PEP allows Lyra to fly through the air with the greatest of ease

VENICE – He is not afraid.

Lyra Kerr wants to make that clear.

He is not afraid to climb a ladder that rises 29 feet above ground. He’s not afraid to stand on the small platform near the top of that ladder and reach for the bar that will swing him over the safety net.

Lyra is not afraid to hook his knees on the bar and dangle as he swings.

And he’s certainly not afraid to release his grip and spin once, twice, three times before bouncing to a stop in the net.

Yes, Lyra wears a harness and is assisted by two trained trapeze artists, but he’s 6, and the climb and the swinging and the spinning could be unnerving for a beginner, let alone one his age.

But, said his mom, McKenna Rodgers, “He’s fearless.”

“It’s not scary,” Lyra said. “It’s super fun.”

In fact, he added, it’s “the most super fun” thing he does.

For 90 minutes two days a week, Lyra is the daring young man on the flying trapeze.

He trains under world-renowned trapeze artist Tito Gaona at Gaona’s trapeze academy in Venice. The fee is reimbursed through his Florida education choice scholarship, managed by Step Up For Students.

Lyra, his stepsister and stepbrother each receive the Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship available through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. PEP provides parents with flexibility in how they spend their scholarship funds.

The scholarship enables McKenna to home-educate all three, who are enrolled in Florida Virtual School. She said her stepchildren, both teenagers, have improved scholastically since receiving the scholarship, especially in reading.

Lyra is just beginning his academic journey. McKenna is curious about where it will lead him and how, with PEP, she can tailor his academic needs and interests.

“I’m really happy to have access to it,” she said.

The scholarship has paid for extracurricular activities for all three, including circus camp in the summer. Lyra is the only one who returned for training classes.

Tito Gaona said that Lyra can go as far as he wants to in the sport.

“Trapeze is a lot of fun, addicting. Once you get on a piece and you really like it, there's no end, because you fall in love with it because it's fun,” he said.

Venice, known as the “Shark's Tooth Capital of the World” for the tiny finds buried in the sand along its beaches, was once known as the “Winter Home of the Greatest Show on Earth.”

From 1960 to 1992, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus brought circus performers, workers, and animals to Venice during the offseason.

McKenna, born and raised in Venice, has fond childhood memories of seeing the performers train during the winter months, especially the trapeze artists.

Tito Gaona’s Trapeze Academy is located near the municipal airport. When McKenna drove by with Lyra, she would point at the students swinging through the air and tell him she always wanted to do that when she was his age.

One day, Lyra said he wanted to be a trapeze artist, and McKenna decided she was going to make it happen.

“It wasn't a vicarious thing,” she said. “It was just something we had around here that is not common and is unique to the area. The circus had its winter headquarters here, and should keep it alive in a way. Performance art is important.”

And Lyra did have some practice flying. Sort of. They lived for a time on a houseboat, and Lyra often dived into the water.

“I jumped off the boat,” he said. “Off the roof, really.”

Looking for ways to harness Lyra’s energy, McKenna had already enrolled him in gymnastic classes. Tumbling through the air was a logical next step for a boy who loves to climb trees and dangle from bars in the playground near their Venice home.

Among the many perks of home education is that parents can set the daily schedule. This allows McKenna to keep some mornings free to take Lyra to the beach.

“No one’s there,” she said. “It’s my favorite time.”

Like a typical 6-year-old with boundless energy, Lyra’s interests are all over the place. He loves to swim, fish, play video games, and play with Legos. Right now, he is constructing “The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr,” the dark tower found in Middle-earth.

He even tried his hand at racquetball.

Nothing, though, beats the thrill of learning the trapeze.

The climbing, dangling, dropping, spinning.

To Lyra, none of it is scary.

It’s the most super fun.

Roger Mooney, manager, communications, can be reached at [email protected].