Marco Island Academy Graduation

The Marco Island Academy Class of 2024 graduated Friday night, May 24, in front of a full house in the school’s gymnasium. The Class of 2024, 67 strong, will always be remembered as the last class to experience Marco Island Academy’s fledgling years when its San Marco Road campus was comprised of interconnected trailers with a modest wooden pavilion area as its hub. Of course, there was no gymnasium then. And no sports field. It was a decidedly spartan campus when Friday’s graduates were freshmen. 

The Class of 2024 were just sophomores when the $20 million state-of-the-art public charter high school’s main building and gymnasium opened in 2021. They also got to experience the campus buildout, including Manta Ray Field, the centerpiece of the impressive Jane Watt Sports Complex, named after the school’s founder and board chairman.

They also endured the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The students are bright, kind, and resilient,” said Jane Watt. "Not only did they navigate a challenging learning environment during the pandemic, they are also the last graduating class to experience the MIA modular campus. In a sense, this is the end of an era. Because of this connection, these students will always have a special place in my heart. As they head off to begin the next part of their journey, I am confident they will find happiness and success. I just hope they don't forget where it all started.”

MIA vice chair Rene Champagne joined Watt in praising this year’s grads.

"They were very fortunate in that they were the last group to experience the old school environment and then transferred into this new, beautiful facility,” Rene Champagne said. “Now they're moving on in their lives, and we're very proud of their achievements.”

MIA principal Melissa Scott was already ensconced as MIA’s principal when construction started on the new campus in 2020. When the site was being leveled for the school’s foundation, Scott could hear the beeping from the heavy machinery rolling back and forth just outside the administration trailer. Sometimes the machinery would cause her desk to vibrate.

"No one else will ever remember the modular classrooms,” Scott told the graduates and their well-wishers. “The wooden pavilion with its lovely splinters, the holes in the bathroom floor, the turkey vultures that ate the roofs, and getting soaked on rainy days during every class change.”

Scott was quick to recall fond memories of the old campus.

“No one else will remember seeing everyone, every day,” Scott said. "The close-knit feel of the pavilion. You showed us and taught us so much about resilience and flexibility during your four years at MIA.

She reminded the students of what they didn’t have their freshman year and how quickly things changed for them.

"No Manta Ray Cafe,” she said, "no main entrance, no grand staircase. As you got older, so did the campus. The building is finished. And then came the field. And to celebrate your senior year, it has come full circle. Thank you for understanding our origins. It's so important to remember where we started to find our future paths. You will always be my last class to help me move into my dream house." 

Celine Schauer, this year’s valedictorian, is a quiet kid who tells a good story.

"Growing up, I was never the loudest person,” Schauer said. “Never. A lot of people scared me. Actually, they kind of still do. When I was being tested for the gifted program in third grade, I refused to answer the entire verbal section of the exam purely because the man testing me had gold teeth and was abnormally loud. Because of this, throughout a lot of my K through 12 career, I was always known as the quiet kid. But being quiet verbally gave me the opportunity to express myself and my thoughts in other ways. When I was younger, it was through dance, and as I grew up, it became music. While I might not have been the first person to answer a question out loud, I never missed the chance to goofily dance and spin around my living room or force my family to listen to daily performances of one of the endless instruments currently taking residence in my mom's living room. Being the quiet kid gave me room for growth and I became the observant kid.”

The quiet, observant kid certainly did learn. Her unweighted GPA is 4.0. Her weighted GPA is 5.68.

"Celine has never been the loudest person in her room,” Scott said, "but she has found many other ways to stand out. Her kindness, intelligence, and compassion for others are just a few of the traits that draw people to her. Over her four years at MIA, she's blossomed into an amazing young woman ready to take on her future path of nursing and pediatric oncology. She is one beautiful butterfly ready to soar."

Elle Richardson is the Class of 2024 salutatorian. An AICE diploma recipient, Richardson was a member of the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, student government, environmental conservation organization, Quill and Scroll Honor Society, among others.

The Faculty Award was presented to Makayla Hendrick by Lori Galiana, social studies instructor. 

"We are so proud of Mikayla Hendrick as we send our princess off into the unknown at the University of Florida,” Galiana said. "Congratulations to this year's Faculty Award recipient, a student who proudly served as my Key Club president with over 450 volunteer hours for Key Club alone, and someone who I have grown to love as my own."

Scott then presented identical twins Daniel and Thomas Heekin with the Principal’s Award.

"Throughout the years, tonight's recipients have developed into two individuals with strengths, weaknesses, passions, traits, and quirks,” Scott said. “Yes, they do have differences. One works more because the other is always going to concerts. They are both hilarious, but I do think one is funnier than the other. One is a born researcher. They are both the better twin. At a young age, they overcame the obstacles put in front of them, figured out their weaknesses, and flourished. They are good friends and better people. These young men are everything I and MIA stand for, and they are the epitome of my dream for this school. Their smiles and kindness have always been genuine, and they have no idea how much they have meant to me."

A final award drew the evening’s only standing ovation from the graduates. Retiring fine arts and humanities instructor Rob Eder was honored by having a hallway in the school named after him.

“There has been one person always ready with a warm smile, a funny joke, tremendous talent, unlimited time, and a beautiful heart,” Scott said of Eder. "In the very early years, he was a key part in me achieving success and he has helped us flourish ever since. If we could, we would keep him forever. But it’s time for his next adventure. He has poured so much loyalty and love into all of us that I think it only fair we do the same for him. I cried so hard when I was writing this. Mr. Eder, thank you for being the amazingly special human that you are. We'll keep you in our hearts. And now you will be forever immortalized within the hallways of MIA."

“I started teaching here 13 years ago,” Eder said. “MIA was basically a hallway at the Family Church on Winterberry. There were 30 ninth graders and 30 tenth graders. It's amazing how much and how quickly we've grown. I've known many of you graduates since you were ninth graders, and I've had many of your relatives in my classes as well. Nothing makes me happier than to meet you as kids and then watch you become adults. I'm up here to tell you that I love you, but I think you know that. My face lights up every time I see you. When I became a public school teacher, I thought I would do it for two, maybe three years at the most. Now, after 35 years of teaching, I couldn't have wished for a better career or better life. I hope that all of you find your calling and follow through. I wish you all the best. And if or when you ever feel stuck or afraid, I hope you can imagine us cheering you on because that's where our hearts are.”

The Marco Island Academy Class of 2024 graduated Friday night, May 24, in front of a full house in the school’s gymnasium. The Class of 2024, 67 strong, will always be remembered as the last class to experience Marco Island Academy’s fledgling years when its San Marco Road campus was comprised of interconnected trailers with a modest wooden pavilion area as its hub. Of course, there was no gymnasium then. And no sports field. It was a decidedly spartan campus when Friday’s graduates were freshmen. 

The Class of 2024 were just sophomores when the $20 million state-of-the-art public charter high school’s main building and gymnasium opened in 2021. They also got to experience the campus buildout, including Manta Ray Field, the centerpiece of the impressive Jane Watt Sports Complex, named after the school’s founder and board chairman.

They also endured the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The students are bright, kind, and resilient,” said Jane Watt. "Not only did they navigate a challenging learning environment during the pandemic, they are also the last graduating class to experience the MIA modular campus. In a sense, this is the end of an era. Because of this connection, these students will always have a special place in my heart. As they head off to begin the next part of their journey, I am confident they will find happiness and success. I just hope they don't forget where it all started.”

MIA vice chair Rene Champagne joined Watt in praising this year’s grads.

"They were very fortunate in that they were the last group to experience the old school environment and then transferred into this new, beautiful facility,” Rene Champagne said. “Now they're moving on in their lives, and we're very proud of their achievements.”

MIA principal Melissa Scott was already ensconced as MIA’s principal when construction started on the new campus in 2020. When the site was being leveled for the school’s foundation, Scott could hear the beeping from the heavy machinery rolling back and forth just outside the administration trailer. Sometimes the machinery would cause her desk to vibrate.

"No one else will ever remember the modular classrooms,” Scott told the graduates and their well-wishers. “The wooden pavilion with its lovely splinters, the holes in the bathroom floor, the turkey vultures that ate the roofs, and getting soaked on rainy days during every class change.”

Scott was quick to recall fond memories of the old campus.

“No one else will remember seeing everyone, every day,” Scott said. "The close-knit feel of the pavilion. You showed us and taught us so much about resilience and flexibility during your four years at MIA.

She reminded the students of what they didn’t have their freshman year and how quickly things changed for them.

"No Manta Ray Cafe,” she said, "no main entrance, no grand staircase. As you got older, so did the campus. The building is finished. And then came the field. And to celebrate your senior year, it has come full circle. Thank you for understanding our origins. It's so important to remember where we started to find our future paths. You will always be my last class to help me move into my dream house." 

Celine Schauer, this year’s valedictorian, is a quiet kid who tells a good story.

"Growing up, I was never the loudest person,” Schauer said. “Never. A lot of people scared me. Actually, they kind of still do. When I was being tested for the gifted program in third grade, I refused to answer the entire verbal section of the exam purely because the man testing me had gold teeth and was abnormally loud. Because of this, throughout a lot of my K through 12 career, I was always known as the quiet kid. But being quiet verbally gave me the opportunity to express myself and my thoughts in other ways. When I was younger, it was through dance, and as I grew up, it became music. While I might not have been the first person to answer a question out loud, I never missed the chance to goofily dance and spin around my living room or force my family to listen to daily performances of one of the endless instruments currently taking residence in my mom's living room. Being the quiet kid gave me room for growth and I became the observant kid.”

The quiet, observant kid certainly did learn. Her unweighted GPA is 4.0. Her weighted GPA is 5.68.

"Celine has never been the loudest person in her room,” Scott said, "but she has found many other ways to stand out. Her kindness, intelligence, and compassion for others are just a few of the traits that draw people to her. Over her four years at MIA, she's blossomed into an amazing young woman ready to take on her future path of nursing and pediatric oncology. She is one beautiful butterfly ready to soar."

Elle Richardson is the Class of 2024 salutatorian. An AICE diploma recipient, Richardson was a member of the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, student government, environmental conservation organization, Quill and Scroll Honor Society, among others.

The Faculty Award was presented to Makayla Hendrick by Lori Galiana, social studies instructor. 

"We are so proud of Mikayla Hendrick as we send our princess off into the unknown at the University of Florida,” Galiana said. "Congratulations to this year's Faculty Award recipient, a student who proudly served as my Key Club president with over 450 volunteer hours for Key Club alone, and someone who I have grown to love as my own."

Scott then presented identical twins Daniel and Thomas Heekin with the Principal’s Award.

"Throughout the years, tonight's recipients have developed into two individuals with strengths, weaknesses, passions, traits, and quirks,” Scott said. “Yes, they do have differences. One works more because the other is always going to concerts. They are both hilarious, but I do think one is funnier than the other. One is a born researcher. They are both the better twin. At a young age, they overcame the obstacles put in front of them, figured out their weaknesses, and flourished. They are good friends and better people. These young men are everything I and MIA stand for, and they are the epitome of my dream for this school. Their smiles and kindness have always been genuine, and they have no idea how much they have meant to me."

A final award drew the evening’s only standing ovation from the graduates. Retiring fine arts and humanities instructor Rob Eder was honored by having a hallway in the school named after him.

“There has been one person always ready with a warm smile, a funny joke, tremendous talent, unlimited time, and a beautiful heart,” Scott said of Eder. "In the very early years, he was a key part in me achieving success and he has helped us flourish ever since. If we could, we would keep him forever. But it’s time for his next adventure. He has poured so much loyalty and love into all of us that I think it only fair we do the same for him. I cried so hard when I was writing this. Mr. Eder, thank you for being the amazingly special human that you are. We'll keep you in our hearts. And now you will be forever immortalized within the hallways of MIA."

“I started teaching here 13 years ago,” Eder said. “MIA was basically a hallway at the Family Church on Winterberry. There were 30 ninth graders and 30 tenth graders. It's amazing how much and how quickly we've grown. I've known many of you graduates since you were ninth graders, and I've had many of your relatives in my classes as well. Nothing makes me happier than to meet you as kids and then watch you become adults. I'm up here to tell you that I love you, but I think you know that. My face lights up every time I see you. When I became a public school teacher, I thought I would do it for two, maybe three years at the most. Now, after 35 years of teaching, I couldn't have wished for a better career or better life. I hope that all of you find your calling and follow through. I wish you all the best. And if or when you ever feel stuck or afraid, I hope you can imagine us cheering you on because that's where our hearts are.”