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Detroit Achievement Academy Featured on NBC’s TODAY

NBC News’ senior investigative correspondent Cynthia McFadden recently spotlighted the Detroit Achievement Academy as part of NBC News’ TODAY’s Teachers on the Frontline week-long series. The Detroit Achievement Academy has…

(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

NBC News’ senior investigative correspondent Cynthia McFadden recently spotlighted the Detroit Achievement Academy as part of NBC News’ TODAY’s Teachers on the Frontline week-long series.

The Detroit Achievement Academy has a special wellness program to help teachers with the mental health pressures of the pandemic.

When Covid-19 arrived, Academy founder Kyle Smitley said, “Our priority was the wellbeing and health and safety of our families and academic stuff is secondary, and it won't come without the first," according to a release.

She added, “We diverted our resources to things like buying groceries for our family members, paying their utilities so they could have running water, paying their rent.”

As a wonderful surprise, Comcast, NBCUniversal’s parent company, gave the Academy with laptops for every student and free internet for a year.

Watch the full exchange below!

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.