Pine Castle, one of Northeast Florida’s leading agencies serving adults with intellectual and developmental differences (I/DDs), recently celebrated the academic achievements of participants enrolled in the Employment Pathway during their first-ever “Curriculum Completion Ceremony.”
The Pine Castle Academy Day Program offers participants two options to pursue their individual talents and interests: the Pathway to Life Enrichment or the Pathway to Community Employment. Upon enrollment, each participant receives a customized curriculum based on their personal choices, providing a college-like experience. Each participant has an individualized daily schedule that includes time for skill-building within their Pathways curriculum, their choice of extracurricular activities, as well as options for Mental Health Services and working time if they are in the Employment Pathway.
Last week, Pine Castle held a special ceremony to honor 27 participants enrolled in the Pathway to Employment program as the first member class to successfully complete all five modules of the curriculum.
The ceremony featured words of encouragement from Pine Castle’s CEO, Lori Ann Whittington, and Director of Admissions and Case Management Harlee James, an honor roll pinning ceremony for the participants who scored 85% or higher testing scores and special moments to celebrate each participant for their achievements.
Many of the participants who were honored in the ceremony have never had the traditional experience of a graduation ceremony due to their differences, so the event served as a point of pride for all who were involved.
While the ceremony was not a typical graduation in that many of the participants in the 2025 member class will still be enrolled in the Academy Day Program for additional learning opportunities, it is vitally important to celebrate the academic achievements of these participants.
Despite their disabilities, each one of them has worked incredibly hard to acquire the knowledge, hands-on techniques and social skills they need to find success while employed in the community.
For more information about Pine Castle or to help support their mission to empower their participants to achieve their personal and professional goals through opportunities to learn, work and connect, go to www.pinecastle.org.
