View in browser

Forward to a Friend

Freedom in Action: The Student-First Difference

Hello, Freedom Friends!

As the year is coming to an end, I have never felt prouder to work with an amazing group of students, staff, and families, and I am over the moon to be the Principal of The Freedom Institute of Collier County. These last few weeks at Freedom have exceeded all expectations I had at the beginning of the year. Our students continue to shine, inspire, and lead, and Freedom is truly a special and unique place to be. Hosting the State Board of Education meeting was an honor and to have our students participate and be recognized was an added bonus. The student-led Freedom Fair included initiative, passion, and collaboration with so many local businesses and partners. The community engagement was powerful and the impact felt.

The relationship between students and Success Coaches is a beautiful thing and unlike any other connections I've ever experienced in other educational environments. These group of high schoolers truly have an extra adult in their lives who is their mentor, cheerleader, sounding board, educator and more. It is a remarkable thing to have an approximately 1:30 ratio of Success Coach to students, and for students to have positive relationships with many staff members on campus. We are looking out for their best interest at all times, and pushing them to achieve greatness. The triangular collaboration between the family, the student, and the Success Coach has proven to be a successful model and our customized and flexible learning options allow students to work to their highest potential in a learning setting that is personal and best for them.

We continue to learn, grow, and enhance our program each year, and I look forward to finishing out this year strong and reaching higher heights together next year!!!

Sincerely,

Christy Vaill

Principal

Freedom was honored to host the Florida State Board of Education meeting on April 17th, but the most powerful moments came from our students. Erik Aspegren and Eire Layton were recognized as exemplar students, each representing a different—but equally successful—path made possible through Freedom’s personalized model.

Sophomore Erik is accelerating his academics while completing college dual enrollment, working nearly 30 hours per week in a paid internship with community partner Rick Hendrick Chevrolet, and hoping to add trades to his studies starting next year, while Senior Eire is balancing elite athletics, a 4.0 GPA, and college coursework - with a recent commitment to The University of Colorado, Boulder. Their stories highlight what happens when students are given flexibility, ownership, and real-world opportunities—education becomes meaningful, relevant, and empowering. Freedom Student Scarlett Meinert vowed participants of the event with her amazing performance of the National Anthem.

We are so proud of all of our Freedom Eagles! 🦅🇺🇸

Our Chick-fil-A Leader Academy students brought their vision to life through the Freedom Fair, raising $2,150 for Golisano Children’s Hospital and collecting toys for young patients. The student-led event transformed campus into a vibrant, carnival-style experience—complete with games, music, and community participation—all in support of a meaningful cause.

Led by students Grayce Wilder and Lauren Sharp, this initiative is a powerful example of Freedom’s learning model in action. From planning and outreach to execution, students took full ownership of the project, developing real leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. The event was made possible with the generous support of Chick-fil-A, Rita’s Italian Ice, the Naples Police Department, Chef Vincenzo Betulia and Bar Tulia, and other community partners, whose contributions helped bring the experience to life.

👉 When students are empowered to lead, they create real impact—for real people, in the real world.

A big thank you to Mrs. Chieco and all Freedom Chick-fil-A Leader club members, students and volunteers for making a difference in the community.

Freedom students recently stepped into a real-world courtroom, observing a federal sentencing hearing and engaging with the legal process firsthand. Thanks to Judge Dudek, students experienced live legal debate, saw both sides of a case presented, and gained insight into the justice system and careers in law. Experiences like this bring learning to life—developing critical thinking, civic understanding, and practical life skills that extend far beyond textbooks.

Freedom was proud to attend the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, a premier global gathering focused on innovation in education, technology, and the future of learning. Bringing together leaders from education, entrepreneurship, and AI, the summit explores how we can better prepare students for a rapidly evolving, tech-driven world—an approach deeply aligned with Freedom’s mission.

As leaders in AI-integrated, personalized education, Executive Director of Programs & AI Dr. Nathan Poteet and CEO Mr. Chris Marker attended the summit to both learn from top innovators and share Freedom’s model with others shaping the future of education. We were especially honored that Mr. Marker was invited to join the Yass Prize booth as a Yass alumni, representing Freedom’s recognition as a 2024 semifinalist.

Experiences like this ensure that Freedom remains at the forefront—bringing back new ideas, partnerships, and opportunities that directly benefit our students and families.

At Freedom, our commitment to character and service extends beyond campus. This month, we proudly sponsored and participated in the Naples Take a Soldier Fishing bass tournament, supporting an incredible organization that honors our military.

Freedom staff, families, and students all played a role—attending events, volunteering, and supporting the cause. With deep connections to the organization within our Freedom family, this was a meaningful opportunity to live out our core values of patriotism, service, and community engagement. 🇺🇸🪖🎖️👨‍🚒

Freedom is making headlines! We are honored to be featured in the Ave Maria Sun, highlighting our upcoming Freedom Ave Maria campus—a bold step forward in expanding personalized, innovative education to more families in Collier County, and recognizing Freedom as a model for what the future of high school can look like.

We were also recognized nationally in STOP for Education’s “Innovation in Action” series, congratulating Freedom on our $1M matching grant allowing us to expand to a second location.

Everglades Champion School & Chick-fil-A Leader Academy

Mrs. Chieco, Success Coach | Science Lead, continues to exemplify the Freedom Success Coach model through her leadership and dedication. As a recipient of the Everglades Champion School Mini-Grant, she provided students with hands-on environmental learning experiences, inspiring them to become active stewards of our local ecosystem.

She also played a key role as the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy Coach, guiding students through the successful Freedom Fair initiative. At Freedom, our coaches are more than teachers—they are mentors, leaders, and catalysts for student growth.

Thank you for being awesome, Mrs. Chieco! ❤️🤍💙

At Freedom, our Success Coaches are the heart and “secret sauce” of everything we do. Through a highly personalized, concierge-style model, they build meaningful relationships with students and families—guiding academics, career planning, and life pathways every single day. This Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4–8), we celebrate the incredible impact they make in shaping confident, capable, and purpose-driven young people.

As we honor our incredible coaches and staff, we also invite you to support them. We are over $400,000 toward our $1,000,000 matching gift goal, meaning every dollar given is doubled in impact. Your support directly invests in the people who make Freedom possible—helping us continue to attract, retain, and empower exceptional educators while expanding opportunities for more students.

We have a scheduled some amazing events for our Freedom Eagles, Families & Friends.

❤️ 05.04-05.08 - Teacher Appreciation Week - Donate to support our amazing Coaches and Staff select fund: Teacher Appreciation & Support). Your donation is doubled thanks to our matching grant!

🎓 05.20 - Freedom Class of 2026 Graduation (Revs Institute)

We are grateful to the DEKKO FOUNDATION for their support of our innovative Freedom Institute, Freedom AI and Freedom Ave Maria educational programs and campuses.

Let's Stay Connected!

Follow us on our socials:

239-427-1776

[email protected]

www.freedominstitute.net

If you no longer wish to receive emails unsubscribe here

2706 Horseshoe Dr S, Naples, FL 34104, USA