Every Student Deserves a Second, or Third, Chance

The Redemption Stories Happening at One Local School That Isn’t Afraid to be Different

PHOTOS BY MADI ELIZABETH

When Sahnai Greig walked through the door of New Beginnings High School at the Downtown Lakeland campus she was not defined by her past. She was not just a foster child, a teenager grappling with the death of her parents, or a student who had attended seven different high schools and fallen critically behind. She was an 18-year-old in desperate need of someone to see her potential beyond a battered spirit and a high school transcript that looks a lot like the blueprint for a future dropout. When her guidance counselor at her previous school referred her to New Beginnings she was in fact extending a lifeline to Sahnai.

“My first thought was, oh my gosh, I’m going to an alternative school,” Sahnai says, recalling her initial fear of being surrounded by “kids that fight, kids that are crazy, kids that are gonna attack me or are going to have ankle bracelets on.” 

But what she found was an immediate and profound revelation. “I actually sat in class and I realized that everybody I was sitting with was just like me and had a story to tell just like me…we were all here for a second, a third, a fourth, or a fifth chance.”

Her experience hasn’t been without bumps—in fact she failed a couple of classes early on and had to acclimate to an academic environment that is a distinctive blend of self-directed learning online, traditional class settings and one-on-one meetings with staff.

Yet, she currently is volunteering locally as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), has a strong desire to one day go into pediatric oncology to help families traverse the unimaginable journey of having a child with cancer, and she is on track to graduate in 2026.

Mae Farley, College and Career Teacher at New Beginnings High School, helps students understand their paths beyond high school and encourages them through the tough times while calling them up to a higher standard.

“One kid told me that he didn’t like his auntie and he asked me, ‘Can you be my auntie?’” she recalls. “I said, ‘Yes, I’ll be your auntie, whatever you need me to do.’”

None of that would likely be even a glimmer of a dream without the nurturing encouragement of Mae Farley, New Beginnings’ College and Career Teacher. Farley retired from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office after more than 35 years of service and her prayerful surrender to God of “What’s next?” eventually landed her at the school.

Sahnai—who has long grappled with what it means to be a mother-like figure to her five younger sisters in foster care—said Farley has become like a mom to her, willing to help her find transportation to take a test, helping her navigate post-high school options and seeing the best in her, even through tears and missteps.

“She’s helped me climb little stairs, one step at a time. And even though I’m not the best student…she’s never ever given up on me,” she says with conviction. “There have been Fridays where I’m like, ‘I’m not coming this Friday,’ and she says, ‘Ok, but next Friday you’ll be taking both of these assignments.’”

Farley, who has served youth for more than three decades at the church she attends, said her calling is to simply be present for students from broken homes and backgrounds that shape them, but don’t have to define them longterm.

“One kid told me that he didn’t like his auntie and he asked me, ‘Can you be my auntie?’” she recalls. “ I said, ‘Yes, I’ll be your auntie, whatever you need me to do’.”

Left: Logan Wiggins finished his coursework at New Beginnings in 2025, and today is enrolled at Polk State College. He dreams of one day starting and operating his own business.
Right:18-year-old Sahnai Greig is currently volunteering as a CNA and on track to earn her high school diploma this year—a remarkable turnaround from jumping from high school to high school for several years following the loss of her mother.

Sahnai’s journey, from living in her car and missing more than five credits to being on track to graduate and preparing to speak at her commencement, and Mrs. Farley’s wholehearted commitment, epitomizes the school’s pivotal role in filling a systemic gap. The school, a charter school that holds its charter through Polk County Public Schools, but operates independently, has positioned itself as a critical intervention point for young adults aged 15 to 24 at campuses in Lakeland, Winter Haven and Fort Meade—and soon to be in the Four Corners/Davenport area as well.

While traditional public high schools, which often enroll more than 2,000 students on large sprawling campuses, sometimes struggle to manage the needs of every individual, New Beginnings focuses on those for whom life circumstances have made the mainstream classroom untenable. It’s an educational model built on the principle that academic success for at-risk students requires more than just teaching—it requires a holistic network of support.

New Beginnings offers individualized, flexible learning options that allow students to earn the credits necessary to graduate through WOT Educational Services—an educational technology platform and comprehensive service provider founded by Ashlee Wright, the Lakelander who also established New Beginnings High School in 2011. 

“I actually sat in class and I realized that everybody I was sitting with was just like me and had a story to tell just like me…we were all here for a second, a third, a fourth, or a fifth chance.”

Staff also connects students to community resources and provides mental health and wellness opportunities as part of an approach that is geared toward helping every single student find a path forward, no matter their current transcript or situation. 

As Sahnai puts it: “Staff will not let you leave without an option,” sharing that administrators and teachers help students explore everything from college to trade school to a career in the military.

Karl Krueger, the school’s director of academic progress, shared his own journey, revealing that his current role is his “new beginning,” after many years as an elementary teacher and then a middle school teacher in Polk County Public Schools.  He left PCPS nearly a decade ago frustrated by what he calls bureaucracy and policies he felt “were more about funding than students.” He even wrote a lengthy letter to district leadership detailing his experience. 

He came back to education seeking a challenge, and at New Beginnings, he found it—a chance to work in a system that he says is focused squarely on student success.

What success looks like is as unique as each student, and oftentimes students come in with a very disrespectful attitude, seeking to see what the boundaries and limits are.

“But then a lot time there’s like this ‘click’ and you see this change from a student who has been all attitude and grief and now they’re like, ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘Yes, ma’am.’” Krueger says. “They go from disruptive and causing trouble to respectful and graduating…and that’s addictive to see that kind of change!”

An example of that impact can be found in the Wiggins family. Logan Wiggins was struggling with a severe case of “senioritis” his senior year at Bartow High School, and his mother, Patsy, said he was so overwhelmed that he was on the verge of dropping out. He enjoyed playing football for the Yellow Jackets through his junior year, but his mom said ultimately he felt he got lost in the shuffle. They didn’t fault Bartow High School staff or administration whatsoever—they simply saw the need for a reset at a crucial time in Logan’s life. 

As his father, Ralph, explains, “Everything about New Beginnings… it’s structured to where it gives the students... clarity on what’s gonna happen throughout the day.” For Logan, the fact that he could work from home and progress at his own pace was the essential component.

The one-on-one attention made an immediate impact, and he earned his diploma from New Beginnings in 2025. Logan felt “immediately accepted” by staff and other students, and he credits a teacher, Ms. Love, with always inspiring him when he came in for exams.

“They go from disruptive and causing trouble to respectful and graduating…and that’s addictive to see that kind of change!”

Logan is now studying business management at Polk State College and dreams of starting his own business. His mother is clear on the outcome: “New Beginnings changed his senior year. It changed his life, in all honesty…he would not be at Polk State. He would not be working—he would probably be laying on the couch playing video games all day.”

Enrollment is open year-round at NBHS, meaning the opportunity for students like him to experience a turnaround is evergreen.

Chief Marketing Officer Maria Alou says a lot of New Beginnings’ achievements and staying power can be attributed back to Wright, whose family has long been local leaders of creating educational solutions for as many students as possible.

Her father, Clint, served as the assistant superintendent for PCPS, as well as superintendent of Lake Wales Charter Schools, while her mother, Debra, worked in education for more than 40 years and served a stint on the Polk County School Board.

Partnerships that Ashlee Wright and others in and close to the school have cultivated over the years have resulted in significant grant dollars. Krueger noted that the school’s Innovation Lab was grant funded, and by 2027 the school is unveiling a new robotics program thanks to a recently activated revenue stream.

The expansion of New Beginnings programming and campuses coincides with a population explosion that has seen Polk County grow from nearly 484,000 residents in 2000 to approximately 880,000 in 2025. PCPS increased its graduation rate by more than 4 percent last year, and spaces like New Beginnings are a necessity for students represented by the 17-plus percent of non-graduating seniors—including students like Zach Roth. 

If you met the college freshman now you’d see a young man with a bright future who worked hard to earn an athletic scholarship to Mid-Atlantic Christian University in North Carolina. What you wouldn’t see is a once unmotivated youth who flunked ninth grade and had no future aspirations.

Mrs. Farley and Mr. Krueger remember a tough transition into New Beginnings for Zach that included almost half a year of being jaded and lacking any interest in doing what he needed to turn his life around. The staff stayed the course with him, though, and Mrs. Farley vividly remembers the moment something clicked in Zach.

He had a passion for baseball, and the coaching staff at Lake Gibson High School said they had a spot for him if he became academically eligible. He worked his way onto the roster and started making a difference on the field while still trying to find his footing academically.

“[Several of us} told him to give us his schedule, and we showed up to his game at George Jenkins High School,” Mrs. Farley says. “He could not believe that I had showed up for his game, and from that day forward we saw real buy-in. After that, he was serious.”

Tackling a heavy courseload, Zach earned two years of credits within a year to jumpstart the next chapter of his life. Today, he frequently stops by the school for visits when he’s home for holidays and breaks.

Seeing familiar faces like Zach’s pop in is a clear indication to Mrs. Farley she is exactly where God intended her to be.

“Being here has made me a better person. Even though I retired at 55…there were certain things I still hadn’t matured in, and this place has helped me do that,” she says. “No matter where a kid is in their life, no matter what they did not accomplish in 2025, or any time during their life—the mountains or hurdles or the tough times that they’ve been through—here at New Beginnings, they can always be guaranteed a fresh start.”

Logan’s message to other students who are struggling is simple but powerful: “Ask for help.” He advises them to give New Beginnings a chance because, looking back, he realizes, “if I would’ve known that I could do this rather than spend a whole year struggling…I would have.”

Sahnai was also eager to input wisdom to other young adults searching for a meaningful path in the midst of a messy and painful life. She penned the following reflection about her experience at New Beginnings:

As we approach the new year, I’m incredibly grateful for the new beginning this school has given me. It’s a place where I feel supported, challenged and inspired to become the best version of myself. For anyone out there who’s facing similar struggles, whether it’s academic setbacks or difficult personal circumstances, I highly recommend exploring the possibility at New Beginnings High School. It might just be the fresh start you need to rewrite your story and create your own success.

New Beginnings High School has locations in:

Lakeland
Winter Haven
Fort Meade
Davenport/Four Corners area (coming soon)

Learn more at newbhs.net