Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy

Kelley Volunteer Academy is a very special school structure that works! The school is small, classes are small and there is no drama. Every student there has one goal... to graduate. With a traditional High School, a student knows they will be there a set time August through May with a few holidays mixed in. However, at Kelley Academy, students are encouraged to work hard, quietly and efficiently because when they finish and completed the classes needed to graduate, they are dismissed. For example, a student can finish weeks or more earlier than their traditional high school peers. However, if they don't show up and don't do they work, then they will not graduate. It's that simple. The environment is quite, the classrooms are very small and the staff of teachers and administrators are effective in the one primary goal of encouraging students to come to class, do the work and GRADUATE. I was impressed from Day 1. In our initial interview with Marcia Southern to see if my student qualified to attend KVA, she was non-judgemental, loving and encouraging. My child had made a lot of bad choices in his high school years which put him behind in earning the credits to graduate on time. He was embarrassed as he explained to her why he was in the position he was in. Mrs Southern kindly explained how she could help put him on the path to finish school and early if he was willing to work hard. My son graduated yesterday and I'm very proud. He wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of Kelley Academy. I also am thankful for Jannice Clark and Liz Honeycutt. They are great teachers who encouraged him along the way.