Evelinda - Omaha Street School, Omaha, NE

When Evelinda joined the Omaha Street School as a sophomore, she had been kicked out of a rough inner city public high school for continual fighting and cutting classes. Through the literacy program at OSS, teachers determined that she was reading at a first grade level.

"My mother, a single mom, also couldn’t read. OSS provided literacy activities as part of my learning plan. I liked reading books in my free time with Mrs. Parsons (the wife of OSS’s executive director). My reading improved more than six reading levels!"
"At my class’s 2004 graduation ceremony, I wrote my own story, and then read it to the audience. Now I am working toward becoming a certified nurse’s assistant.”

 

Charmelle - Forest Park Street School, Forest Park, GA

Charmelle has had an uphill battle to fight. To start with, she comes from a low income family that continues to struggle with financial issues. Then at the age of 16 she became pregnant with her first child. She then dropped out of school and was in danger of never getting a formal education.

But in her quest to be a good mother she realized that to provide for herself and her son properly she would have to finish her education. That was when she began attending Forest Park Street School. During her time with FPSS her son was in the hospital multiple times due to severe asthma, which prevented Charmelle from attending school for days at a time. She herself struggles with the same debilitating disease and had some days where she would be out on her own account. This did not stop her from completing her work and completing it, in most cases, at college level quality - from a 17 year-old mother.

Charmelle completed FPSS’s Leadership Training Course and the job internship that accompanies that class. She was the valedictorian for her 2006 Senior class, with a GPA of 3.65. She took a year off and worked two jobs and is now enrolled in Clayton State University. She continues to have the determination necessary to succeed in our adult world.

Tina - Winston-Salem Street School, Winston-Salem, NC

Tina came to Winston Salem Street School through the public school district’s social worker for teen mothers. Tina has never known her dad. Street-wise, she came in surly and angry about life. She lives alone in government housing with her two-year-old son, Cameron. She lives each month on a $280 check along with food stamps.

Slowly, small changes are taking place in her life. WSSS’s principal Jennifer Green has taken her to visit two colleges, walked her through applying for financial aid, and helped her secure a job at a local church's summer day camp. She has learned the application process in applying for jobs. The WSSS staff reports even hearing more "thank you’s" and "yes ma’ams” from her.

Tina is seeing her life change. "I know I probably wouldn't be graduating or looking at college if it hadn't been for Winston-Salem Street School. I know my life's future has no guarantees, but it has many more possibilities now!”

Josie - Eastside Academy, Seattle, WA

16 years old, you might not think of Josie as a committed investor, but she is. During her first quarter at Eastside Academy, she earned a 3.8 GPA. She is also an enlisted National Guard Cadet, talented lyrist, and a bass player. Josie’s recent choices are beginning to bear dividends. It is a good sign, because in the past she has been involved in some volatile markets.

“I started smoking pot when I was 10 years old. By the time I was 13, I was using methamphetamine daily, sometimes mixing it with alcohol and other drugs…I awoke everyday hoping it would be my day to die.”

Unwilling to acknowledge her drug use as an addiction, Josie soon found herself kicked out of two different public school districts. “I knew that I was close to losing my dream of being in the Army, so I checked myself into rehab; I wasn’t ready to quit.”

She was back in the mix within a month of leaving the program. “ It wasn’t until I spent some time in jail on an assault charge that I really wanted to be free of this junk for good.”

For Josie, sobriety happens moment by moment. “I can’t even think about being sober for the next month, but I can be sober for the next five minutes. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, so I take baby steps.”

Employing baby steps is a strategy that has been profitable for Josie. At Eastside Academy, she is flourishing academically and is close to celebrating 8 months of sobriety. She will spend the summer in basic training.

At Eastside Academy, over 80% of the students face chemical dependency. All of them are at different stages, but are working towards their recovery. Josie is committed to finding abundant life and is doing the work it takes to achieve it.

Jordan - Hope Christian School, Atlanta, GA

My high school career started at Greenbrier High School. During my time spent at Greenbrier I experimented with drugs and soon became addicted. I started to skip school and fail all of my classes. I struggled with these problems until my senior year, when I decided to come to Hope Christian School.

Hope Christian gave me a new start. While here, I was not labeled as a bad kid and was not treated any differently than anyone else.

My teachers showed a genuine interest in my well-being and education. Although I did mess up many times and still struggled with drugs, they never gave up on me.  They stood beside me all the way until I graduated. Without Hope Christian I would have never made it to where I am today.

I am now in my 2nd year at Georgia Military College and I have been sober for 9 months. I am on the Dean’s list and plan on going to a 4-year University after this year. To this day, I come back and visit with the principal because without his help none of these things would have been achievable.”   

Kathryn Chantal - Seattle Urban Academy, Seattle, WA

Although my mom and counselors might say differently, I would not have described myself as a “problem” student in high school but I was terribly misguided.  I had no goals beyond tomorrow’s outfit and the latest high school drama.  These preoccupations interfered with getting to class on time or getting to class at all.  It wasn’t until my sophomore year that my counselor called my mother and me into her office and suggested that I go to an alternative school, because it would be impossible for me to graduate on time with my lack of credits.  That was the back-breaker for me.  I ran away from that meeting hurt, broken, and without any hope.

That summer my friend told me about a private school she would be attending in the fall.  She invited me to go with her (she also struggled at my first high school).  During my first few days at Seattle Urban Academy I knew there was something extremely different, something I had never experienced before.  It was small; all the teachers paid attention to you, but not just as a student, as a person.  I remember we sat in a circle and introduced ourselves.  People were laughing and enjoying themselves.  I could tell that the students and teachers had real relationships.  It was Wednesday after chapel that God said it was time for me to enter into a relationship with Him.  I joined a nearby church where one of the teachers serves as youth pastor.  I learned so much about God and life, which showed me that I had so much more to think about than clothes and gossip.  I had a newfound future to consider.  Everyday my new future was reinforced at school with encouragement in academics and more importantly encouragement in spirituality.  In Seattle Urban Academy I found hope, support, and a future.

I am now a recent graduate of Seattle Pacific University, where I majored in Psychology.  In college I was involved with a multicultural club, youth tutoring, and group service projects with my sorority.  I also worked as a research assistant for several projects related to families and youth.  My goal now is to work for 1-2 years in preparation for graduate studies in psychology.  I hope to help young people find their future and provide their families with tools to engage and encourage their youth.

Starla & Jamal - Denver Street School, Denver, CO

Back in the second year of the Denver Street School, 1986-1987, we had enrolled a number of teen mothers from various homes for teen moms.  Parents from “respectable” families often sent their pregnant teens away to have their babies.  One of these young ladies was a 16 year old from Boulder named Starla Jean*.  Though she was precocious and a little spoiled, she was funny and added a lot to our growing student body. 

I had learned from a series of circumstances not to offer an opinion as to whether a girl should keep her baby or put it up for adoption.  In due course, Starla gave birth to a little boy.  In those days, I was generally present for such occasions (not in the birthing room, of course, but at a respectable distant down the hall or in the waiting room). 

I remember watching Starla’s parents taking pictures and cooing over the baby.  They had decided to give him up for adoption.  I distinctly remembered thinking that these were probably the wealthiest parents of a teen mom that I had ever encountered and would probably be in the best financial position to care for a grandchild.  But I kept this to myself and offered no opinion. 

Starla went back to Boulder High School to finish her education and rejoin her parents and I never saw her again.  For many years, I thought about that little baby boy and wondered what happened to him.  Would he have been better off with his biological family?  Were his adoptive parents good people who would do a good job raising him?  It was an unresolved question, but as is always the case at the Street Schools, new years bring new kids with their own sets of challenges and the issue of Starla’s baby soon receded into the past. 

Fast forward 18 years to this year’s graduation, a special day because it was our 20th commencement ceremony!  400 people were in attendance and following the ceremony we held a reception in the fellowship hall for graduates and their families.  While mixing and mingling in this crowd, I heard someone calling out my name, “Tom! Tom!”

I turned and walked over to a small knot of people and located the source, a short blonde woman in her mid thirties.  I looked her right in the face and though age had done its number, I distinctly remembered those eyes and her mischievous smile!  In a quiet but clear voice, I uttered “Starla Jean? Is that you?”   “Yes!” she exclaimed,  “How did you remember me after all these years?”  I told her that whether it was  last year or 18 years ago, I never forget my kids, I love and remember them all.

I looked to her left and right and there were her parents just as I remembered them, smiling and taking pictures.  I asked, “What are you doing here?”  Why did she show up after all of these years?  She smiled and said, “Do you remember my baby?  Well, he graduated today!”  She turned and pointed to DSS 2005 graduate Jamal*!!   

I was speechless.  Jamal had been a student at DSS for the past three years.   When he began to manifest trouble as a freshman, his adoptive parents found out about and placed him in the Street School.  When it came time for him to graduate, they sent a graduation invitation to his biological family in Boulder.

Jamal met his birth mother on his graduation day!  The mystery is solved and the circle is complete.  After worrying and wondering about that little baby all of these years, I discovered that we were privileged to help him in his time of need just as we did his mother so many years ago!    

 

TJ - Alpha Omega Christian School, Chicago, IL

TJ was born addicted to cocaine and although this has not affected his ability to learn, it has stunted his growth, which I feel is a contributor to his sometimes impulsive behavior. TJ was recommended to me from his probation officer, who needed to place TJ in a school in order for him to stay out of jail.  We were told that TJ had been kicked out of three schools, and was expelled from public school for the remaining of his high school years. At first we had a hard time getting him to come to school sober, getting him to do his homework, and getting him to stay awake in class. Although TJ drank and got high from time to time, this problem was somewhat controllable.

One of our teachers discovered that TJ could run really fast and placed him on our small football team. I later discovered he had a gift for poetry so we started to encourage TJ to write poetry, which he later turned into songs. At times, he would sit during his lunch break in a room by himself and just write poetry.  Our campus pastor began to take a spiritual interest in TJ, he even started attending church. 

When the school year ended, all of the students wrote a paragraph about what they gained over the school year.  TJ’s paragraph actually made me cry, he wrote, “I gained a new life.”  We somehow motivated a kid who was headed down the wrong path and gave him a new life.  At the end of the hardest year we’ve ever had, it now seems all worth it.