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First Academy class graduates
By PAULETTE LASH RITCHIE
The three-year students are Christine Adamson, Holli Bloom, Sharyl Hernandez, Laura Steepleton, Adam Shrout, Morgan Owen and Tara Peterson. Kevin Chapin and Josh Dahling joined the academy as juniors and will graduate as two-term students. Sharyl Hernandez, 15, will graduate from the program but not from high school. She is a junior, having joined the academy during her ninth-grade year. "I was homeschooled," she said. "I kind of skipped a grade." Next year, she said, she will be homeschooled for half the year and then take dual-enrollment classes at Central Florida Community College. After that, she will attend either Brigham Young University or the University of Florida. "I plan on majoring in international relations," she said. Sharyl said she was attracted to the academy by the "small classes, different learning environment, the teachers and the curriculum." Holli Bloom, 18, will graduate from Lecanto High School this year after her academy graduation. She attended AES because of the atmosphere and the smaller classes. "I love science," she said, but it went beyond that. "Coming here I got more than an education. I learned more about myself. I've just grown up a lot since I came here." Holli hopes to go to the University of Florida and says she will either study veterinary medicine or midwifery. Laura Steepleton, 17, came to the academy from Crystal River High School. "I started off just because it was different from regular high school," she said. But she has since realized the advantages of her decision. "I think I gained a lot of in-field experience." She said she will miss "the small classrooms, how close everyone was, how pretty it was out there and definitely the teachers." Laura is looking at UF but is also considering an out-of-state school. Christine Adamson, 18, came from Lecanto High School. "I just wanted a change," she said. Plus she figured it was a good fit because she really enjoyed her science class in ninth grade. Christine plans to attend Central Florida Community College and then transfer to a university in New York. She is interested in physical therapy, something she realized while taking anatomy and physiology at the academy. Adam Shrout, 17, also from Lecanto High, went to the academy because "it was smaller class sizes and getting to do more hands-on stuff, field trips and more labs." Another reason was the electives appealed to him. As one other benefit, Adam said, "I guess I learned to work a little bit harder." Adam will attend CFCC in the fall and then transfer to a university. "I have been accepted to go to UF in January," he said. He is interested in computer engineering or electronics. Tara Peterson, 18, from Lecanto High said her switch to the academy was to get away from crowded hallways. "I think I've learned a lot more out there because you have more one-on-one with the teachers," she said. She especially appreciated the bonds she had with teacher Lisa Merritt and administrative assistant Leslye Thomas. "It's like a home out there," she said. Tara intends to begin college at CFCC and eventually earn a teaching degree. She is looking into exceptional student education because the demand is so high. For Morgan Owen, 17, from Crystal River High School, the academy was just right. "I've always gotten along with small groups," she said. "I like the outdoors. I like the environment. It seemed like something I'd like to try. Something new. It was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot of new things." Morgan plans to attend the University of West Florida and major in speech pathology. Kevin Chapin, 18, also from Crystal River High went to AES because, he said, "It was something different, a change of pace. It was really fun." He said he will miss "the teachers, especially Ms. Merritt. It was so small. They really work with you and cared how you did." Kevin plans to use a two-year scholarship for CFCC and then transfer to UF or Florida State University to major in pre-med. He said he is considering the U.S. Navy for medical school. The other two-year graduate is Josh Dahling, 18, from Lecanto High School. He said he came as a junior because he needed to be in ROTC for two years to get a higher rank when he joins the National Guard. He came to AES for the hands-on projects, the atmosphere and the small class sizes, he said. Josh hopes to attend UF or the University of South Florida. "I'm going to try to pull a double major in chemistry, biochemistry and another chemistry," he said. He also wants to study computer programming or software design. He plans a career in the military, in the National Guard for six years and then in the Air Force. Josh is interested in pharmaceuticals and synthetic drugs. Academy teacher and director Lisa Merritt has been at AES since the beginning. "After three years it has far exceeded my expectations," she said. "I'm extremely proud of the students' accomplishments."
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