We’ve long known that our teen clients are the best systems analysts. They may resist structure, but they know when things are organized poorly. And, when there is accountability, high standards and a genuine concern to help them learn and improve, they correctly interpret it as ‘someone cares’.
We are very appreciative to “Adam” for acknowledging the positive difference that Compass Academy has made for him. His senior thesis follows and we know he has taken the right steps to give himself a good future. We congratulate him for his hard work and his spirit of giving back.
Out With the Old, In With the New
11-16-11 My name is “Adam” . A couple years back I was in high school. It was fun and nice being there but I had some problems. The problems I always had in school were I didn’t like people looking at me or touching me so I would either yell or hit that person. People that stared at me I wouldn’t listen to, I wouldn’t even listen to my mother. I was a typical teenager not listening; I acted like I knew everything in the world, then one day I said to myself ‘I can’t keep living life this way.’ So I said, ‘either I’m going to end up without a job, on the streets, or in jail because of all the stupid decisions I made while I was a teenager.’
So I started to listen to my mother’s directions, but since I made mistakes in Shamokin, I got sent to a little place up in Mount Carmel that was called YSA. Every day I was there made me think, hey I’m not learning a single bit of academics in this program, I’ve been here for three and a half years, and out of the whole time I’ve been here I still didn’t learn anything. It made me upset because I wanted to learn but I didn’t learn anything. I mean basically school was like you were at your own house watching television all day, or like you were in town hanging out with friends all day just walking around and chilling. All the teachers and principals that were here last year let every single one of these students do whatever they felt like doing. They would let the kids walk out of school every single day and none of them ever got in a single ounce of trouble for their actions. Also they let the students go to the store or let them go into the bathroom which allowed them to smoke cigarettes. These teachers pretty much set no examples or role models for these students. They would tell most of the students to drop out for no reason at all, so there was no one there to push us and to keep us going every day.
So when YSA turned into the Compass Academy it felt like to me, ‘oh great this is going to be exactly the same like the last three and a half years,’ I just basically gave up like this is my senior year, I’m not going to learn anything and going to be living in my mother’s and step father’s house till I die there. Then Mr. Silvetti, Ms. Semmel, Mrs. Flowers and Mr. Kitchen were basically telling me, hey you kids deserve teachers, and people that want to see you kids go somewhere in life. Since I’ve been here at the Compass Academy they got me into Shiccitanos, which is Ace Hardware, and I like it because I’m learning new things every single day. Then basically I said to myself, ‘see there are people and teachers that are out there that care and that they’re not going to give up on us.’ Since each kid in this school is in a new and healthier environment, I wanted to paint over the patches that were in the walls. Because of the teachers that were here last year, they had thrown kids through the walls for absolutely not a single reason at all. Through the hallways there were scuffs on the walls from people putting their feet on the walls and from kids leaning on them. So when I painted over the old YSA marks and scars, plus also the bad memories that where here and I made Compass Academy look like a better place to come to each and every day. Now we have a clean hallway, and clean classrooms to come to because there are no more negative memories. I am glad for myself because I’m learning and having people to care for us students. Instead of the awesome teachers doing something for me I did something for them. I painted over the old place and made it new and I did it for everyone. So when someone steps in these doors with a new individual they won’t think this place is all beat up. I just want to say thanks for every teacher at Compass Academy for being here and I’m very thankful for you teachers for finally teaching me something. I’ll tell you now that you guys made me happy, because if this place was the same as last year I was going to seriously drop out. I want to thank Mr.Silvetti, Ms.Semmel, Mrs.Flowers and Mr. Kitchen very much for answering my prayers for you guys rescuing this place. Now I can learn and have a better shot at a decent life and that I’m going to go somewhere in life and for a great last year and pushing me to graduate.