1. Academy for Community Inclusion/Department of Special Education, FAU

The mission of the Florida Atlantic University Academy for Community Inclusion is to increase overall independence in employment, self-determination, and community experiences for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The FAU Academy for Community Inclusion is a college program for high school graduates who have been diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program allows students to earn certificates in supported employment, supported community access, and supported community living. These certificates are offered in an inclusive college environment on both the Boca Raton and Jupiter campuses of FAU. The program allows students to participate in college activities, clubs, events, and organizations that are available to all FAU students.

2. Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team, The Aerospace and Innovation Academy

The Wolfpack CubeSat Development Team (WCDT) is a nationally recognized organization that empowers 10–18-year-olds by engaging them in the design, construction, testing, and launch of CubeSats before they graduate high school. Dedicated to advancing aerospace education, WCDT collaborates closely with academic, industrial, and governmental leaders to broaden educational opportunities and cultivate future aerospace professionals.

Operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, WCDT provides authentic, hands-on experiences that prepare students to interact with aerospace experts. Based in Palm Beach County, students participate in three core domains: Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Public Policy. Notably, they made history as the first middle school team in the nation selected for NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), having successfully launched three spacecraft, including two CubeSats and a hosted payload from Vandenberg Space Force Base in July.

Since 2018, WCDT students have showcased their expertise with over 110 technical papers accepted at national and international conferences across six countries. Presently, they are developing their fourth spacecraft, WolfSat-1, which aims to study an extremophile bacteria capable of degrading PET, a type of single-use plastic. Scheduled for launch in 2025, WolfSat-1 was awarded to WCDT through Firefly Aerospace’s DREAM 2.0 program, following their successful advocacy efforts that secured $350,000 from the Florida Legislature for aerospace training for at-risk youth.

In addition to their technical accomplishments, WCDT students volunteer extensively, including a four-week stint at Palm Beach State College’s “Summer in the Stratosphere” aerospace camps. They also play leadership roles in Florida Space Day activities and advocate for aerospace education in Washington, D.C. Furthermore, they have authored and published children’s aerospace books, earning accolades such as the 2022 Edison Invention Award for Experiential Learning in Education, an Honorable Mention in the ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge, and the 2024 Future Leaders Project Award from The Engineer’s Council and the Palm Beach County Business Development Board.

WCDT co-founded the annual SmallSat Education Conference at Kennedy Space Center, aimed at enhancing collaboration between educators and students. The conference, now in its third year, has grown significantly, attracting over 375 attendees from six countries, featuring 40 presentations, 25 exhibitors, and 7 workshops in its second iteration.

Under the leadership of educators Kevin L. Simmons and Shawna Christenson, WCDT adopts a “BLUE-SKY Learning” philosophy, emphasizing both technical skills (“Techies”) and effective communication (“Talkies”). The students excel in teamwork, mentorship of younger peers, and public speaking, reflecting their confidence and proficiency in aerospace disciplines.

3. Weitz Construction Academy, Seminole Ridge Community High School

Hello, my name is Todd Williams and I am the construction teacher at Weitz Construction Academy at Seminole Ridge High School. I’ve been in the construction industry for over 40 years now. An opportunity to teach high schoolers how to build a house became available, not sure what I was thinking, but I took the job 3 years ago now.

It has truly been an amazing experience to work with Habitat for humanity and other volunteers that help the project. I have multiple contractors and trade schools come in and talk with the students about the possibilities that are in the construction industry.

The Academy’s past experience building the Ticket Building directly on the school’s campus showed the faculty and administration that they needed to try and stay on campus for future construction projects to maintain control of the classes and the construction process. The Choice Programs department had heard about a school in the Keys that had worked with Habitat for Humanity to build a modular house in their school’s shop and then transporting it to a property owned by Habitat. That spawned the idea of the school district working with the Palm Beach County chapter of Habitat to build a modular house here.  Habitat’s executive director, at the time, Bernard Godek, thought having the students build a house for Habitat was a remarkable idea for both Habitat, for the students’ Academy training, and to give the students a chance to give back to their community.

Habitat is providing the building lot and they will have the foundation built, ready to accept the students’ modular house components.  Habitat is also providing all of the construction materials for the students’ work.  The Simpson Strongtie Company donates all of the metal connectors necessary to tie all of the wood framed parts together to meet the south Florida wind codes.  David Porter, the volunteer architect and project manager for the Academy, donates all of his time and efforts on the design, the construction drawings, permit coordination, and continues to consult and advise with the students on the construction work.  The students will be completing the house modules up through finished interiors, including electrical, plumbing, insulation, and finished drywall.  Windows and doors will be installed and the exterior walls will be clad with a building wrap membrane to make them dry for transporting.  The Academy will build the roof with trusses in strips that they will then dry in.  These will be hauled to the property at the same time the house modules are moved.  The roof can then be put in place within a half a day and sealed to protect the completed interiors.  Habitat’s volunteers will take over, once the modules are in place on the foundation at the property, to complete the siding, roofing, joining together of the modules, installing finished flooring, building a driveway, and doing the landscaping.

Work on the house is being done by the juniors and seniors of the Academy along with some sophomores and freshman. Each of the Academy’s different class groups have been divided into teams. Each team for each class is in charge of all construction on their designated module. When the next class comes in, they take over where the last class left off. Besides the classroom where the students learn skills from simply reading a tape measure to reading blueprints, they will be involved in building 4, 3 bedroom 2 bath homes that are approximately 1300 square feet, throughout their high school years.

4. Environmental Education Program, Palm Beach Day Academy

The Environmental Education Program, led by PBDA’s Science and Innovation Department, is dedicated to helping students understand their connections to both local and global communities through the environment. Students are not only learning about the natural world but also actively engaging in its preservation and protection. Central to our program’s success are the invaluable partnerships PBDA has forged with organizations dedicated to environmental conservation and education. From collaborating with The Everglades Foundation to integrate Everglades literacy into the curriculum to joining forces with the ANGARI Foundation to assist in the Lake Worth Lagoon Drift Card Study to hosting weekly gardening sessions with Fresh Rx, students are actively involved in real-world research and conservation efforts. Perhaps most importantly, the program instills in students a sense of responsibility and commitment to environmental stewardship that will endure for a lifetime.

5. The Free Enterprise Institute, Oxbridge Academy

Established 2022, Oxbridge’s Free Enterprise Institute (FEI) is a learning hub for the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. Offering an environment rich in expertise in entrepreneurship, finance, economics, and new product development, FEI provides formal and informal opportunities for students to come together with peers, teachers, and industry experts to learn about capitalism and its global influence. The mission of FEI is to foster free market innovation through strategic problem solving, teamwork, entrepreneurship, ethical decision-making, and exploration of the role of capitalism in society. Programming includes a distinguished speaker’s series with leading professors and leaders in the field, a summer finance workshop with field experiences, a student led investment club, and opportunities in business development. Courses include economics, financial markets, and entrepreneurship. In addition, the FEI co-hosted a half-day workshop for female students called “Invest in Girls” which encouraged females to consider a career in finance. The FEI connects Oxbridge to the broader business community.