Combined, the Fontroy family has spent an amazing 29 years with Agora—that’s 13 years each for their eldest, Sandra, middle child, Taylor, and their newest Agora graduate from the class of 2024, Tyler. No doubt, Tyler’s graduation this June is slightly bitter-sweet for the Agora family, as it marks the end of an era with an amazing family. However, before we bid the Fontroy’s a fond farewell, we proudly give Tyler his time in the Agora spotlight, just as we did for Sandra and Taylor as they approached their graduations in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
Like his older siblings, Tyler started with Agora in kindergarten and spent all 13 years with us, growing in his achievements as a student and shaping into a responsible, conscientious young adult with every passing year. Along his entire journey with Agora, Tyler’s appreciation for a quality education, drive to succeed, and pure joy in gaining new knowledge and skills impacted all of us—from his teachers and schoolmates to family coaches and other faculty, right down to IT support! Tyler epitomizes what it means to embrace education. He worked hard, always kept his mind open to discovery, and put to use each opportunity Agora offered that he felt would pave his way to a promising future—a future without boundaries that he envisioned for himself. Whether it was participating in Agora Days Out to stay connected and social, showing the responsibility to transition to asynchronous learning, or utilizing after-class time with teachers to outline his next steps, Tyler took advantage of every chance for academic and personal growth.
“I even took a marketing class, which I can see coming in handy in the future,” said Tyler. “I would never have been able to get this kind of experience elsewhere. Agora offers so many things that you can’t get anywhere else.”
Tyler shares with anyone who will listen—anyone he feels he can support on a better educational path—the many ways Agora shaped his education and changed his life. He’s especially appreciative of being able to avoid issues—such as safety, classroom distractions, and too few teachers to “go around”—that Agora prevented from becoming roadblocks to his education.
“I look at other schools and talk to kids attending brick-and-mortar schools and think about how good I’ve had it at Agora. They have to go through so much—crazy schedules, safety concerns, and teachers that are too busy to teach. I never had to deal with any of that. I was able to stay focused and do my work, and I was never left on my own to figure things out by myself.”
Tyler’s gratitude for his education is evident in the many ways he has paid it forward through is active involvement with his church community, as well as his role tutoring younger students, which is something he did devoutly throughout most of his high school years. Now, as he looks to what is next for him, Tyler finds his future rooted in several interests launched at Agora, namely those he discovered through health, nutrition, and culinary classes. Having once helped his mom in a catering business, Tyler tells us that his Agora classes confirmed the path he wanted to take.
“Agora can accommodate any interest you have or want to learn about. Agora helps structure you to go through life, strengthens you as a person and offers and offers opportunities to get you to the next step. I am so prepared for life after high school.”
As he gets set to graduate, Tyler’s plans include attending the Community College of Philadelphia, then pursuing a career in the culinary arts and possibly opening his own restaurant someday. We have no doubt, Tyler will achieve whatever goals he establishes for himself!
Our Fond Farewell
In anticipation of this being our final story about the “Fontroy trio,” we take a moment to thank the entire family—Sandra, Taylor, Tyler and their parents, Brenda and Tyrone. From day one, the Fontroy’s have been one of Agora’s biggest advocates and have undoubtedly elevated the acceptance of, and appreciation for, our unique brand of cyber charter school education. From day one, they never let zip codes dictate the future of their children, and they approached education, in Brenda’s words, “as a full family effort!” For certain, all of us at Agora are honored and grateful to have been part of that family and to have help nurtured Sandra, Taylor, and Tyler all along their educational journeys. We are also appreciative for all the ways the Fontroy’s have enriched our lives personally and professionally. So, while we may be closing the Fontroy’s chapter as Agora students, their legacy with us will live on and influence more students and parents to explore cyber school education and become part of the Agora family.
