By Katrina Salokar | EastLeeNews.com
Academy launches with a faith-based mission helping students prepare for graduation and the workforce
A new faith-based private school launching in Southwest Florida is preparing to serve high school students who have fallen behind, become discouraged, or been pushed to the edge of dropping out.
Champions Christian Academy, founded by Dr. Joseph Torregrasso and Lorena Peters, M.S. Ed., carries the message: “Real Second Chances Through Faith and Education.” The school is being built for students who need more than a desk and a worksheet. They need adults who will notice them, call them forward, and help them believe they can still finish.
The school’s leadership says many of the students they are called to serve are 11th and 12th graders who have spent years in traditional classrooms but are still far short of the credits needed to graduate. Some arrive with only a handful of credits after three or four years in high school. By that point, the academic problem has often become personal. Students feel labeled, defeated, and forgotten.
“A lot of these students have already been made to feel like failures,” said Lorena Peters, co-founder and principal. “Before they can care about curriculum again, they have to know somebody truly cares about them.”
That is where Champions Christian Academy hopes to make its greatest difference. The school is designed to be small, personal, faith-centered, and focused on rebuilding students from the inside out. Leaders say it can sometimes take months, even a year, for a student to regain enough confidence to fully reengage in learning.
The founders are also speaking plainly about what they see as a broken system. They say too many students are allowed to sit in classrooms for years without meaningful progress, only to be sent to alternative programs late in high school and then judged by graduation timelines that do not reflect the reality of how far behind they were when they arrived.
“If a student comes in with only three credits, there is no honest way to pretend that student can be measured the same as someone who stayed on track from freshman year,” said Dr. Joseph Torregrasso, co-founder and principal. “But that student’s life still matters. Their future still matters.”
The school’s approach will focus on credit recovery, graduation planning, mentorship, Christian values, workforce readiness, and future trade partnerships. Leaders are also exploring job-placement pathways and relationships with local businesses so students who graduate can move into real opportunities.
The vision is not just to graduate students, but to help restore families and strengthen the community. A student who earns a diploma can become a worker, a parent, a business owner, a mentor, and a contributor. Champions Christian Academy believes saving one student from giving up can change the direction of a whole family line.
Technology access is one of the school’s most urgent needs. Champions Christian Academy is currently seeking Chromebook donations or financial support to purchase devices for students. The goal is to build a base of approximately 100 Chromebooks for on-campus use, with future hopes of helping students who also need access at home.
The school is also working through nonprofit and scholarship funding processes and is seeking support from churches, businesses, community donors, workforce partners, and anyone who believes students deserve another chance.
Champions Christian Academy is preparing for an opening phase with a goal of enrolling approximately 100 students by August. The founders say the school is not being created to compete with traditional education, but to stand in the gap for students who need a different kind of help.
“This is about real second chances,” Peters said. “These kids are not throwaways. They are champions, and we want to help them see that.”
Current Needs
Chromebooks or donations to purchase student devices
Community and church partners
Business and workforce connections
Trade and apprenticeship partnerships
Internet, hotspot, or technology-support resources
Donors and sponsors willing to invest in second-chance education
Families interested in learning more about Champions Christian Academy are encouraged to follow the school on Facebook for updates on enrollment, future open houses, scholarship information, and student programs.
Open enrollment for the 2026–2027 school year is now underway, with the academy offering hybrid learning, middle and high school programs, Christian-based education, and individualized student support for students seeking a more personalized path forward.
School leaders are also encouraging families to apply soon for Step Up for Students scholarship funding as available funds continue to become more limited statewide.
Leadership and
Contact Information
For more information, call, text, message or email:
Lorena Peters, M.S. Ed.
Co-Founder and Principal
Phone: (786) 747-1792
Office: (239) 634-2694
Lorena@ChampionsChristianAcademy.org
Dr. Joseph Torregrasso
Co-Founder and Principal
Office: (239) 634-2694
Joe@ccapanthers.net
Website: ChampionsChristianAcademy.org
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