Media Advisory
Nationally Recognized SailFuture Academy Gets VIP Visit Following $500,000 Yass Prize STOP Award
The school visit kicks off a multi-state tour of Yass Prize and STOP Awards winners.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – On Thursday, February 2, 2023, Yass Prize Founder Janine Yass and several elected members of the Florida State Senate will visit SailFuture Academy, a nationally-recognized, tuition-free, career preparatory high school in St. Petersburg and recipient of a $500,000 Yass Prize STOP Award. STOP stands for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless Education.
Through project-based learning and paid apprenticeships focused on maritime business, culinary arts and construction, students graduate from SailFuture prepared for successful careers. The majority of SailFuture’s students are in foster care or are otherwise at risk of not graduating high school.
The tour will begin at the school’s main campus and move to the Construction and Maritime Social Enterprise locations. The school-owned social enterprises employ students in paid apprenticeships and generate net income for the school. Last year, the enterprises donated $150,000 representing 25 percent of the school’s operating budget. This innovative approach to self-sustainability is part of what earned the school the “Sustainable” award.
WHO:
State Senator Joe Gruters, District 22
State Senator Nick DiCeglie, District 18
State Senator Blaise Ingoglia, District 11
Leah McRae, Director of Education, City of St. Petersburg
Mike Long, Founder and CEO, SailFuture
Janine Yass, Founder of the Yass Prize and STOP Awards Initiative
WHEN:
Thursday, February 2, 2023, 10:30 AM ET to Noon ET
WHERE:
10:30 AM ET
SailFuture Academy
2154 27th Ave N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33713
11:20 AM ET
Construction Social Enterprise Tour
235 22nd Ave S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33711
11:35 AM ET
Ship Tour, Maritime Social Enterprise
1110 3rd Street S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33711
Members of the media should RSVP to attend by emailing Michael Musante at michael@edreform.com.
The Yass Prize Road Show
Launched in 2021 to honor the work of education providers who delivered a best-in-class experience during the Covid pandemic, the $1 Million Yass Prize celebrates the country’s education provider which best demonstrates the STOP principles. In conjunction with The Yass Prize, the STOP Awards initiative provides over $16 million annually to outstanding educators. The Yass on the Road tour begins in Florida and will span Connecticut, Ohio, North Dakota, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana and Kansas. Applications for the 2023 Yass Prize will open in late March. To learn more about the prize and the education providers who have been honored, visit yassprize.org.