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Road Show

Yass Prize Roadshow Celebrates SOAR Academy Success in Georgia

The Yass Prize for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless (STOP) education continued its nationwide roadshow in Evans, Georgia, last week to visit 2022 STOP Award winner SOAR Academy and celebrate its expansion.

SOAR Academy leader Kenisha Skaggs is redefining what it means to deliver a personalized education experience for neurodiverse students.  She started SOAR Academy in her house, and now, thanks to hard work, a commitment to success, and the rocket fuel a $500,000 STOP Award provided her, Skaggs has expanded her school’s footprint and is about to break ground on a new building that will allow enrollment to quadruple in the next few years.  That means neurodiverse kids, with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and other learning disabilities, who have been on a waiting list to attend SOAR will finally have the opportunity. 

Parents, grandparents and students alike have found hope in SOAR Academy after multiple school options failed them in the past. “I don’t have to feel bad for not being able to read well,” said one student. “I don’t even feel embarrassed reading aloud now.” Another called herself a “docile” learner and said “no one paid attention” to her at her former school. 

Where many see insurmountable challenges to educating neurodiverse students, Skaggs sees an opportunity. “Innovating and starting from scratch is not easy,” said Skaggs. “It is not easy, but it is worth it.” By redefining what a student’s day looks like and focusing on what matters – excellent teachers, small class sizes, and multi-sensory learning experiences – kids make monumental growth. Most students who arrive at SOAR for the first time are two to three years behind in reading.  After two years of attending SOAR, 81% of students are reading at grade level.  

VIPs from across the area joined in on the SOAR Academy celebration including Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, and reporters from WJBF News Channel 6, WFXG Fox 54, WRDW News 12, the Augusta Chronicle, and the Augusta Press, who all did stories on the incredible work happening at SOAR Academy:

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The Yass Foundation advances the four core STOP principles: Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless education. Each year, the Foundation will reward dozens of organizations, building a growing network of innovative providers that
demonstrate these qualities in their commitment to new ideas, technologies, and approaches to learning that bring education into
the 21st century. The Foundation is powered by the Center for Education Reform (CER) in partnership with Forbes.

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