Profiles of Success

Transcription

Profiles of Success

Profiles of Success:
The Voices of Alternative Education
Students in Boston
Boston Public Schools
Alternative Education Programs
In Memoriam
Tacary Jones • 1988~2005
We regret to learn that Tacary Jones, one of the students
featured in this publication, was fatally shot on
Friday March 18, 2005 aboard an MBTA bus.
Tacary was seventeen years old.
We extend our deepest sympathy to Tacary’s family and
friends, and hope for an end to violence in our communities.

Profiles of Success:
The Voices of Alternative Education Students in Boston
Boston Public Schools
Unified Student Services
Alternative Education Programs
Dr. Pia Durkin, Team Leader
Dr. Elliot Feldman, Director
515 Hyde Park Avenue
Roslindale, MA 02131
Phone (617) 635-8035
Fax (617) 635-6821
Boston School Committee
Dr. Elizabeth Relinger, Chairperson
Marchelle Raynor, Vice-Chairperson
Angel Amy Moreno
Susan Naimark • Dennis Wright
William Spring
Dr. Thomas W. Payzant, Superintendent
June 2002
Developed by
Intercultural Center for Research in Education (INCRE)
Arlington, MA
The development of this guide was supported by the U.S. Department of Education Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program Grant No. 5184M-0018.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1
High School Programs
1.
El Centro Del Cardenal Alternative High School
2
2.
EDCO Youth Alternative
6
3.
Angell Street High School
9
4.
ABCD University High School
11
5.
Boston Community Academy
15
6.
City Roots Alternative High School
18
7.
Crittenton Hastings House
21
8.
Boston Adult Technical Academy
24
9.
St. Mary’s Alternative School
27
10.
The Young Adult Center
29
Middle School Programs
11.
The Juvenile Resource Center Program at Post Office Square
34
12
The Little House Alternative School
37
13.
Boston Middle School Academy
40
14.
Boston Community Middle School
42
15.
Dorchester Youth Alternative Academy
44
BPS Alternative Education Programs
Profiles of Success
•
i
Introduction
Profiles of Success provides information about the Boston Public
Schools Alternative Education Programs, and highlights some of
the students who have benefited from these programs.
In these pages, students tell in their own words of their frustrations
in school and how alternative education has helped them succeed.
The guide illustrates the many ways that students benefit, including
improved attendance, counseling, development of academic skills
and motivation for post-graduate study.
This publication is for school administrators, guidance counselors,
teachers, parents and students - anyone interested in getting a
broader perspective on what alternative education programs in
Boston really are and how they help students stay in school and
succeed academically.
The guide features students from 10 high school programs and
5 programs for middle school students, organized by alternative
education program. Each section of the guide includes a brief
description of the program and contact information, followed by
a profile of students from the program. High school programs are
presented first, followed by middle school programs.
Student interviews were conducted by the Intercultural Center for
Research in Education (INCRE) of Arlington MA in January and
February 2002, as part of a U.S. Department of Education
grant that has supported the expansion of alternative education
programs in Boston.
For additional information about BPS Alternative Education
Programs, please contact Dr. Elliot Feldman at (617) 635-8035.
Profiles of Success
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1
El Centro Del Cardenal Alternative High School
76 Union Park Street, Boston, MA 02118, Telephone: (617) 542-9292 x 638
Sonia Nuñez
A collaboration between El Centro
and BPS, this program gives high
school students an opportunity to
earn credits toward a BPS High
School diploma while attending
classes at El Centro. The program
provides high school students
with a bilingual alternative
educational setting and links
school to the “real world” through
school-to-work activities, career
plan development and community
service projects.
Diploma Plus:
This competency-based diploma
program
targets
older,
high-skilled youth to earn a
BPS diploma by demonstrating
competencies in academic
skills, career development and
personal responsibility. Based
on an evaluation in these areas,
students can gain credits
toward their high school
diploma.
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Profiles of Success
Sonia is relatively new to El Centro. She was
attending Charlestown High School before El
Centro. Her high school career has been spent
between a high school in New Hampshire, at
Charlestown, and now, for her senior year, at El
Centro. She said she found the transition difficult
and stopped going to school. She chose to come to El
Centro after looking at the choices for alternative
schools; She will be graduating this year.
She was born in Boston, and currently lives with her grandmother. She reports
she was a good student--in middle school she was an honor student--until she got
to high school. Her grandmother doesn’t speak English, so she speaks Spanish at
home. Her family is from Puerto Rico.
“[Charlestown High School] was a
good school and everything, but I
couldn’t concentrate on my work.
Like there were too many students
in class. Not every class, but the
students don’t like to concentrate
on their work, they like to
fool around and whatever. And
sometimes that’s what the teacher
focused on. Students would get
in trouble all the time.”
“We get to know our teachers, and
it’s a good program. Because the
classes are smaller, you get to do the
work. Everybody doesn’t fool
around, you know. Everybody that
comes here, they’re coming here to
get their diploma, you know, not
to mess around. This program is
helping me out.”
-Sonia Nuñez
Sonia said that she stopped going to school, because she knew she wasn’t going to pass.
“To me it seemed like they didn’t care. And coming here to El Centro is really
different because you get to know your teachers better, the classes are smaller and stuff,
and it’s way better. And they focus on you. It’s not like the other school where they just
don’t care. That’s how I look at it. The classes aren’t so big, like in the Boston Public
Schools, where there’s like 29 students in the class. Over here there’s like ten.”
“I like all of my classes, basically. I have algebra, health and Spanish. There are four
teachers here, but I only have classes with three of them. I’m passing this year. If I would
have stayed at Charlestown, I think they would have kept me back, because I wasn’t
getting my work done.”
“After I graduate, I want go to college to take early childhood, because I like working with kids. I worked in my
neighborhood with kids, in camp and stuff. I was a counselor. I like working with kids, I think it’s fun, and I like working
with my community.” Sonia hopes to go to Bay State College after she graduates.
Carlos Morales
Carlos has been at El Centro a year and a half. He’s a senior this year, and
although he went to Charlestown High School before coming here, he will be
graduating from El Centro. He lives in Boston with his mom and sister.
“I’ve thought about [the future], but it’s like there was so many things that I
wanna do...my main thing was to play sports, like baseball. Because when I was
younger, every year I played baseball, and it was like my goal to be on TV like the
Red Sox and play at Fenway. Just be big in life. I just want to be big in life, that’s
all. But whatever life gives me, I’ll take it.”
“I love it here. It’s cool, it’s
like a big family. You know
everybody, and you get
along with everybody here.”
-Carlos Morales
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3
“My favorites are science,
English and social studies.
Especially social studies,
because the teacher gets
into more depth about
the way history really is.
I went to Charlestown
High before I came here
and you went to class and
all you would do was write
presidents’ names, when
they were born and when
they died. And it got boring. And you wanna learn about
new things and different things, and where people come
from, their cultures, so when you move up, you can tell
your little cousin or your little brother about this and
that when he asks you. You can feel good about that,
you can answer that question. And at El Centro, social
studies is fun to go to.”
“See what education is really about. It’s not just about
boys and girls, about liking this girl or liking this guy, or
just ‘forget about my work, I can just do it tomorrow and
have it in by the morning.’ I don’t even want to leave
here. I’ll miss it.”
“I tell people that the alternative school to go to is
El Centro, because for me it’s the best. I’m not going to
put other schools down, because there may be other
schools that are better, but for me, it’s the best. I’ll
recommend it to anybody. It helps, if you feel like you
want to quit school, don’t quit at this, because that
would be the biggest mistake. I thought about it couple
of times, to quit and just work. But it’s not that easy.
And with the way the world is today, you have to be a
smart person to get through this world, the way the
world is, to survive.”
“We had a big project in social studies, we had to write
a rap about Noriega, like back in the day, with Panama.
My classmate was Noriega, and I was President Bush
and we put into a rap what we thought of our countries,
and our ways and whether we think it’s right or wrong.
And we just came back and forth with it. And it was
all writing! And we got an A on it too, which was even
better.”
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Profiles of Success
Xiomara Vega
Xiomara is 17 and is a sophomore at
El Centro. Before coming to El Centro,
she was at the Health Careers Academy
at Northeastern. She wasn’t interested
in Health, so she left and came to
El Centro. She found out about the
program from a cousin who attended.
Before coming to El Centro, Xiomara
had problems with attendance. “In my
freshman year my cousin died, right in
the beginning. I didn’t feel like going to
school and I was really depressed. They
didn’t give me no comfort. I didn’t find it
supportive.”
“At El Centro, it’s good, it’s way better
because at my other school I was doing
really bad, I was getting C’s and D’s. And
since here it’s a small school, the teachers
really pay attention to you. Not like in
big schools, where teachers don’t really get
a chance to talk with you about certain
things. Since this school is small, they pay
really close attention to how you’re doing
in school and if you’re slipping they’ll tell
you and you can have a chance to make up
the work. Like right now I’m an honor roll
student!” Xiomara’s favorite subjects
include math and project groups, which is
cooking, social studies, and English. “I like
all my subjects!”
“The people, the teachers,
they’re like really a
friend to you. They’re not
like just the teacher. We
all see them as family.”
-Xiomara Vega
“I want to stay here and graduate from
here. I plan to go to college and become a
probation officer. I see my brother, and
when he was young nobody paid attention
to him and he got in trouble, and he got a
probation officer. They got him to do better,
and he graduated from school. I want to be
a probation officer for the youth, because
I want to help them. You know, if they’re
having trouble in school or something, send
them to a program like El Centro. I talked
with my career counselor and we went to
college fairs and they were talking about
their criminal justice programs. I want to go
to UMass or Northeastern.”
Asked what she likes best about the
school, Xiomara smiled and answered, “The
people, the teachers, they’re like really a
friend to you. They’re not like just the
teacher. We all see them as family.”
Profiles of Success
•
5
EDCO
EDCO Collaborative, 650 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02215, Telephone: (617) 262-9562
The EDCO Youth Alternative is
located on the 3rd floor of an office
building at 650 Beacon Street
in Kenmore Square. The Youth
Alternative has operated since
1979 in association with theBoston
Public Schools (BPS). Students
attend EDCO but are enrolled at a
home BPS school. All students at
EDCO are working on earning a
BPS high school diploma and
follow the BPS calendar. Students
attend classes in the morning and
work in the afternoon. The Boston
Private Industry Council supplies
job preparation and a placement
service.
Students from age 14-21 who apply
must be eligible for one of
the five funding sources that
support EDCO services. Eligibility
is based on age, income, residence,
court status, school history,
etc. Students must apply to the
program and successfully complete
the intake process, which consists
of three appointments with testing
and interviews.
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Profiles of Success
Alain Jean
Alain is 19 years old and started EDCO in October,
2001. Before coming to EDCO he attended West
Roxbury High School. He’s a senior, planning to
graduate this spring, with a degree from West
Roxbury High School. He lives in Dorchester with
his grandmother and his cousin.
“What I like about this program is that it’s not as open as BPS schools, you
know. Once you get here, you’re here; you can’t leave. You don’t even have the
temptation, you can’t skip class, you’re either in class or you’re not. I’m here to
do it this year because I should’ve graduated last year.”
“They have job programs here, like they have somebody who comes in every
Thursday. He works with us and lets us know what’s out there. We make a
resume and stuff like that.”
“I take humanities, a math course, science, biology, and
computer graphics. Math is my favorite subject, but I
want to do some higher learning. My favorite subject
here is computer graphics. I like computers, and I know
if I deal with computers, I’m gonna deal with math. I’m
a big math head, you know. I’ve always been good at
math.”
“I like computers, too, like computer programming.
I like computer engineering, too. I know I want to go
to school... some type of higher learning.”
“I have to say I brought myself to EDCO. Last year, which was
the class I was supposed to graduate with, I went to graduation. And seeing all my friends graduate, and it seemed like
they were doing the same things I was doing, but yet, I was the
only one that didn’t graduate.”
“I just have to get committed and know what I really want to
do. And not having a high school diploma is not one of them,
you know. I at least want that.”
“I did well up until about the eighth grade and then I just
started getting into all that teenage stuff. I had to come to one
with myself. Trying to be something better. I’m just not
really trying to be involved as much in the streets as I have
been in the past, you know. And if I am, it’s not going to be
like street corner type business, it’s gonna be like putting more
back in the community, or doing something for the youth.”
“They have job programs here, like
they have somebody who comes in
every Thursday. He works with us and
lets us know what’s out there.”
-Alain Jean
Derek McCarthy
Derek is a sophomore and has been at EDCO just over a year. Now 16 years
old, he was at South Boston High School before attending EDCO. The
EDCO program is scheduled so that students can work in the
afternoon, and job counselors help students find work. He lives in South
Boston with his mom, and attended parochial school before South Boston
High. He plans to stay at EDCO until graduation.
Profiles of Success
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“I didn’t like Southie High because at first there were
too many people, and it was too crazy. I thought you
couldn’t really learn because there were too many things
going on, like people screaming in the classrooms. And
they got me into EDCO. And it’s so much better here,
like in the classrooms you joke around and it’s cool like
that. At Southie there are probably about 20 people in
each classroom, and here there’re probably about ten to
fifteen at the most.”
Derek’s favorite class is computer graphics. “Beause
it’s designing things on the computer.” As one of his
computer projects, he designed the CD jacket for a
local band.
At South Boston High, Derek had attendance problems.
“I didn’t like the teachers so I wasn’t going to school.
And I was getting in trouble and having to go to court
for not going to school. So it started getting real bad.”
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Profiles of Success
“Actually all the classes are pretty fun. How
the teachers teach here, it makes it so much
better. I like the way they teach.”
-Derek McCarthy
“When I was there I wanted to drop out of school,
I hated it so bad. But then they got me into here, and I
like it. When I get out of high school, I was thinking
about going into the Marines, but if I don’t do that I’ll
just go to college.”
“Actually all the classes are pretty fun. One teacher is
sort of strict. You might not like her at first because she’s
strict, but she actually gets you to learn real good.
I never really liked biology, but it’s all right when you’re
in her class. How the teachers teach here, it makes it so
much better. I like it. I like the way they teach.”
“You’ll feel when you’re at a regular school you hate
them so much, you think there’s nothing you can do
about it, you’re just trapped. Like there’s nothing
you can do but drop out. But when you get to one of
these alternative programs, it’s so much different than
going there. You get taught, and it’s like a fun kind of
teaching. And all the kids here they all get along. It’s not
like regular schools where there’s these different sections
of people. Here it’s like everyone just jokes around, we
all sit on the couches we got in the lobby, and it’s fun.”
Angell Street High School
Angell Street Transition Program, 879 Blue Hill Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02124, Telephone: (617) 740-8480
The Angell Street High School
is a competency-driven projectbased educational program for
high school students.
The mission of the Angell Street
School is to provide court
involved students with a positive
educational experience based
on the Boston Public Schools
curriculum standards; to foster
a healthy, positive learning
environment where parents
and students are proud to
be involved;
to transition
students to their preferred high
school; to increase academic
competence so that all students
think, read, write, and speak
well and behave in socially
acceptable ways; and to prepare
students to enter college or a
career of their choice.
Steven Williams
Steven has just been at Angell Street High
School a few months; he started during the fall
of 2001. A junior, he came from English High
School and is 17 years old.
Although he was a good student at the Lewinberg
Middle School, he explains, “You got to be a
strong-minded person to do well in high school. There’s so many kids, teachers
can’t pay attention to individual kids. It’s up to you to pay attention. I got
expelled from English High. I got into fights, I didn’t go, but I was doing well
academically. There are a lot of kids at the high school, a lot of distractions. I got
caught up in the negativity.”
“Angell Street is helping
me out. My grades came
up and now I can play
basketball for Hyde
Park High.”
-Steven Willliams
“Angell Street is helping me out. My grades
came up and now I can play basketball for Hyde
Park High. I couldn’t play before, because of my
grades. I want to go to Hyde Park High later this
year. Angell Street is just a transition. My
main thing is to keep focused on sports. I know
myself that I need to graduate from high school.”
Steven has plans for when he finishes high school. “I want to go to college, and
be a lawyer. I want to study criminal justice. When I was ten I went to my uncle’s
house—he’s a lawyer, and he talked to me about what it takes.”
Profiles of Success
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9
Niba Abdul-Basir
Niba is 17 years old and is
currently in 11th grade. She was
home schooled in elementary
school, and reports that she
did well at the Rogers Middle
School. Once in high school, she
had attendance and behavior
problems and was kept back two
times. She was in the Angell
Street program last year and
did very well. She considered
ABCD high school for this
year, but instead returned to
West Roxbury High School in
September. She has just come back to Angell Street
again; she got into an altercation with another student
and was at risk for expulsion.”
“When I first got to middle school, it was exciting.
But high school was scary. Too big, too many people.
At West Roxbury High I was always lost, I didn’t go.
I was kept back twice because I was always out. Here at
Angell Street, I come every day.”
“Public schools are boring and they don’t care about
anybody. Here they care - it’s like a counseling place to
me. There are different people I can talk to. I feel safe here.
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Profiles of Success
“Here they care - it’s
like a counseling
place to me. There
are different people
I can talk to. I feel
safe here.”
-Niba Abdul-Basir
Public schools are nothing like
that. I didn’t like it here at first,
but they give you the attention
you need. I didn’t think that
I could pass, but I’ve done well
here. It’s simple but challenging.
I never thought that I would be
‘Student of the Year’.”
“At West Roxbury, they don’t
inspire you or motivate you to
learn. It’s “Do the work or fail.”
The only thing I like about it is
my friends. Here I don’t like
the environment [Angell St. is a converted garage and
has no windows], but I know that I’ll do well. They’ll
call my house every day, I have to do my work, I have
to graduate. Judy (the director) offered to give me
independent studies. I tend to learn better when I’m on
my own, instead of a bigger group. If I can graduate this
year, that would be great, but I didn’t do anything my
first two years of high school.”
“The only thing I worry about is getting good
recommendations for college. I want to be a pediatrician.
I just figured out what I wanted to be in life. Now I’m
worried about taking the SAT’s.”
ABCD University High School
ABCD University High School, 178 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02111, Telephone: (617) 357-6000 x 520 or x 521
ABCD University High School is a CBO
School (Community Based Organization)
operated by Action for Boston Community
Development at its Tremont Street
headquarters in cooperation with Boston
Public Schools. University High enables
nearly 100 students each year to work
toward the completion of a high school
diploma.
Students who study at University High
are between the ages of 16-21 and work
intensively in the Diploma Plus Program
to strengthen basic academic skills and
show competency through a combination
of teacher-designed evaluations,
course projects, student presentations,
portfolios and life skills assessments.
University High School strives to
honor students’ individuality and unique
learning styles in a safe, supportive
education environment. At the same
time, the school fosters development of
a positive atmosphere and congenial
sense of community in which all students
and staff enjoy mutual respect.
Emilia-Engracia Arimah Veiga
Veiga is going on 18, and she’s a graduating senior
at ABCD. She lives with her mom in Boston, and
moved here last year from Georgia. This is her first
year at ABCD.
“Doing work wasn’t a struggle for me, but everything
around school and home was a struggle. It was like
juggling eggs. I had dropped out before to make some
money. That was really stupid, but I was kind of at
that point again.” She decided that a high school
diploma looks better than a GED, so she inquired
about ABCD.
“The teachers are always trying to do
stuff to help you out... This school
focuses on you.”
-Emilia Veiga
“I like my teachers a lot. I feel like my teachers are
really interested in my well-being. This isn’t a bad
place, but it’s a last resort, because wherever you
were, it wasn’t working for you. We’re all here to get
our diplomas, and some are taking it more
seriously than others. You have to show you’re
ready to graduate, and you have to get life skills
here. They focus on helping you progress and come
out a great, smart, independent human being.”
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11
“There’s so many opportunities
here that are offered at other
schools, but here you don’t have
to seek them out. They’re right
there. The teachers are always
trying to do stuff to help you out.
This school focuses on you.”
At ABCD High School, students compile portfolios of work and present their
portfolios to the teachers for assessment. “I don’t necessarily like the portfolio. I like
getting an A or a B. But it’s what I need to do my work, because it’s easy to slip by
with A’s or B’s. Now it’s like they really have to look at my work, and I earned the
grade. Now I’m going to be better prepared to go on to college. So that when I get an
A it’s because I know how to do the work.”
“I took my PSAT’s in Georgia, so I have a scholarship to go to college there. I’m
looking at Georgia State and Spelman, and also a couple of Cal States. I’m probably
going to major in Spanish.”
“I like my teachers a lot. I
feel like my teachers are
really
interested
in
my
well-being. They focus on
helping you progress and
come out a great, smart,
independent human being.”
-Emilia Veiga
Kamal Oliver
Kamal is in his third year at ABCD University High School. He is 18 and plans to
graduate this year. Before coming to ABCD, he was at Health Careers Academy for
tenth grade, and before that he was at Dorchester High. He lives with his mom in
Dorchester.
At Health Careers Academy, he had problems with tardiness and absenteeism. “I wasn’t
really feeling it because I really didn’t like the teachers very much, or the students, and I
didn’t really like the area. At the time, I kinda felt like there was nothing really there for
me, so I didn’t really have any type of motivation. I really wasn’t doing too well in that school.”
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Profiles of Success
“Ever since I’ve been here at ABCD, it’s
been cool. But it hasn’t always been like
a straight line. I can say that my time
here’s been kinda shaky, like at times
I did good, and at other times I wasn’t
doing that well. It’s not really the school,
but it was more like what’s happening
outside of school affecting my work.
Through the time that I’ve been here,
my grades have been pretty good. I was
supposed to graduate last year, but I
didn’t. I’ve matured more this year
from last year. Now I understand that
everything my teachers were doing was
for the better of me, and all my fellow
students. It’s not like what I’m
interested in right now, it’s all about
how it’s gonna affect my life and help
me later on down the line. And now
I understand that.”
“Yeah, it’s much better. The teachers are
much cooler here. It’s small so they got
more love for you. It’s like a respect.
They respect us, so we respect them. It’s
a good school. Everybody here, if you
show love, they’ll show love back, from
my experience, the students and the
teachers. It’s a good experience. And
plus they teach life skills, and you can’t
graduate without life skills.”
After graduation, Kamal has plans
to attend college. “College, definitely.
Somewhere close. Bunker Hill or
Roxbury Community College, in
business management.” He participated
in a business training program last
summer, and he feels like he’s pretty
knowledgable on what it takes to start
a business. Through the Diploma Plus
program, he took a business law class
last year and this year he plans to take
an introduction to business course.
“They respect us,
so we respect them.
It’s a good school.
Everybody here, if
you show love,
they’ll show love
back. It’s a good
experience.”
-Kamal Oliver
Profiles of Success
•
13
Corey Harper
Corey is in his second year at
ABCD High School and is 18
years old. He repeated 5th
grade and 10th grade last year.
He attended Grover Cleveland
Middle School, and in ninth
grade he was at the City on a Hill
School. Although he liked the
program there, he found that it
was too much work, so transferred
to ABCD High School.
Corey explained that ABCD
High School gives students a lot
of freedom. “You can miss nine
days each term, with only two
excused absences. Lots of students
take advantage of this.” Corey’s
excessive absences last year meant
that he had to repeat the year.
“I wanted to come back with a new attitude. My
girlfriend is in the 12th grade. I don’t want to be 20
years old when I graduate. My last year, I was acting
like a kid. I dated girls, my mind was not focused. It
was like a big popularity contest. My father told me to
straighten up.”
14 •
Profiles of Success
“I
like
all
of
my classes. I love
my English class.
I
couldn’t
use
a
computer
for
anything, then I
came
here
and
started learning.”
-Corey Harper
Corey hopes to graduate this
year. He will be able to move
up to the “Plus Phase” of the
program in January, then get
the credits he needs to graduate
by June. “Graduating from high
school will be a dream for my
family.”
After graduating, Corey wants to
be a plumber and real estate agent.
“My uncle is a real estate agent
and owns 12 buildings. I want to
buy my first 3-family house by the
time I’m 21. He’s gonna teach me.
I want to go to college to get
a business degree. I’ve had the
counselors here pushing me to do
what I want to do.”
“I like all of my classes. I love my English class, I like
Math, History, Science. I couldn’t use a computer for
anything, then I came here and started learning.”
“You can’t expect people to baby you here. You have to
take responsibility. You got to learn to let people help you.”
Boston Community Academy
76 Shirley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119, Telephone: (617) 635-7734
Boston Community Academy is a
transition program for students in
grades 8-12 who have violated the
code of discipline and are either
expelled or referred for alternative
placement by their comprehensive
high school.
Community Academy is committed
to providing students with a safe
learning environment in order
for them to achieve academically
and also correct the behaviors
which have interfered with their
educational progress. Community
Academy follows the Boston Public
Schools curriculum standards,
attendance policies and Code of
Discipline as appropriate.
Community Academy has a dress
code, tutoring programs and
provides students with counseling
and support to help them be
successful and transition back to
a regular high school program.
Students are referred to Community
Academy through the Alternative
Education Department at 515 Hyde
Park Avenue, Roslindale.
Bob Francois
Bob was assigned to Boston Community Academy
because of his involvement in a fight in which weapons
were used. He went to Madison Park High School and
he’s thinking about going to West Roxbury for high
school when he is finished at BCA. He lives with both
parents, two sisters and a brother; he’s the fifth of seven
siblings. They speak Creole at home.
He plays the congas and drums in a Haitian band that
travelled over the summer to Paris and Haiti. The name of
the band is “Prestans.” He was in the band before but he
didn’t really have time to practice; now, they changed the
practice schedule so that he can attend.
His previous high school was chaotic, but he liked it.
“They had a lot of programs over there, like carpentry
programs. I liked it over there, it was really nice.”
“I really like it here better than Madison, because the
teachers are really nice. They spend more time with you
and talk with you, explain it if you don’t really get it.
There’s not as many kids as Madison—here you have like
six kids in a class and at Madison you have like 20 kids
and it was pretty hard for the teachers to explain things.
And here the teachers will come one-on-one with you and
explain things. Here I can learn more, easier.
“The main thing
I really like about
BCA
is
the
teachers—
they
really help you
learn.
They’re
really tough on
you to learn.
I always thank
them for teaching
me this. How
grateful I am for
them teaching me.”
-Bob Francois
Profiles of Success
•
15
“The main thing I really like about BCA is the teachers—they really help you learn.
They’re really tough on you to learn. I always thank them for teaching me this. How
grateful I am for them teaching me.”
“My favorite class is math and I also like reading. I like to write poetry a lot. I like all
kinds of poets. I like to read poetry because it makes me feel the emotion inside of the
person who wrote it. I like poetry that’s really emotional, that’s real. I like to express
my feelings on paper instead of talking.”
Bob described the fight and its consequences: “I spent almost a day in jail. It was hard,
getting arrested, and taking my fingerprints, taking my picture. My parents were always
talking about doing the right thing, and there I was getting arrested and getting in trouble.
And that really changed my life. After that I started working. Before that I didn’t work.
Now I go to school every day and do my homework, and I started thinking about my
future. I want to have a nice job, not just a job, but a career. Be somebody, be something,
have kids, get married, just have a nice life. Don’t get in no trouble, no problems in my life.”
“Music will always be in my life. But I really like building stuff, or do a lot of
construction. When I was little I used to take things apart and build them back up a
lot. My uncle’s a carpenter. I think about going to college, maybe Boston College... and
live with my family instead of going out of state.”
“I really like it here
better than Madison,
because the teachers
are really nice. They
spend more time with
you and talk with
you, explain it if you
don’t really get it.”
-Bob Francois
Jaime King
Jaime is 16 years old. She started at Boston Community Academy in September.
She attends the Boston Community Academy because of her involvement in a fight with
a boy on the last day of school; she was expelled because she used a weapon in the fight.
After being released from the hospital, she spent the summer in DYS. She’ll be at
Community Academy until June, then she can choose to go to another high school. The
fight was her first time in trouble. She lives at St. Mary’s Women and Infants Center.
16 •
Profiles of Success
“The fight affected me a lot, because I thought about it
a lot. I can’t always react to other people’s actions.
I thought about how there’s no point in arguing, it’s not
worth it.”
She wants to go to Hyde Park High, or maybe ABCD
University High. She talks about wanting to go to
school where she won’t know anybody, so she won’t
get distracted.
She got good grades in school. Comparing regular Boston
Public Schools and Boston Community Academy,
Jaime says, “I like BCA. I like it better than Boston
Public Schools, because the classes are smaller, and you
get to have more focus on you. There’s only about ten
kids in the classrooms here.”
Her future plans include college, most likely Northeastern,
as she has an interest in Cosmetology. She also considers
being a police officer. She wants to help people: “I used
to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club, I was a junior
lifeguard for little kids. I like working with kids.”
Her favorite subject is math. “I just like the teacher. She
makes it fun for us. We play chess to learn different
strategies in math, and to solve different problems.” She
talked about how it was more challenging at Latin and
she misses that part of it. She’s looking forward to that
again when she goes to high school. “But I’m learning
stuff here that I didn’t learn at my other school.”
“I really like it at Boston Community Academy, because
you can get the attention that you need. You can’t get
that at the Boston Public Schools. They teach you more
here. And if you don’t understand something, they help
you with it, they don’t just tell you to figure it out. You
get to know what you need to know before you leave
here. Here, I know the teachers really care.”
“I like BCA. I like it better than Boston
Public Schools, because the classes are smaller,
and you get to have more focus on you. Here,
I know the teachers really care.”
-Jaime King
Profiles of Success
•
17
City Roots Alternative High School
Boston Community Centers, 1483 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120, Telephone: (617) 635-4920
Ryan McDonough
City Roots provides an alternative year
of high school at 4 sites in Boston. The
program offers small classes and a
comfortable atmosphere where students
receive G.E.D. preparation and testing,
job readiness training and career
exploration. The City Roots program
in South Boston offers students the
opportunity for a high school diploma
rather than a GED. Students participate
in extracurricular activities such as field
trips, intramural programs, yearbook
production and a prom.
In addition, job developers and career
counselors assist City Roots students in
finding full and part-time employment
both during the school year and after
graduation. Students are also provided
with information on educational
institutes, financial aid, S.A.T. tests,
apprenticeship programs and more.
City Roots is currently offered in
Dorchester, South Boston, East Boston
and Roslindale. Each year, close to
100 students receive their high school
diplomas at Commencement Exercises
held at historic Faneuil Hall.
18 •
Profiles of Success
Seventeen years old and a graduating
senior this year, Ryan came to City Roots
from Boston Latin Academy a year and a
half ago. He was held back in eighth grade
due to lack of attendance, but because of
the Diploma Plus program at City Roots
he will be able to graduate on time.
At City Roots, Ryan likes the smaller
classes. “It’s closer. Teachers are cool. At
Boston Latin they just give you work and expect you to do it. Whereas here
if you don’t understand something, the teachers are right here. You just go up
to them and ask them for help. That’s what they’re there for. It’s more
personal. If you ask them questions you get a straight answer. You get to
know the teachers and students.”
In his time away from classes, Ryan studies ancient civilizations. “I like
learning about like Mesopotamia... world history, agriculture, how we came
to be here. I took a college class this year at Bunker Hill. It was ancient
civilizations, up until the 1800’s. I’m taking Criminal Investigation in the
spring.”
“It’s a much more personal environment. There are good
teachers here, and they look at your strong points and your
weaknesses. It’s a really comfortable learning environment.”
-Ryan McDonough
As for plans after graduating, Ryan was
thinking about joining the military. “I
was thinking about the Army, or about
going into law enforcement. I don’t
plan on being a patrol cop, but like
investigation, troopers, homicide. You
have to learn different skills. For any
specialized group, you need some sort
of college degree.”
“I wish I hadn’t wasted my time. If I could tell someone...it’s a two year program so
if you’re seventeen and you left school you can come here, get your diploma when
you’re 19 and you’re going to college. It’s a much more personal environment. It
depends on the student, but there’s good teachers here, and they look at your strong
points and your weaknesses. It’s a really comfortable learning environment.”
“It’s more personal,
you get to know the
teachers and students.”
-Ryan McDonough
John Melluso
Before coming to City Roots a year ago, John attended South
Boston High School. He still plays hockey—he’s a center—on the
varsity team there. He’s very proud of the fact that last year they
made it to the finals of the state tournament. As a 17 year old senior,
John is looking forward to graduating this spring. He lives with his
grandparents in South Boston.
“I’ve learned a lot of stuff here. They help you look
forward to what’s going to happen when you get out
of high school.”
-John Melluso
Profiles of Success
•
19
“My freshman year I was in
school for about 30 days. One
of my friends went to City
Roots, and he said it was
good. So I tried it out, and
now I never miss school, I’m
always here.”
-John Melluso
John made the decision to come to City Roots because it is a smaller
school so he could get more help. “I went to Southie High, and I never
went to school there, because all my friends went there and it was
so easy to leave. I just came here and they helped me out a lot.
My freshman year I was in school for about 30 days. One of my friends
went to City Roots, and he said it was good. So I tried it out, and
now I never miss school, I’m always here. So, it was good. It’s just the
attention you get. If you need help they’re always there. It’s real small.
I like it. You get a lot more attention here than you get at other schools.”
“At Southie I never did my work, I was never really in class. Everyone
does their work here. People goof around, but it never gets out of
control. Everyone finishes their work. It’s good. If I didn’t come here, I
probably wouldn’t be in high school, I would have dropped out. I want
to go to college and do the right thing. I’ll hopefully still be playing
hockey.”
After graduating, John plans to go to college. “I want to go to U. Mass.
I’ve been looking at a few. Here they help you do everything, basically.
My last report card was A’s and B’s.”
As for a career? “Maybe be a fireman or a police officer.”
“I’ve learned a lot of stuff here. They help you look forward to what’s
going to happen when you get out of high school. It ain’t all school,
school, school. It’s what you gonna do when you get out of school. A lot
of schools don’t do that.”
20 •
Profiles of Success
Crittenton Hastings House
Crittenton Hasting House, 10 Perthshire Road, Brighton, MA 02135, Telephone: (617) 782-7600
Nicole Nichols
Crittenton Hastings House offers
a
transitional
educational
program for women between
the ages of 16-21 who are
pregnant or parenting. Each
student has access to:
Nicole is 18 years old, five months pregnant
and has been at Crittenton Hastings
House for about a month. Before coming to
Crittenton, she was at City on a Hill Charter
School. She’s a senior and plans to graduate
this year. Her diploma will be from City on a
Hill. She lives with her mother and siblings in
Roslindale.
• Parenting classes for new
and expecting mothers
• Breakfast and lunch
• Transportation
• Classes at Roxbury
Community College
• Academic courses for
high school credit.
“The teachers, they
understand... They
support us. When
we’re not here, they
make sure they call
us and make sure
that we’re ok. Just
showing they care.”
-Nicole Nichols
“City on a Hill was nice, they were supportive,
but they didn’t have the right kind of support
system for me. So they said to better help me,
they would send me to this other school. But
it was totally optional; I didn’t have to come
here. They were like, if you wanna stay here,
we can work with you, but it was gonna take
too long and I was just sick of walking up the
stairs.”
“I want to go to college. Any college I apply
to will be for January, so that I have time to
spend with my baby, and work too, so I have
some kind of money coming in.”
“What do I want to study? Early childhood development. All my life I’ve been a
counselor, an after school coordinator. I just can’t see myself without kids.”
Profiles of Success
•
21
have twelve in the classes, but they’re
split into three sections. With my
group, there’s only three of us. You
always have a study room if you want
to work by yourself. You get most of
your homework done here.”
“Crittenton is more one on one work
than being in a class. They understand
when you’re tired and you want to put
your head down for a little while.
And you have to use the bathroom
frequently, and they can’t say no you
can’t use the bathroom. So it’s a lot
easier. City on a Hill has tons of stairs;
this is limited stairs. I like it.”
“I like how understanding the teachers
are here. You don’t know, like City
on a Hill they’re so focused on work
and you have so much to do in so
little time, you don’t have time to
put your head down. You don’t have
time to use the bathroom twice in
an eighty minute block. It was
just stressful. And now, the teachers
understand when I have to use the
bathroom again. They support us.
When we’re not here, they make sure
they call us and make sure that we’re
ok. Just showing they care, not just
calling your house when you do
something bad. And the free food,
and it’s good, too. Here it’s small, we
22 •
Profiles of Success
“I was skeptical. I didn’t
want to come here. I
thought that it was gonna
be boring and that the
people were gonna be
mean to you and treat you
different because you’re
pregnant. And they don’t.
They’re just nice. I thought
that being around a whole
bunch of pregnant girls
would be bad. But it’s
great, we all support each
other.”
“I was skeptical. I didn’t want to come
here. I thought that it was gonna be
boring and that the people were gonna
be mean to you and treat you different
because you’re pregnant. And they
don’t. They’re just nice. I thought
that being around a whole bunch of
pregnant girls would be bad. But it’s
great, we all support each other.
They’re so nice! We have to go to
everybody’s baby shower, and all that.”
-Nicole Nichols
Leahnette Jackson
Leahnette is 17 years old and has been attending the alternative school at
Crittenton for two months. She was at Madison Park High School before this,
and she’s a senior. Her baby, a girl, is due in just six weeks. She lives with her
mom in Mattapan.
“What’s different about being here at Crittenton? You get more attention.
It’s more one on one. Instead of being in a class with a whole bunch of
students, where the teacher has to talk to this student, then this student,
it’s just you and the teacher. And you get more attention that way. And here
I don’t have to walk up and down the stairs.”
Her favorite subjects are History and Math.
“History’s easy for me. I like learning about
different cultures.”
“I did want to go to college, but I’m not
really situated with that right now. I think
I’ll get a job or take computer training
classes. I want to have an office job. Filing
papers, answering the phone, stuff like that.”
“Small classes, and the
teachers are nice. I also
get a better education
here, because they help
you more.”
“You get more attention.
It’s more one on one.
Instead of being in a
class with a whole
bunch of students.”
-Leahnette Jackson
What do you like best about Crittenton?
“Small classes, and the teachers are nice. I
also get a better education here, because
they help you more. Everyone here’s nice.”
-Leahnette Jackson
Profiles of Success
•
23
75 Malcolm X Boulevard, Roxbury, MA 02120, Telephone: (617) 635-1542
(BATA) is a high school diploma
program designed for older
students (20 to 22 year-olds).
BATA assists students in finding
part-time work and/or vocational
training opportunities. Every
student is also asigned a
counselor to hep address issues
both in and outside school.
The two-year program provides
challenging instruction in core
subject areas - math, English/
ESL, science and social studies.
Students at BATA have the
opportunity to be a part of the
“Diploma-Plus” program. To
participate and graduate from
Diploma Plus, students need to
show that they are ready to do
college level work. They take a
college course while still in high
school, participate in an internship and are involved in special
projects.
24 •
Profiles of Success
Messalina Goncalves
Messalina is from Cape Verde and arrived here
in the U.S. a year ago. She is 21 years old and
has been in this school for almost a year. She
finished high school in Cape Verde, then came
here to live with her father. There wasn’t much
for her to do in CV and she plans to become a
lawyer someday, so coming to the states to go
to school was a good decision. She plans to
graduate in June. She is in the Diploma Plus
program and is currently taking a writing
class at Bunker Hill Community College. She
lives with her dad and her sister here in
Boston. Her mother and other siblings live in
Cape Verde. She works part time while she’s in
school.
She takes science, math, ESL, and the senior
seminar, which is geared toward career choices
and research. Messalina plans to go to a
community college for two years and then
transfer to a university. She is in the process of
applying for financial aid right now.
“I like this program, because here all the
teachers help us. If we have problems we talk
“This is a great
program. We can get
our diploma, and
they can help us
to find a school
and a career. Some
people are not sure
about what career
to choose, and here
they help them to
decide.”
-Messalina Goncalves
to them and they help us. In our classrooms, the students help each other. When I came
here, I didn’t know anything about computers, and the teachers and my classmates helped
me and now I’m doing fine in computers.”
“In Cape Verde it was hard, because they give you notes and then you have to study for
tests. Here it is more easy. There is more practice here. My favorite class... I like all of
them. I like senior seminar best because I never had it before. I have more fun here and
I learn a lot. In all the classes you have to write research papers.”
“In order to graduate, we have to do a portfolio. And in that portfolio we save all our best
work. This is a great program. We can get our diploma, and they can help us to find a
school and a career. Some people are not sure about what career to choose, and here they
help them to decide.”
“I want to be in criminal law. A defense attorney, and I want to work on my own. But
that’s later. The important thing is that I want to help young people. They go to jail, and
they have problems, and they could go to college.”
“I like this program,
because here all the
teachers help us. If
we have problems
we talk to them
and they help us.”
-Messalina Goncalves
Musa Sanor
Musa is from Liberia and has been here for two years. He came to the US as a
refugee. He is 22 years old and has been in the program for two semesters. Before
coming to BATA, he had tried a GED program but it moved too slowly for him
and the other students were much older than he is. His sister decided to come to
BATA, and told him about it. He plans to go to Bunker Hill in the fall. He lives
with his mom—she came before he did. He has one brother in Guinea, and a
sister here in Boston. He plans to stay in the US to get what he wants from his
life here. Then he will go back to educate his brothers and sisters.
Profiles of Success
•
25
“My goal in the U.S. is to go to school
and not just to focus on work. That was
my theme. I realize that the African
education is different from the U.S.,
because in Africa you get a lot of work
to do and you have to buy books, even
if you don’t have the money, and you
have to use a candle in the night to
study. In the United States, everything
is modernized, you know, you got lights
and Internet, and everything at your
disposal. So it’s already different. And
the teaching in this program is really
different. If you don’t understand
something, they ask you. If you don’t
understand, you have to speak up, and
some student might be shy and go to
the teacher after school and say ‘I don’t
understand this,’ and the teacher will
explain it to you. And that is very
different from the part of Africa where I
came from. There if you ask a question,
they say you have to meet them after
school. Here, everybody is nice and
comfortable to ask questions.”
“It’s good because there’s opportunity,
they’re encouraging, respectful. They
26 •
Profiles of Success
“It’s good because
there’s opportunity,
they’re encouraging,
respectful. They treat
you like an adult,
not like a kid. They
are very kind to
us.”
-Musa Sanor
“I really appreciate
what they’re doing for
me here. Because I’m
learning for real.”
-Musa Sanor
treat you like an adult, not like a kid.
They are very kind to us.”
Musa is taking science, math, English
and senior seminar. “Right now I’m
aiming at electrician. The school sent me
to Bunker Hill to go for one course, a
math course, and that’s what I’m doing
right now. I want to look for a security
job where I can do my homework while
I’m working. And the school is helping
me to find that job. Sometimes, when
I talk to my friends in Africa, I tell
them that I really appreciate what
they’re doing for me here. Because I’m
learning for real. Learning to be a man.”
“It depends on you, to do what you do.
I realize in America education is the key
of life. If you don’t know nothing, you
can do nothing for yourself. If you don’t
know nothing, then you will be subordinate to someone. Someone will
always be your superior. That’s what I
realized. I can be working for $7.50 all
my life, and that’s not nice. So I prefer
to go to school and get my high school
diploma and go to college.”
St. Mary’s Alternative School
St. Mary’s Alternative School, 90 Cushing Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02125, Telephone: (617) 436-8600 x282
Aysha Verdejo
St. Mary’s Alternative School is a
transitional program for young
women who are pregnant.
St. Mary’s provides students
with classroom instruction
based on the Boston Public
Schools curriculum standards
and emphasizes a safe, secure,
nurturing and supportive
environment.
Students are
transitioned back to their previous
school upon completion of the
program.
New to St. Mary’s, Aysha is 14, in the eighth grade,
and was at Grover Cleveland Middle School before
coming to St. Mary’s. Aysha is the youngest girl
currently in the program, and she’s seven months
pregnant. She lives near the school with her mom, dad,
sister and brother. She’s a good student, getting A’s and
B’s at both Grover and at St. Mary’s. She’s fluent
in Spanish and plans to speak Spanish to her baby.
She decided St. Mary’s was where she wanted to be
because, “I needed a place that I feel comfortable.
People had started talking, and they were looking
at me like I was a crazy person. Like, over there I
used to wear a coat, because I didn’t want anyone
to see me. Here I feel more comfortable, I just wear
whatever clothes I want. It’s more quiet, and I can
do my work. It’s good. The older girls help me.”
“I needed a place that
I feel comfortable.
Here, it’s more quiet,
and I can do my
work. It’s good. The
older girls help me.”
-Aysha Verdejo
“What I like about St. Mary’s is that I feel more comfortable. The teachers help
me. Over at Grover Cleveland people are too mixed up. St. Mary’s is a very
good place if you’re pregnant. They help you a lot. You don’t have to worry that
you’re not going to graduate, because they help you.”
And for high school? “I want to go to Boston Art Academy, but I’m not totally
sure. After high school, I want to do business. Like working in a bank. I like
to act, too. I was in a play, ‘Grease,’ one of the pink girls. I was gonna do
another one, but I got pregnant. Yeah, I want to go to college.”
Profiles of Success
•
27
Shirley Mae Rowley
Shirley is an 18 year old graduating senior
and has been at St. Mary’s since October.
She lives in Dorchester with her aunt, and
attended West Roxbury High before
coming to St. Mary’s. Shirley says her
doctor thinks she’s ready to give birth soon.
After giving birth, she’ll be tutored for six
weeks, then go back to West Roxbury High
to finish out her senior year.
When asked what made her decide to
come to St. Mary’s, Shirley responded,
“I was so big, and it was hard for me to
go up and down the stairs, and you
got people looking at you, the guidance
counselor got me into St. Mary’s.”
“Classes here are like your regular classes,
you just bring all your regular school work
here. We just do our work, and sometimes
we have an activity. It’s not hard as long
as you do your work. I got the honor roll!
The teachers here are good at helping you
understand things. And we have prenatal
classes, where the teacher tells us all the
things we need to know about having
babies and being parents.”
28 •
Profiles of Success
“I think this school is
really good, and I’m
glad I came here.
It helps you finish
school. It makes it
easier than regular
high school.”
-Shirley Mae Rowley
The program director had her church put on
a luncheon for the girls with a program for
them about prenatal nutrition. They also
have parties and other educational activities
and they have a graduation/reunion
ceremony at the end of the year for the girls.
A brand new HealthWorks gym is opening
in the building where the school is
housed, and the girls will be able to attend
specialized exercise and health classes.
Shirley has plans after graduation that
include further education. “I like all my
classes, and I want to be a nurse. I like
going to hospitals and taking care of
people and stuff like that.”
“What do I get out of this program? It
makes you look forward to the future. I just
like the program for any teenager who’s
having a baby because you don’t have to
be uncomfortable. Like at West Roxbury,
people stare and people talk. But I think
this school is really good, and I’m glad I
came here. It helps you finish school. It
makes it easier than regular high school.”
The Young Adult Center
912 New Court House, Boston, MA 02108, Telephone: (617) 725-8138 x264
The Young Adult Center offers
educational, counseling and
substance abuse services to court
related students 17-22 years old.
Students are closely monitored and
a major component of the program
is to provide them with support
for a successful re-entry into a
high school or to obtain a G.E.D.
The program is based on extensive
collaboration between the Boston
Public Schools, the Office of
Community Corrections, the
Department of Youth Services
(DYS), the Suffolk County Sheriff’s
Office and the Comissioner of
Probation.
Julio Moriera
Julio is 18 and attended West Roxbury High School
before coming to The Young Adult Center. He was in
the tenth grade there. He violated his probation and that
landed him at the Center. At 14, he committed assault
and battery and that put him in DYS. His parents are
from Puerto Rico and El Salvador, and he lives with them
in Roslindale. He was in school while at DYS, and was
able to count those credits toward his GED.
“Here, you get things quicker. There I got distracted easier. Here there’s no girls
to take my mind off things. Math and science have been my favorites since the get
go. Math is easy; I like working with numbers. No matter what you want to be,
you gotta know math. And science, I just like science.”
“I’ve been here a month and a half. I’m going to take the GED on March 30th. I
wanna go to college in September, at Roxbury Community College. I’m going to
study business management. Maybe the restaurant business. I used to work at the
JP Cafe, but it was boring and I quit.”
Profiles of Success
•
29
“I wasn’t forced to come here, they asked me if I wanted to come here. I started
in January—last fall I was just hanging out. It was boring.”
“I like the small classes. They pay more attention to you. You do one part, they
come check it, they make sure you know how to do something before you move
on. I took work home like twice already.”
“I like the small classes.
The teachers pay more
attention to you. You do
one part, they come check
it, they make sure you
know how to do something
before you move on.”
“If you want to get attention when you need it, it’s a good place for that. If you
don’t wanna do work then you shouldn’t come here, because they gonna make you
work. It’s good—if you really want to do it, it’s good. If you don’t want to do it,
don’t come here.”
-Julio Moriera
Eric McCluskey
Eric is 18 years old and attended Boston Latin Academy and was in the eleventh grade
before coming to The Young Adult Center. He lives in Jamaica Plain with his
mother. He stated that deaths in the family and run-ins with the law threw him off
in school, and preceded his coming here. The court appointed him to come to
The Young Adult Center as part of his probation. He’s been here for seven months.
“We study math, science, social studies. My favorite is math, it comes easy to me. The
difference between Latin Academy and here? There you’re kind of free. You’re there
because you want to be there for your own schooling. Here it’s like you have to be here.
30 •
Profiles of Success
That’s the main difference. This is court
appointed, that’s how I look at it. I have
to wake up and go, because the court said
I have to go. At Latin Academy, I would
wake up because I say, hey I wanna go get
my education today. I gotta get my high
school diploma. But it’s too late for that
now, so I gotta get my GED.”
“The classes here are great. The teachers
are magnificent. It’s a nice program.
Everybody I know who’s teaching me in
the program whether it’s the day classes
or the afternoon classes, everybody here
is really nice. They have a lot of respect for
the students. They treat you with respect.”
“The best thing about this program?
The way people treat you, I guess. The
teachers treat me with a lot of respect.
Everybody gets the outlook that these
kids are coming out of jail, they’re going
to be like acting up and being crazy and
wild, but we don’t have any problems
here with any of the students here.”
“It’s good. You learn a lot. It’s not like a
whole day of school; we talk about our
day, we talk about what we plan on
“The classes here are
great. The teachers
are magnificent. It’s
a nice program.
Everybody I know
who’s teaching me in
the program whether
it’s the day classes
or the afternoon
classes, everybody
here is really nice.
They have a lot
of respect for the
students. They treat
you with respect.”
-Eric McCluskey
doing today. We know how each other
are. There’s a lot of communication. You
can open up to a group of people. Mainly
everything is working in groups,
cooperation and working with people. I
think for anybody getting in trouble
with the law, this will straighten them
right out. If I would’ve known I would’ve
fallen into something like this, that I
would have to wake up and be here by
eight every morning, I think I would
have just stayed in Latin Academy and
finished up my degree there. But you
never know how things will work out.”
“After my GED, I was hoping to get into
UMass Amherst. I just want to keep on
going with my future plans. I want to
play basketball for a division 1 school.
I’ve been playing basketball since I was
nine.”
“There are so many things that I wanna
be right now. Maybe real estate, maybe
law, business. A lawyer, because I see a
lot of people in my position who maybe
didn’t do the things they’re going
to court for. And maybe I could help
them.”
Profiles of Success
•
31
Andrew Kieu
Andrew is 19 and lives with his mother,
sister and brother in Boston. He was
at the Edison Middle School and then
went to Charlestown High School, where
he dropped out of school in the ninth
grade. He has been at The Young Adult
Center for almost eight months.
“The teachers can
really help you here.
There just a lot of
help and support
here. I can talk
about my problems,
and they can talk
to me about what
I should do and
should
not
do.
There’s just a lot of
positive vibes here.”
-Andrew Kieu
32 •
Profiles of Success
“I dropped out and that left me with a lot
of time on my hands with nothing to do.
I didn’t have a job or anything and I
started to get into a lot of trouble. So
much trouble that they put me in jail for
a good while—eight months. Now I have
a suspended sentence of a year and a half
left, so during that time they told me that
I could stay in jail and finish it off, or I
could come here and try to get my GED.
After that I can get a job, and I wanted to
do that to change my life. Everybody’s
happier, my mother’s happier. My
brother goes to Latin Academy and my
sister goes to New Mission High, so it
made me feel bad, because they’re still in
school and I’m not. I didn’t want my
younger brother to get his high school
diploma or his GED before his older
brother. That’s one of the main reasons I
came to get my GED too.”
“I explained to my lawyer that I just had
too much time and I started having too
much fun, and I just told him that I want
to go back to school. So I can get out and
get a better job.”
“I study science, math, English, reading. I
like science and US History. I like the past
and everything that’s old, well the sixties
and even more far back. It’s a lot of work
over here—but it’s good to have a lot of
work because you’re just being educated.
The teachers can really help you here. There
is just a lot of help and support here. I can
talk about my problems, and they talk to
me about what I should do and should not
do. There’s just a lot of positive vibes here.”
“I want to be an electrician. They make a
lot of money. Mostly like light switches
and stuff. I don’t want to mess with
nothing dangerous.”
“You’d be surprised. A lot of people go to alternative
schools—especially to all the males, you can’t be
distracted because it’s not coed over here. You can
concentrate on your work a lot better. And you’ll get
your GED quicker than going to any other GED
program. I think you’ll be satisfied coming here, you just
gotta work. I would rather come here than go to school.
They just help you directly, and I learn. All the problems
I had in school, and the teachers never had time. They
could help a couple students but not all of us. But here,
they help all of us.”
“It will change your life once you get in here. There’s just
a lot of positive vibes over here. You get a lot of help.
Even if you dropped out from a young age, and you
don’t really know anything or speak English, they’ll help
you with everything. They want you to get your GED.
They know how my life was before, and they’re trying to
change that for me. So far, I’ve been more positive, my
mother’s happy. She used to always be disappointed in
me. Now she feels better about herself and about me.
If you miss a day they’ll call you and see where you’re at,
how you’re doing and when you gonna come back.
It shows me that they care about me a lot. They’re
spending time with us, showing us how to do our work
when they could be in a regular classroom. I think they
made a choice to be here. I think they just want to help
us young adults.”
“They know how my life was before, and
they’re trying to change that for me.
So far, I’ve been more positive, my
mother’s happy. She used to always be
disappointed in me. Now she feels
better about herself and about me. If
you miss a day they’ll call you and see
where you’re at, how you’re doing and
when you gonna come back. It shows me
that they care about me a lot.”
-Andrew Kieu
Profiles of Success
•
33
The Juvenile Resource Center Program at Post Office Square
90 Devonshire Street, 17th Floor, Boston, MA 02109, Telephone: (617) 788-7133
Bernardo Brea
The Juvenile Resource Center
Program at Post Office Square
offers educational, counseling and
substance abuse services to court
involved students 12-17 years old.
Students are closely monitored and
a major component of the program
is to provide them with support for
a successful re-entry into a middle
school, high school or G.E.D.
Program.
The program is based on extensive
collaboration between the Boston
Public Schools, the Office
of Community Corrections, the
Department of Youth Services
(DYS), and the Comissioner of
Probation.
Bernardo is 16 and has not been in school since
middle school when he dropped out. He was in a
GED program before Post Office Square. He was
in DYS for three months before the GED program.
Attending Post Office Square is part of his
sentence. He will be here for about two months
more, then might go on to another alternative
school program. He would like ultimately to go
back to high school and graduate. He lives with
his mother and his siblings in Dorchester. He
dropped out of school for two and a half years.
“It’s fun just to learn, you know. It keeps me out
of trouble. I gotta like put my mind together and
not get in trouble. We study math, social studies,
science and reading. I can pick up on things
quickly. I like science and social studies; like
studying about the body and scientific stuff. I like
learning about the planets.”
“I like the school, I
like the staff; they’re
very respectful. They
help you out. They
make sure that you
don’t get in trouble,
and they looking out
for you. I get along
with everybody here.”
-Bernardo Brea
“I like the school, I like the staff; they’re very respectful. They help you out. They
make sure that you don’t get in trouble, and they’re looking out for you. I get
along with everybody here. There are about six or seven of us in classes.”
“I wanna get a job, and try to get into some sports. Like baseball. I wanna study
mechanics, I love mechanics. I like body work, and all that stuff. I’m working on
my driving permit right now.”
34 •
Profiles of Success
Michael Lee
Michael is 17 years old and he was at
Charlestown High, in the ninth grade.
He’s been at Post Office Square
about a month and a half. He lives
in Dorchester with his mother and his
sister.
“The teachers here
try their hardest,
and they sacrifice
what they have. Even
if the kids aren’t
listening, they stay
with them and give
them attention and
try to keep them on
track. They’re really
dedicated to their
job. Sometimes it
doesn’t have to be
bad to be here.”
“You get more attention here. The
teachers are more focused on each
person. Most importantly, you get
privileges when you do good, like a
free lunch on Friday or getting to
watch a movie. I’ve got about four
weeks left here, then I’ll be down
to level three, doing community
service.”
He says he’ll go back to Charlestown
High when he’s done at Post Office
Square, and there he’ll finish ninth
grade.
“The staff is cool, they’re negotiable.
You can talk with people if you have
problems. They help you calm down;
you can do whatever you need to do to
calm down.”
“I like to write; I can write it all.
In middle school I used to write stories.
I write poems, raps, other stuff. In
middle school we all had to write an
essay, and at the end one person who
had the best got a hard cover for the
book. And I got the hard cover. I like to
keep it on the mystery side, because I
like it when you can read a book and
think. I like Steven King.”
“I like math. Math is hard, but
interesting. Try to find a pattern.
I like art, too. I like sceneries. A tree,
a lake, a lighthouse, the details.
Like when you go to Harvard Square,
you see those kids sketching, I like
to do that. At Charlestown High,
we had an English class that was more
like a social thing, we talked about
books, and the past, and writing about
books.”
-Michael Lee
Profiles of Success
•
35
“I need to go back to high school.
Then I can take up business
management in college. I like stocks
and bonds. It can be good to you or
bad to you, but I’m willing to take
the risk. I’ll go wherever they’ll
take me, but I’m hoping to go to at
least a division three school.”
“Now all I know is staying in the
house. After this, I need to get a job
and go to school. If I got to choose,
I would want to be a manager. Not to
be the boss, but to show I could be a
cool boss.”
“The kids in this program aren’t
bad kids, they’re willing to learn.
They just happen to struggle and
are influenced by the wrong things.
If I stay busy, it’ll be good.”
their job. Some of the kids are
dedicated to being a better person.
Sometimes it doesn’t have to be bad
to be here. I’ve been trying to tell
some of the other kids that it doesn’t
make sense to do a month in the
program just to get re-arrested and
go through it all over again. They
show that there’s more to life. They
have guest speakers who try to influence us to keep motivated.”
“The kids in this program aren’t bad kids, they’re willing to
learn. They just happen to struggle and are influenced by the
wrong things. If I stay busy, it’ll be good.”
-Michael Lee
“The teachers here try their hardest,
and they sacrifice what they have.
Even if the kids aren’t listening, they
stay with them and give them
attention and try to keep them on
track. They’re really dedicated to
36 •
Profiles of Success
275 East Cottage Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, Telephone: (617) 282-2180
enrolls students between the ages
of 11 and 14 years of age who are
at risk because of academic and
attendance issues. Little House
receives referrals from the Boston
Public Schools, the Department of
Social Services and The Boston
Juvenile Courts. The school climate
emphasizes safety and respect
for the dignity and diversity of
individual students. Little House
is also dedicated to providing
students with an interdisciplinary,
thematic based curriculum.
In addition to academics, the school
also provides substance abuse
education and treatment, individual
counseling and therapeutic group
activities. The teaching staff works
closely with the Boston Public
Schools and referring agencies
throughout the school year. During
the 8th grade year, the students
are encouraged to explore and
experience a variety of educational
settings and philosophies in
preparation for high school.
Cheri O’Bryan
An eighth grade student at Little House, Cheri is 15.
Before coming to Little House, she was at the Gavin
Middle School where she was kept back in seventh
grade. She lives with her mother and her little sister.
“I can’t be in a school with too many people because
I can’t concentrate on my work, so I decided to come
here. I got all F’s when I went to the Gavin School,
because I couldn’t concentrate and I was there with too
many of my friends. I used to skip school a lot, but not
any more. I got suspended a couple of times. I just
realized that I wasn’t doing right, and that I needed to
go back to school and do what I need to do. A friend
came here last year and told me about it.”
“It’s awesome here! It’s fun, we go on a lot of field
trips. We go to the Museum of Fine Arts, the
Gardner Museum, Forest Hills Cemetery. We go the
Library every quarter to pick out books. We went to
the Arboretum, that was fun. We went to Lincoln
Farm. We’ve come out here and taken weeds out of
the garden. We write stories about the environment.
We wrote myths about it. In language arts, every
Thursday we have a writing workshop, and we get to
take whatever we want to write about and just work
on that piece as one of our projects.”
“The teachers are
fun to be around.
They’re respectful.
If I have a problem,
I go to them. If
I have a problem
outside of school
they help me work
through it.”
-Cheri O’Bryan
Profiles of Success
•
37
About the classes at Little House, Cheri
says, “I’m interested in all of them. Math
is actually my favorite. I’ve always liked
math. I like language arts, because I like
to write. I write about life and stuff, in
language arts. We’re writing poems now,
and I’ve written a lot of poetry. The
classes are small; there’s six in one group
and five in the other. The grades are
mixed. It’s just not distracting. Here
it’s a totally different story—everybody’s
concentrating on their work and don’t
bother the work that eveybody else is
doing. The teachers are fun to be around.
They’re respectful. If I have a problem, I
go to them, if I have a problem outside of
school they help me work through it.”
“I’m going to high school next year. I’m
thinking of EDCO or Fenway. I went
from straight F’s to straight A’s since I got
here. I’m an honor roll student again, so
I want to go to a good high school.”
“I just think that every other student that
is having problems in school should
really either come to Little House or
another alternative school. I think that
alternative schools is just the best that
38 •
Profiles of Success
I’ve ever been to. I never used to like
social studies and science and now I love
them. It’s just more interesting here. In
public schools the classes are so big that
the teachers are trying to focus on
teaching us stuff, and other kids are
screaming out loud and you just can’t
concentrate. So I just find it much better
here. I really do want to go to college. I’ve
always wanted to go to college since I was
real little. I wanna focus on writing.”
“I
can’t
be
in
a school with too
many people because
I can’t concentrate
on my work, so I
decided to come here.
I realized that I
wasn’t doing right,
and that I needed to
go back to school and
do what I need to do.
A friend came here
last year and told me
about it. I just find
it much better here.”
-Cheri O’Bryan
Jaki Jenkins
Jaki is 13 years old, in 7th grade and it is his first year at Little House.
“This is a perfect school. We work in small groups, the teacher can easily come over
and answer my question. I’m getting good grades and doing my homework. Before, I
just used to get F’s.”
For two years prior to coming to Little House, Jaki went to the Rogers Middle School.
“I was hanging with the wrong crowd, getting in trouble, getting in fights. Some teachers
didn’t like me. They always blamed me for stuff, even when I didn’t do anything. I never
did homework, and missed a lot of days. They made me get a probation officer.”
“In February I’ll have a meeting to see if I can be
promoted to the 8th grade. I’ll probably go to one of the
alternative high schools when I finish here. We do so
many great things here. I wrote “My Best Friend”
writing assignment. The teacher works with me until
it’s perfect. We also had to describe a piece of gum from
it’s perspective, and I made a collage. In math, we did
Fibonacci patterns. We made a design on a big board.
We also looked for Fibonacci patterns in nature - like in
trees and food. For social studies, we had to write a
myth. I wrote an Indian myth about why is the grass
green. We read so many books! I wrote a new ending for
the book Stone Fox.”
“This is a perfect
school. We work in
small groups, the
teacher can easily
come
over
and
answer my question.
I’m getting good
grades and doing my
homework.”
-Jaki Jenkins
“We’re learning about settlers in social studies. We did science field trips to the
Arboretum, the Harvard Peabody Museum, the Forest Hills cemetery - there’s been a
lot of field trips! I can’t even name all of them. In science, we’re learning about
organisms - living things!”
Profiles of Success
•
39
Boston Middle School Academy
150 American Legion Highway, Dorchester, MA 02124 Telephone: (617) 635-1535
The Boston Middle School
Academy (BMSA) is designed
to provide students who have
repeatedly violated the code
of discipline with a one-year
transitional program. The BMSA
is committed to providing
students with opportunities to
achieve all of the expectations
and standards of success set by
the Boston Public Schools. The
BMSA accomplishes this by
providing:
• A safe, structured and supportive
learning environment
• Small class size
• Greater accommodations for
individual student needs
• Positive staff and student
relationships
• Counseling and support services
• Improved student
communication skills
• Opportunities for improved
social skills
• Opportunities for parental
involvement
• Community resources and
partnerships
40 •
Profiles of Success
Christopher Santiago
Christopher is 15 years old and in his second year
at Boston Middle School Academy. An eighth
grader, he plans to attend Mission Hill or English
High next year. Before coming to BMSA, he was at
the Curley Middle School.
“I really like it here, they gave me a great opportunity.
My behavior has changed. I’m more focused on
my work than I’ve ever been. The school work is
going great. My favorite class is social studies - I like
learning about history. I’m always willing to learn.”
Christopher had some early theater experience in NYC
and was in one play at the JFK elementary school.
“I’m thinking about being in the theater or being a
counselor. I like having my peers knowing that
my ears are always open. Talking with me helps them
understand their problems better. I have a real
motivation to help others. I’ve made a lot of friends here.”
“I really like it here,
they gave me a
great opportunity.
My behavior has
changed. I’m more
focused on my
work than I’ve
ever been.”
-Christopher Santiago
“At the Curley School, I was a bad student. I felt a lot of
neglect - a lack of attention from teachers. I felt left out,
and popularity became a focus for me. Popularity was my
Energizer Bunny. I was being popular for the wrong
reasons. I had a reputation for being the class clown, and
I was mean to a teacher.”
“I was nervous about coming here. I thought I’d be in a school with a bunch of weird
kids. But it proved me wrong!”
“If you have a goal that you set, you can go for it.”
Tacary Jones
Tacary is 14 and has been at BMSA for over a year. He was at the Harbor Middle School
before, and he’s currently in eighth grade. He lives with his mother in Dorchester.
“There’s a rule about getting suspended—you can be suspended four times—and I got
suspended five times. They said I would either get expelled or get transferred here, and I
got transferred here. Little stuff, like arguing with kids, and I got in one fight. I was in
seventh grade twice.”
“There were bigger classes there, so we had to do more work. Here we have smaller
classes.”
“There were bigger
classes there, so
we had to do
more work. Here
we have smaller
classes.”
-Tacary Jones
Tacary likes to be challenged, and his favorite subject is math. “I just like doing the work.
We’re doing like pre algebra. And social studies.”
“I’m thinking about Boston Arts Academy or Hyde Park
High. They got all the courses like dance and stuff.
I sing, rap, and dance.”
When Tacary finishes high school, he’s thinking of
being a carpenter. “My father’s a carpenter. It just
seems fun, and the money and getting paid. He has
his own company. I’d go into business with him.”
Profiles of Success
•
41
Boston Community Middle School
Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120, Telephone: (617) 635-5216
The Boston Community Middle
School is a transitional
middle school program for
students who are experiencing
attendance problems, are at risk
of dropping out, or who have
been expelled from the Boston
Public Schools. The goal of the
program is to provide a link
between the student and his/her
return to the public schools or
alternative placement.
The program offers small
classes, remediation and skill
enhancement, course credit,
individual and group counseling,
advocacy and tracking after
returning to the Boston Public
Schools.
Each year, close to 60 students
are helped back to school
through
this
important
program.
42 •
Profiles of Success
Ziggy Mays
Ziggy transferred to Boston Community Middle
School last fall from the Edwards Middle School. He
is 12 and a half years old and in the seventh grade.
He lives with his mom and his brother in Roxbury.
Ziggy talked about how at Edwards Middle School,
he didn’t like the way the teachers taught. “It’s good
here. I like the computers. The teachers are more
nice, and they help you get the answers right. At my
old school, they be yelling at me and stuff when I be
talking to my friends. Here they just nicely ask me to
pay attention. There was about 30 students in my
classes at the other school. Here there’s about ten.
Beause when I used to raise my hand in the old
school, the teacher would have to call on other
people because it was too much. Now, I can tell my
answers more. I like social studies and computers.”
“It’s good here.
I
like
the
computers. The
teachers
are
more nice, and
they help you
get the answers
right.”
-Ziggy Mays
“I like the school better here than there. Beause the
people are nicer here, and they don’t yell at you like
the other school. And they do stuff I like in the classes.”
Ziggy has big plans for the future: “If I can’t be an
athlete, then I’ll just try to be a doctor or something.
I like to save people. I want to know more about
things like AIDS and stuff.”
“Getting in trouble is wrong, because I don’t want
to end up working at McDonald’s forever. If I get in
trouble, probably I won’t be nothing and I’ll end up
in jail. And my family wants me to go to college.”
“I like the school better
here than there. Beause
the people are nicer here,
and they don’t yell at
you like the other school.
And they do stuff I like in
the classes.”
-Ziggy Mays
Gary Ellis
Gary, who is 15 and in the eighth grade,
started BCMS in October. He transferred
here from Phyllis Wheatly.
When asked what it was that made him decide
to come to Boston Community Middle
School, he answered, “I didn’t do my work
and played around a lot. I got suspended once.”
“They treat you more like an adult than the
regular schools. I like the size of the classes,
and the school. Here we got like ten
students in the class. Everyone that comes
here had a problem at school before. You
can relate to people better. Everyone’s here
for the same reason, so there’s nothing to
not like about people unless you don’t like
yourself. The teachers are better.”
“There’s less students,
you get more attention.
That way you won’t
miss out on anything.
It’s a good school.
Even if you don’t have
school problems.”
-Gary Ellis
“My grades were bad at Wheatley and here
I’m getting A’s, B’s and C’s. Human Dignity
is my favorite class. It’s about like virtues
and vices and stuff. I like the teacher. I like
English, because when he teaches he doesn’t
teach like normal teachers, because instead
of going straight to the lecture, he like does
different things to explain it. Like for math,
we doing fractions, and he explain it a
different way. Like you got a pizza, and you
gotta divide it up.”
“I want to go to college. I like science, and
computers. It’s not the same as the BPS.
There’s less students, you get more
attention. That way you won’t miss out on
anything. It’s a good school. Even if you
don’t have school problems.”
Profiles of Success
•
43
1532 B Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02122, Telephone: (617) 822-0198
Dorchester Youth Alternative
Academy (DYAA) is an innovative
human service organization
committed solely to educating
Children in Need of Services
(CHINS), an at risk population of
truant youths ranging in age of
12-16 years old.
DYA customizes and adapts
the program for each individual
student’s needs.
DYA offers:
• Core curriculum consisting of
academic subjects coupled with
practical life skills, conflict
resolution, anger management
and job training;
• Involvement in community service
with Boston Community Police,
Parks & Recreation Department,
Kit Clark Senior Center and
City of Boston Fields Corner
Main Street Program;
• Counseling and group support;
• Educational, cultural, athletic,
and social activities, ranging
from environmental projects
to learning-based field trips.
44 •
Profiles of Success
Felix Mercado
It’s Felix’s first year in the program; he came to
from Edison Middle School in Brighton, where he
was held back in sixth grade. An only child, he lives
with his mom in Brighton.
About his experience at DYA, Felix says, “I like
everything. To me, it’s better than being in the other
school because I can work with everybody, and
there’s small classes and I don’t get interrupted. The
teachers, I can cooperate with them. We go outside
and play basketball, or whatever, and we cook every
day for lunch. On Fridays a few of us go to Karate
class.”
Felix reports that at Edison he was often tardy
or skipping school. “When I was at the Edison
I didn’t get along with my teachers, and I would
yell out, not do my work, not do my homework.”
Students at the Dorchester Youth Alternative
Academy are involved in projects that connect
them to the community. In addition to a
greenhouse project to grow plants and flowers for
sale in the spring, summer and fall, students have
been making wreaths for the holiday season. Some
of these wreaths are made of pine branches and
“I like everything.
To me, it’s better
than
being
in
the other school
because I can work
with
everybody,
and there’s small
classes and I don’t
get
interrupted.
The teachers, I
can cooperate with
them.”
-Felix Mercado
some are made of candy. They sell them in the neighborhood and some of the completed
wreaths decorate the traffic circle near the school.
Felix is the house expert on tying wreath bows. “I was making bows and putting them on
the wreaths. Every day for work we have a different thing we work on. Mostly I’m the only
was that does the bows, because I do the best on those. We stay here 9-5, and we don’t have
a choice. I like it because we get to do our homework so when we go home, we can just chill
outside or something.”
“I think I’m going to keep going here ‘til ninth grade, then I think I’ll go to another high
school. I like math, sometimes reading. I just started decimals today. Here they really teach
you. They give you your own page, and everybody’s on a different skill level.”
“After I go here, I just hope that I could graduate and go to college, and go away to a large
school far away.”
James Walker
An eighth grader at Dorchester Youth Alternative Academy, James has been at DYA
just over a year. He came from Rogers Middle School in Hyde Park and lives in Dorchester
with his mom, two brothers and four sisters.
James came to DYA because of behavior problems, including violation of the disciplinary
code. “I had a probation officer and I was acting up in school. And when I got to middle
school, I started hanging out with the wrong group of kids and getting in trouble. They sent
me to the Barron center. And I had to come back for a hearing and that’s when I got
expelled. For me, middle school was like, I was just going there. I was doing my work but
I would also act up at the same time.”
Profiles of Success
•
45
“I like it good here at DYA. I like the smaller class
rooms, and we go on field trips every Wednesday. We
go on educational field trips. We went to see
Plymouth Rock and Cranberry World. I like math
class, and reading. I also take computer, language arts,
social studies, history, and law.”
He hasn’t made his choice yet for high school, though
he’s thinking about Dorchester High, Brighton High
or maybe Madison Park. He’s an athlete, playing
football and basketball. Right now, his future plans are
to become a professional athlete or a rapper. He likes
rap because, “being a rapper’s easy, because all you got
to do is just speak your mind, just like throw a whole
bunch of words together. Sometimes I be freestyling,
and sometimes I just sit back and just write. I like
speaking my mind. I rap about feelings, about how my
father wasn’t in my life when I was young, how it’s
hard for us young children out here on the streets, you
know.”
“The teachers at DYA they not only here to help you,
but they care about you, too.
“I like it good here
at DYA. I like the
smaller class rooms,
and we go on field
trips every Wednesday.
We go on educational
field trips. We went to
see Plymouth Rock
and Cranberry World.”
-James Walker
46 •
Profiles of Success

Profiles of Success

Transcription

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