The emphasis at Score at the Top is to provide each student with a quality education.“99.9 percent of our students have been accepted to their top choice colleges and schools,”Alexander said. For students looking for this type of program, Score Academy is worth the investment. Score at the Top is located 1035 S. State Road 7, Suite 118. For more info., call (561) 333-8882 or visit www. scoreatthetop.com/wellington.
Wellington Collegiate Academy The students at the Wellington Collegiate Academy (WCA), located in the original Wellington Mall, currently range from kindergarten through eighth grade. However, the school will soon be educating students through 12th grade. Beginning this fall, the WCA will add one high school grade each year. Right now, there are 90 students enrolled at the school. “We offer traditional and innovative ways of learning,” said Juan Carlos Valdez, WCA co-owner and principal. “We try to cater to the specific needs of every student. We encourage students to progress at their own speed.” According to Valdez, who operates the school with his wife, Jessica, the teacher-student ratio is low, which guarantees that each student gets plenty of attention. “We have eight to 12 students per teacher,” Juan Carlos said. “There’s a great deal of relationship building between students and teachers. Our students know that they have the support of their teachers.” At the WCA, there is a significant emphasis on the arts. The arts are the specialty area of interest for the Valdez husband-and-wife team. He’s a professional animator, while she is an opera singer. Once a year, the WCA’s students conduct an acting or musical performance. 34
june 2022 | wellington the magazine
“We offer traditional and innovative ways of learning. We try to cater to the specific needs of every student. We encourage students to progress at their own speed.”
— Juan Carlos Valdez “This year, our students performed “The Wizard of Oz,” Juan Carlos said. “In recent years, our students presented Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. In December, we have our Christmas concert.” When it comes to music education, that’s Jessica’s specialty. “I oversee all the music classes,” she said. “We want them to experience all forms of music, which includes music from the 1960s, 1980s, jazz and Mozart.” One of the biggest musical opportunities for WCA students will take place in June 2023 when a school choir will be traveling to England to perform during the London Band Week.
Every year,WCA’s musical troupe performs at Walt Disney World, and there’s a reason that they are invited to return annually. “When people hear us sing, they stop and listen,” Jessica said. A key aspect of WCA’s approach to education is connecting the textbook with reality. For instance, the students learning marine biology are taken on a field trip to the Miami Seaquarium. The school also takes students on educational field trips to the Kennedy Space Center, St.Augustine, the Palm Beach Zoo, local farms and the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg. “It’s one thing to learn about a place from a book, and it’s another thing to see it live and in person,” Juan Carlos said. The school also understands the importance of recess and physical activity breaks for its students during the school day.“Giving students recess breaks helps support their imagination and helps create innovation,” Juan Carlos said. The Wellington Collegiate Academy is located at 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 14B. For more info., call (561) 784-1776 or (561) 701-3462, or visit www.gowca.org.