Achievement Academy Honors Staff Members

Achievement Academy staff members were honored by their colleagues Thursday, May 21.

Grace Doran, a Lakeland teacher, was honored as Teacher of the Year. Doran has been a teacher for 34 years, the past 11 years employed at the Achievement Academy. This recognition was especially memorable as she recently announced her retirement scheduled for the end of this school year.

Doran's classroom consists of 10 students and two paraprofessionals. The small class size is important as a large number of her students are considered medically fragile. Some of her students have frequent seizures and a few of her students are fed through a gastrostomy tube (G-tube).

Through it all, the unflappable Doran manages her classroom with calm and grace. "Achievement Academy's mission and commitment to children and their families, has been my passion throughout my teaching career, and the rewards I gain are from seeing these children blossom," states Doran.

The Development Department, including Stacy Williams-Myers, CFRE, Development Director, Ashlee Cofer, Development Coordinator, and Marivette Aguilera, Development Assistant, was awarded the Support Department of the Year. The recipient's dedication to "go above and beyond" with such optimistic attitudes are recognized and celebrated.

About the Achievement Academy

The Achievement Academy serves children from birth through age five with various developmental delays and disabilities. The Achievement Academy offers two programs, each provided at no cost to the child or family. The first program is a Charter School that offers specialized instruction by certified teachers; small class sizes; individual speech, occupational and physical therapies; and assistive technologies that enable each student to reach his or her full potential at one of the Achievement Academy's three campus locations (Lakeland, Winter Haven and Bartow). The second is a Birth to Three Program that provides early intervention services to infants and toddlers who are "at-risk" for developmental delays and/or have been identified with a specific delay. Professional Early Interventionists serve these children and their families.