Martin County program helps a dozen troubled teens earn a high school diploma
Project Lift, a non-profit in Palm City, aims to help troubled teenagers earn a high school diploma by teaching them vocational skills. Many of those teenagers have either experienced substance abuse, found themselves in the court system, or just could not find success in school. (image WPEC)
PALM CITY, Fla. — The conversation on what the next school year will look like continues nationwide, while some students are still finishing last school year.
Several high school graduations were either delayed or held non-traditionally due to the coronavirus pandemic. Martin County held delayed graduation ceremonies for its seniors.
For some students, graduation was always in question, and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project Lift, a non-profit in Palm City, aims to help troubled teenagers earn a high school diploma by teaching them vocational skills. Many of those teenagers have either experienced substance abuse, found themselves in the court system, or just could not find success in school.
The program partners with a nationally accredited high school program, so a diploma its students earn are just as valuable as a traditional.
Project Lift's office looks like an industrial factory, but it's not. It's a class.
"I love it," said Trent McClellan, 17, a graduating senior finishing the program. He admits he didn't care for school.
"I actually got into some trouble while I was here," he said. "But now I have been testing clean, I'm on the right path, and I'm graduating. It's very cool."
He's one of 13 students who received a high school diploma this year after year of finding it hard to stay motivated in school and life. CEO Bob Zaccheo says the coronavirus pandemic certainly didn't help his cause, but it didn't phase his kids.
"Here we are, in this time of chaos, where we are backing down and running from things, and these kids said 'no way, we're not backing down,'" he said.
"Regardless of a virus, nothing is going anywhere, that's how I looked at it," said McClellan. "I didn't look at it in a bad way. It wasn't going to stop me."
Those students didn't just earn a high school diploma. They're getting a sense of accomplishment that some have never felt before.
"I feel like I got something done," McClellan said. "I just, like, messed around my whole life. I never got anything done."
Project Lift held their own graduation ceremony for the 13 students. Many of them are now ready and qualified for a job. McClellan says he plans to enter the HVAC industry.