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By TYLER RALEY | Special to the Reporter

BIRMINGHAM – The end of the school year is always marked by seniors graduating from various institutions, which is what just took place for the senior class of Alabama Connections Academy as they crossed the stage at the Boutwell Auditorium.

Shelby County is home to 32 of the 652 students that received their degree from the school and moved their tassels from left to right, closing this chapter of their lives and beginning the next.

Alabama Connections Academy is a tuition-free online public school that provides kids an opportunity to receive their full K-12 education outside of a traditional classroom setting.

Teachers involved with the program instruct the curriculum in ways that best support their student’s needs in order to put them on the best learning path possible. In addition to traditional classes, the teachers use a real-world approach that will assist the students with the goal of succeeding in their future industries.

The students also develop skills like leadership and critical thinking that will allow them to make many relationships with future employers due to the partnerships that the institution has with various companies and organizations.

As a whole, the graduating class earned scholarships totaling $2,108,415, which will go towards the future educations that the students pursue.

Now, the students prepare to take the next step in their educational and professional journeys with the accolade of a successful education under their belts.

The following students from Shelby County graduated from Alabama Connections Academy:

• Jisseca Alnemer
• Gracey Barker
• Anna Katherine Billingsley
• Brayden Butler
• Robert Clark
• Brooklyn-Hunter Davis
• Braden Fowler-Yates
• Kevin Habner
• Kathryn Harrington
• Ryleigh Higgins
• Zoe Hungerford
• Elizabeth Hyde
• Matthew Isbell
• Rodriques Jackson
• Alexis Kilgore
• Lorie King
• Madison Mahone
• Brandon Martinez
• Melani Melendez
• Danielle Portera
• Daphney Prieto
• Francesca Ruiz
• Lily Tingen
• Raven Updike
• Ziare Wedgeworth
• Riley Wesson