Students Defy Odds to Earn Diplomas
Every 29 seconds, a student drops out of school in America.
That translates to 124 students every hour; 2,979 every day; and more than one million every year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Simon Youth Foundation.
Former Middletown students Daniel Bray, 20, Steven Carpenter, 19, and Chelsea Manns, 17, were once part of those statistics. They slipped through the cracks of the public school system for a variety of reasons including substance abuse, learning disabilities and legal troubles.
But, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, they will walk across the stage at Miami University Middletown to pick up their high school diplomas as part of the LifeSkills charter school graduation ceremony.
“I want to raise my son right,” said Bray, who is expecting a son, Hayden Thomas Bray, in February. “I can’t be selfish with my son and my future wife. I gotta do what I can to take care of them. Education is everything and it can’t be taken for granted.”
LifeSkills are public, alternative education charter schools committed to serving students ages 16 to 21 who have dropped out, or are at risk of dropping out, of traditional high school. The dropout recovery program uses a unique academic model which includes a customized academic plan, providing each student access to teachers and support staff.
LifeSkills principal Chuck Hall said more than 680 students have graduated from the Middletown program since it started in 2002. Many of them, he said, would never have made it without something that addressed their special needs.
“I believe every child deserves and has a right to an education,” Hall said. “These kids will now have a better chance of succeeding in life because they will have their diploma.”
'Don't give up on yourself
Just a few years ago, 17-year-old Chelsea Manns never thought she’d graduate from high school. By the time she was in eighth grade, she had already dropped out once.
On Thursday, Jan. 14, not only will she get her diploma, she will graduate ahead of many of her friends.
“I’ve already completed my first quarter of college,” Manns said. “When I enrolled at LifeSkills, I felt so behind. There was no way I thought I’d catch up.”
Manns is one of 15 students scheduled to graduate Thursday from the LifeSkills Middletown program and receive a diploma. The public charter school program targets at-risk students — like Manns — to help them find their way back to education and graduate.
“Students aren’t made from cookie cutters,” said LifeSkills Principal Chuck Hall. “They’re all different. And, for some of them, a traditional education is just not a good fit.”
Manns said school was always a challenge for her, even from an early age.
“I had been on an individualized learning plan forever because I’m learning disabled and it didn’t help,” she said. “They kept passing me on and I didn’t know anything.”
Manns confessed there were other distractions in her life when she was in junior high.
“I was into drugs and alcohol,” she said. “I was into partying a lot. School was pointless for me then, so I dropped out.”
Manns said her boyfriend convinced her to go back to school because he had never graduated and said he wasn’t getting anywhere.
“I’m a lot different than I used to be” she said. “I won’t say I’m perfect, but after all I’ve been through, I feel like I’m 40 instead of 17. All I can say is don’t give up on yourself, because you have many years ahead of you.”
Manns plans to graduate from Miami-Jacobs College in 2011 with a medical assistant license.
Student turns around a 'dumb’ decision
Steven Carpenter, 19, was only months away from graduating at Middletown High School when a brush with the law changed his life.
“I did something dumb and got suspended,” he said. “I wasn’t allowed to finish my senior year or graduate with my class.”
But, Carpenter didn’t waste a lot of time trying to fix his situation. Within a few days of his suspension, he enrolled at LifeSkills so he could earn his last three and a half credits and graduate.
“My brother didn’t graduate and I wanted to make my mother happy,” he said of his decision. “The bottom line is you can’t go anywhere without that piece of paper. I want to have a real job and retire one day. I can’t do that without graduating.”
Carpenter said he intends to enroll in operations engineering school to earn his certification to run heavy machinery on construction sites.
Mother: My son was saved by program
Susan Bray said even though she never gave up on her son Daniel Bray, 20, the fact he’ll be graduating on Thursday is like a miracle.
“It’s very hard as a parent to feel as though you’re failing your child,” Bray said. “He had a lot of anger issues, but essentially the high school gave up on him. I didn’t even think he’d be able to get his GED, so we didn’t know what would happen.”
Bray, who had two other children who successfully went through the Middletown public schools, said Daniel was a social kid and a visual learner, but had a hard time controlling emotions. Even after trying medication, Daniel struggled in school. By the time he dropped out, he had been on probation and his future was uncertain.
It was only when a personal tragedy struck when Daniel found a way out of his troubles.
“My cousin died after a boating accident,” Daniel said. “He was only 20 years old. I decided to make myself proud and to life my life better because he didn’t have one to live anymore.”
Daniel signed up at LifeSkills and said the program’s flexibility helped him stay on track, even when he was tempted to give up during his three years in the program.
“I liked the hours and wanted to sleep in at first,” he said. “But, Mr. Hall kept encouraging me and gave me time to finish my work even though I was working at my parents’ catering business. I just appreciated that he was willing to do that. It made me work harder.”
Daniel said he plans to sign up with the National Guard, get married to his girlfriend and raise his son, to be named Hayden Thomas Brady, who is due to be born on Feb. 28.
This article was written by Marie Rossiter and was published in the Middletown Journal on Wednesday, January 13, 2010.
- Posted: 04-16-2010