CIRCLE Academy, our education program that serves students who live with their families in surrounding communities, is dedicated to empowering students for success in any and every capacity possible. CIRCLE not only provides structure, nurturing, and a therapeutic learning environment, but also gives its students many positive opportunities to challenge themselves.

"You survive because the fire inside burns brighter than the fire around you."

This is Jayy’s* favorite quote. He first heard it from one of his teachers, when the two were talking about the impact people in his life have made to help him overcome his troubled past. And he has really taken those words to heart.

Christmastime at Cunningham is one of the busiest times of year and we wouldn’t have it any other way! Luckily, the Advancement team had its own "elf" to help with the hustle and bustle of the season.

"I’m ugly. I HATE school!"

The news was bittersweet for Phyllis.* She was surprised, thrilled and excited that her daughter, Penny*, who six years earlier was struggling with educational success, had earned enough credits to graduate high school. But at the same time, this meant Penny would no longer be enrolled at CIRCLE Academy in Urbana.

Jonathon* and his mom watched from the front door as the car from Cunningham’s CIRCLE Academy-Vermilion (CAV) program pulled up in front of their house.

The boost in Mari’s* confidence was evident after she was awarded “Best in Show” for her painting in the Arts and Crafts display at the Illinois Inter-Agency Athletic Association’s (IIAA) annual Balls, Bats, & Brains Training Conference.

Thanks to a grant we received for our educational programs to purchase additional Chromebooks, the learning possibilities for our students in the Noel Education Center were endless during the fall semester.

Above Mrs. Overman’s desk in her classroom at CIRCLE Academy hangs a picture of dandelions painted by her mother.

"When my siblings and I were younger, we would always bring dandelions to my mother," she explained. "While dandelions are actually weeds, we saw them as flowers."

In early December, youth from CIRCLE Academy-Vermilion (CAV) went on a special school trip - to see Wonder. A movie based on the New York Times bestseller, Wonder tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.