual student.
Suncoast Credit Union donated $100,000 to help fund the program.
The District provides the following county-wide statistics in regards to dropout and graduation rates:
- Twelve percent of students in middle school are considered off track
- The average four year graduation rate is 77.8 percent
- Over 145 students left school in the 2014-15 school year
The Discovery Academy is located on Central High School’s campus and shares a building with Endeavor Academy which caters to students with behavioral issues (Placement in Lieu of Expulsion). Both Endeavor and Discovery are Educational Alternative programs focused on dropout prevention. Housing both programs together is a cost savings for the district as both Discovery and Endeavor students have similar needs such as counseling services which can be shared between the two programs. The District estimates saving $98,410 with shared faculty positions.
The seven additional middle school teaching positions reassigned to Discovery Academy adds $430,000 to the cost of Alternative Education programs. The District does not foresee any additional operational costs.
