August 9, 2024
Tavares High Teaching Academy’s First Graduate Ashley Ellixson Returns To Teach
By Kyle Coppola
Tavares High Teaching Academy’s First Graduate Ashley Ellixson Returns To Teach
TAVARES – Ashley Ellixson was the first student to complete the four-year teacher preparatory program at the Tavares High School Teaching Academy when she graduated in 2021. Now, having earned her degree, she has returned to start her career as a kindergarten teacher at Astatula Elementary School.
The district’s Human Resources team surprised her Friday with a basket of gifts to help her transition into the new role with ease.
Ellixson represents the success of the Tavares High Teaching Academy, which launched in 2017-18 in partnership with the University of Central Florida. The goal was to help Lake County Schools develop our own teachers to meet the needs of our growing student population.
Through the academy, students complete an advanced, hands-on curriculum in preparation for a career in teaching. After high school, they may continue with their post-secondary education at UCF, complete internships in Lake schools and are guaranteed a job interview with the district, where they can start their career in education.
This year, the district will open a teaching academy at Eustis High School.
Ellixson was celebrated at a signing-day event in 2021 by Bonnie Watkins, the Career and Technical Education teacher who helped lead the program when it started. “We developed the program from an idea and a dream,” she said at the time. “Now we are seeing that dream being fulfilled through Ashley. We are going to support her every step of the way, and we look forward to the day when she returns to us.”
Monday is that day!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
